Chamaco, on Jan 12 2005, 10:18 AM, said:
inquiry, on Jan 12 2005, 02:12 PM, said:
This hand is why I play Misho's meta overcalls against three level preempts.
-- cut --
Not playing meta I will double and if partner bids 4C, pull to 4D, if he passes 4H I will pass too.
My doubt here is not about methods but on hand evaluation:
even using thrump doubles and Non Leaping Michaels, is it not too light to bid immediately over the 3H preempt ?
I was taught that to overcall a 3-level preempt I should have a *sound* opener, and even a minimum opener is not enough and is better off pasing even with a decent shape.
Here, even with a 55, hand is 7 loser-hand, more or less equivalent to a minimum opener, so, if following the above-mentioned criterion, would be better off passing ?
We are white, they are red. How many tricks do you think the 3
♥ bidder has at this vul? Assuming he is a bridge player, at this vul, he is looking at a likely 8 tricks for sure, probably nine. If his partner has anything they have game. If his partner has nothing, we have game and maybe slam in one of our fits. We would be unlucky only if we caught partner with bundle of clubs and no hcp, since they don't have slam (we have two aces),
I would not only bid 4
♦ over 3
♥, I would bid 4
♦ over 2
♥.
Let's imagine rho has eitght solid hearts.... at this vul and out. If his parnter is looking at diamnond ACE and nothing else, we make 5S. If his partner has diamond Ace and club King, we make 4S, they make 4H. If his partner has nothing, we make 6S, they are down two in 4H. If his partner has club King-Queen, spade King-Queen, and diamond ACE. We lose 2S, 1D, 1C, 1H for 4S down two, or 5D down three (depending upon which suit you fit in) when they can make 5H vul. The odds favor bidding here, ESPECIALLY if you can define your suits so nicely for your partner as with a meta/leaping micheals cue-bid.
BTW, I have been playing "liberal leaping michaels" from a long, long time before I even met misho (there was an article with this title in bridge world from late 1970's early 1980's). It is liberal because it required only about a fair 9 to 10 hcp iwht five-five distribution. I have made this very often over weak twos, and so far have never gotten a horrible result (once I could have gone for 1400 versus a non-making slam, but fortuantely they bid on to their slam and went down anyway). I am certainly willing to give up the occassional -800 to -1100 (haven't yet) due to the overwelming success I have had with this bid.