[eagles123]

None vul MP

3H p p ?


A76532
K83
T
QJ9

thanks,

Eagles

[billw55]

Nonvul at matchpoints, is this a real question? 3♠ in my sleep.

[Hanoi5]

Unless RHO squirmed before passing I don't see why I wouldn't bid 3♠.

[eagles123]

Spoiler

I did bid 3S here and tbh i didn't even really think it was close, but my P said she would've passed in the post mortem so I had some doubts as the spade suit is so bad!

Eagles

[ahydra]

I passed with a similar hand once and watched as our side's 4S+something disappeared under my feet. Wouldn't do it again.

ahydra

[wyman]

3S automatic, you did fine

[mikeh]

eagles123, on 2013-November-20, 07:18, said:

Spoiler

I did bid 3S here and tbh i didn't even really think it was close, but my P said she would've passed in the post mortem so I had some doubts as the spade suit is so bad!

Eagles

I'd bet that 3♠ led to a poor result....I hope I am wrong, but many inexperienced players base their criticisms of an action on the result of the action on the board in question.

If so, your partner needs to learn a very important lesson, which is that bridge is a game of percentages. Any action is on occasion turn out to have been 'wrong' in the sense that it led to a poor result. Bidding a grand that requires only that one score 5 tricks from AKQJx opposite xxx is 'wrong' when the suit breaks 5-0, but that doesn't make it an error to bid the grand. Most 'good decisions that don't work' are more subtle than that, of course, but the principle is the same.

On your example, I think that the vast majority of good players would see this as a nearly automatic balance, while recognizing that it could easily turn out poorly. The thinking would be that it is more likely to lead to a good result, and often a very good result, than it is to a bad one and, especially, a really bad one.

[mycroft]

As I have stated before, my direct overcalls of preempts are sound. It does mean that we defend a bunch more preempts than others, and "getting pushed around" results in some poor scores (but, of course, some good scores when "nobody can make anything"). But I hate -1 in 4♠ into +100 defending 3♥, even if that loses to those who can stop in 3.

What it means is that we have to balance on anything that looks like a balance (and maybe a few that don't). Like this hand. And it will work out badly sometimes, too. If bidding over preempts were easy, people wouldn't do it.

[eagles123]

mikeh, on 2013-November-20, 10:27, said:

I'd bet that 3♠ led to a poor result....I hope I am wrong, but many inexperienced players base their criticisms of an action on the result of the action on the board in question.

If so, your partner needs to learn a very important lesson, which is that bridge is a game of percentages. Any action is on occasion turn out to have been 'wrong' in the sense that it led to a poor result. Bidding a grand that requires only that one score 5 tricks from AKQJx opposite xxx is 'wrong' when the suit breaks 5-0, but that doesn't make it an error to bid the grand. Most 'good decisions that don't work' are more subtle than that, of course, but the principle is the same.

On your example, I think that the vast majority of good players would see this as a nearly automatic balance, while recognizing that it could easily turn out poorly. The thinking would be that it is more likely to lead to a good result, and often a very good result, than it is to a bad one and, especially, a really bad one.

yeah, my p had 3 hearts, pre-emptor had singleton club lead to the Ace and trumps split 3-3