[RunemPard]

NV/NV, teams

♠ J5
♥ KQ97653
♦ T2
♣ 65

(2♣)-P-(2♦)-??

I chose 3♥...praying for -2, hoping for -3...understanding -4 or greater is possible. I decided I would risk going for a number by removing some bidding room and making a potential slam a little harder to possibly find. I went for a number...with 4 digits. -5 for -1100 :-/ I know my hand is not going to produce much, but you be the judge...

Am I giving them hell or just a masochist...

Other table bid 6♠ and made, for a little loss. If I could have managed 1 more the bid would have worked against our 2 opps! Will put up full hand a little later. It was a good laugh though after...My partner now wants me to take some drug tests.

[ggwhiz]

nv/nv you are a little (lot) light but nv/vul you would be a little heavy

[SteveMoe]

It's the 2=2=2 I don't like. Can't say I would have bid 3, but I certainly would have bid 2. You're not crazy. I don't think folks get in the face of these auctions often enough. Interfering over 2♣ shape and fit matter more. Often your opponents are in a slam frenzy and cannot stop long enough to enforce their penalty. Next time you'll know about this pair. 2♥ will invite partner to participate in the level decision.

[Lord Molyb]

If I play with either of my normal partners I will bid 3♥ on that, but if I play with a random player I would bid 2, as my normal partners might be able to interfere more accurately with a fit, and can stay out with less of one.

[the hog]

Pass. I have awful distribution.

[jillybean]

Welcome to the -1100 club

[the hog]

SteveMoe, on 2012-December-12, 19:15, said:

It's the 2=2=2 I don't like. Can't say I would have bid 3, but I certainly would have bid 2. You're not crazy. I don't think folks get in the face of these auctions often enough. Interfering over 2♣ shape and fit matter more. Often your opponents are in a slam frenzy and cannot stop long enough to enforce their penalty. Next time you'll know about this pair. 2♥ will invite partner to participate in the level decision.

Steve, 2H does nothing. All it does is to offer the opps a choice of a penalty, a forcing pass or a bid. A H lead may be right, it may be wrong; partner might lead a H anyway even without your interference. In those terms, a 3H bid is better. Here the foul shape contraindicates this. I think a pass is clear.

[SteveMoe]

the hog, on 2012-December-12, 23:17, said:

Steve, 2H does nothing. All it does is to offer the opps a choice of a penalty, a forcing pass or a bid. A H lead may be right, it may be wrong; partner might lead a H anyway even without your interference. In those terms, a 3H bid is better. Here the foul shape contraindicates this. I think a pass is clear.

I lean to your thinking until I consider that 2♥ might allow partner to help on hands they would normally remain silent: x xxxx xxx xxxxx or similar. 4♥ is "Lawful" and just might take enough air out of the auction to make a profit.
So I net out 2♥>=Pass>>3♥ on this hand.

Where opponents are expert, I would likely pass. Information shown/Potential gain is too small.

[Codo]

I had bid 3 ♥ with anybody and against anybody. So you lose -1100 compared to -980? Who cares? They need all the place they have to find the best strain and level and 3 ♥ takes it away.
Yes, it can be much worse: -800 against -450, maybe even -800 against +50.... But you can win a lot. Maybe partner has even a fit, maybe the miss the grand, maybe they just bid game....

Of course, I would prefer to hold x,KQJTxxx,xxx,xx for my bid, but I cannot wait for that hand to compete.

[P_Marlowe]

3H.

-1100 vs ??? : next board

For that matter conceding 800 instead of conceding 980 is no success,
but the 3H puts the pressure on them, and they may get to 5?, -1.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[gnasher]

3♥ looks normal. I might bid 4♥ in real life, but it's probably wrong. 7222 shapes are bad for preempting because if they double you all their winners will stand up, and if they bid something their suits will break.

[lalldonn]

3♥ is normal. 2♥ is a little feeble but much better than pass which does nothing.

[rmnka447]

I'd bid 3 ♥ even though I don't like the distribution. Even if you go for a number occasionally, it puts pressure on the opponents. It may not tell on this hand, but later in the match it may have an effect. The trick is to pick your spots and not just intervene indiscriminately.

2 ♥ does nothing -- if opener has a distributional hand, the main suit is ♠s or a minor. Opener can still make the same bid as if you had passed. So their auction will go on essentially unimpeded. About all you've done is tip off the opponents about the heart situation. If you bid 2 ♥ and partner has a fit, will partner ever be able to picture that you hold 7 with 2 of the top 3 honors?

OTOH if opener has 2 suits, 3 ♥ might just be high enough to interfere with them finding the right strain or best strain. On a good day, pard may be able to raise and make them guess what to do at the 5 level.

[MrAce]

What Codo and others who bids 3♥.

Hog...you are one of those who builds a concrete shelter deep down under their house incase a nuclear war starts, don't you ? Goes and buys more food and store them when international politics gets tuff and geniuses in Foxnews predicts very bad days to be close ?

You got to get out of that closet sometimes bro

[gszes]

I will save my 3h bid for something a bit more classically correct. I see nothing wrong with
a "feeble" 2h bid here which helps act a both a lead director and sacrifice suggestion. If p
does not have a fit then it may accomplish little but there is far less risk at equal vulnerability.


Living on the edge with 3/4 hearts may be more fun than defending but maybe a ton less fun when
comparing scores (pick your poision). The opps opened 2c it is their hand and they both know it so
how "safe" is it to compete at high levels.

[Phil]

3♥ is fine. I don't see a lot of tangible benefit, although if partner raises it might get interesting.

[the hog]

MrAce, on 2012-December-13, 14:44, said:

What Codo and others who bids 3♥.

Hog...you are one of those who builds a concrete shelter deep down under their house incase a nuclear war starts, don't you ? Goes and buys more food and store them when international politics gets tuff and geniuses in Foxnews predicts very bad days to be close ?

You got to get out of that closet sometimes bro

Not at all. What I do is weigh up the advs vs the disadvantages. There is practically no advantage in bidding 2H. Bidding 3H with this shape is very poor in my opinion.
(Anyway after next friday none of us will need nuclear shelters anymore! )

[Zelandakh]

I bid 3♥ on hands like this all the time. Yes, better shape would be nice but we're white and it is a bidder's game. And with better shape we would be considering 4♥ anyway...

There have been many times when the opps could catch me for such a number but the times when it happens are surprisingly rare. Meanwhile, the times when they bid one too many have more than made up for the downsides (such as giving them help in the play).