[eagles123]

Matchpoints

---

4♥ or Pass? Is it close?

Thanks,

Eagles

[billw55]

4♥. I was going to raise hearts anyway, don't see the problem honestly.

[mycroft]

1) What are you playing? Is 2♥ GF, almost GF, or 9+with some hearts? (Yes, I know this is a trick question, because I know you play Acol).

2) I would bid 4♥ without thinking about it, but my partner has either shown GF with 5 hearts, or 10+ and 5 hearts, committed to 2NT or 3suit. Partner needs KQxxx and an ace. Yes, I'm concerned about what happens when 5♣ comes around to me, doubled or not. But not yet.

[eagles123]

sorry should have said 2H is typically 10+ points and 5 Hearts minimum

[MrAce]

eagles123, on 2014-January-03, 15:56, said:

sorry should have said 2H is typically 10+ points and 5 Hearts minimum

More than enough to bid 4♥ with fit + singleton in their suit, which pd will have no idea if you choose another action other than 4♥, and he will do something (which includes pass since 2♥ was not gf, thus your pass won't be forcing either), not knowing the fit, and you will then try to recover from it or just leave him all by himself with his decision. Just bid 4♥ and get over it is the best of limited actions imho.

[Endymion77]

Not only would I be happy to bid 4♥ here, but if I pass, it would deny the hand I have

[mcphee]

how can we not bid our game?

[ggwhiz]

mcphee, on 2014-January-04, 08:00, said:

how can we not bid our game?

Or defend 5♣ instead of 4, go -100 instead of -130, put partner in position to do the right thing ie. (rarely) bid a slam or bid 5♥ when appropriate if they take the push .......

Partners hearts are allowed to look a bit like their club suit.

[eagles123]

hmm I did bid 4H thinking it was kinda clear, but my p (a far better player than me) said that i had been fixed so i should stay fixed - citing the lack of aces as a weakness of the hand. This was the only comment he made which i was a bit like really??

[aguahombre]

eagles123, on 2014-January-05, 08:49, said:

hmm I did bid 4H thinking it was kinda clear, but my p (a far better player than me) said that i had been fixed so i should stay fixed - citing the lack of aces as a weakness of the hand. This was the only comment he made which i was a bit like really??

This is the second thread where you have described your partner as a far better player than you, yet he has said or done something wrong. Could you possibly be assuming facts not in evidence such as the quality of your partner?

[eagles123]

aguahombre, on 2014-January-05, 10:24, said:

This is the second thread where you have described your partner as a far better player than you, yet he has said or done something wrong. Could you possibly be assuming facts not in evidence such as the quality of your partner?

This is the first time i've played with this player (he's not the same as the player on the ATB thread) and he is most definitely way better than me, i.e. I think he's ranked pretty high in masterpoints etc.

[rmnka447]

It's definitely a 4 ♥ bid.

Yeah, you're a very minimal opener. After RHO's 4 ♣ bid though, your hand got better even though the value of your ♣ J is now probably nil. All your other points are working and you have a ruffing value in ♣s.

If partner holds as little as something like ♠ x ♥ KQ10xxx ♦ Axx ♣ xxx, game has a good chance. But will partner bid it if you pass?

Sorry, but if you err, it's better to err on the side of supporting partner when you have support -- and you have good support.

[neilkaz]

Lack of aces is an issue but you have sources of tricks anyhow and should just bid 4♥. Perhaps it fetches a bad 5♣ from the opps even when not making. But I expect it to make more often then not and be the winning action.

[billw55]

eagles123, on 2014-January-05, 08:49, said:

hmm I did bid 4H thinking it was kinda clear, but my p (a far better player than me) said that i had been fixed so i should stay fixed - citing the lack of aces as a weakness of the hand. This was the only comment he made which i was a bit like really??

aguahombre, on 2014-January-05, 10:24, said:

This is the second thread where you have described your partner as a far better player than you, yet he has said or done something wrong. Could you possibly be assuming facts not in evidence such as the quality of your partner?

It's interesting, I have occasionally observed the same thing when playing with players I know to be much better than I am. Despite their clear superiority, they do (infrequently) make errors that I am able to recognize as such. Bridge is a complex game with many widely varying points of skill. The strong player will understand many more of these than I do, which is why she is stronger. But even so, once in a while, there will be a point that I understand and she does not.

Bridge is thick with mixed feedback when learning, to me this is the biggest thing that makes it challenging.

[mikeh]

eagles123, on 2014-January-05, 11:02, said:

This is the first time i've played with this player (he's not the same as the player on the ATB thread) and he is most definitely way better than me, i.e. I think he's ranked pretty high in masterpoints etc.

The number of masterpoints one owns is only loosely correlated with one's ability. I don't know whether other areas of the world have suffered the MP inflation that has afflicted the ACBL over the past 40 years (in reality, I think the inflation started even earlier than that).

We have, in NA, so many bracketed and flighted and stratified events that it is clear that the ACBL sees masterpoints as an important incentive to keep bad players coming to tournaments. The result is that some experienced players refer to masterpoints as attendance awards.

However, I think Bill's post is the likely explanation for your partner's comments. I suspect that the auction didn't work out well: either 4♥ went down or he overbid, playing you for more than you had. That sort of thing often triggers partners into putting the blame onto their partner.

While I think you hold a minimum, I also happen to think that you absolutely had to bid 4♥. That stiff club has improved your hand.

Interestingly, if the problem was that your partner bid again, with a poor outcome, he may have been blaming you in order to avoid acknowledging his own error. It is useful, when partner has made a call under pressure, to assume that partner has a minimum, since good bidders will stretch to bid with a fit. He should assume that you might have done so (as indeed you did) and any move by him is thus fraught with peril. It is he, not you, who should be thinking 'stay fixed'.

[eagles123]

very interesting points Mike and Bill, thanks

I understand about the attendance points thing, there are some players that just turn up to so many events they're bound to rack up a lot of masterpoints!!

With regards to the actual hand, nope it was a decent result for us in 4H made, my p's hand was:

J
AKT763
AT97
Q9


he said he was going to bid 5H to ask for something in clubs, but wasn't sure how I would've taken it...

[P_Marlowe]

Pass is out.

You have 20+ HCP between you and partner, you have no wastage in their suit.
If you let them play undisturbed in this kind of seq. they will push you around,
so you should better make clear, that you are willing to push back.

The alternatives are 4H or X, as long as X is not a pure penalty double.

Take your pick, but dont pass.

Making the X has the advantage, that you most likely will go plus, and if you
happen to play Acol, 2H may be weaker then some of the posters from North
America may suspect.
Playing MP going plus instead of trying to make a close game is usually a good
idea, but ... this is only an option, if X is not a pure penalty X.

I also think that if you pass, partner should reopen the bidding.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[Mbodell]

billw55, on 2014-January-06, 08:54, said:

It's interesting, I have occasionally observed the same thing when playing with players I know to be much better than I am. Despite their clear superiority, they do (infrequently) make errors that I am able to recognize as such. Bridge is a complex game with many widely varying points of skill. The strong player will understand many more of these than I do, which is why she is stronger. But even so, once in a while, there will be a point that I understand and she does not.

Bridge is thick with mixed feedback when learning, to me this is the biggest thing that makes it challenging.

This is also why it is important to try and play with diverse different players and check things in the forums and other places online. Otherwise you'll take your given better partner's advice as always right when in fact it is sometimes right and sometimes wrong. It is also possible (probably not in this case, but in other cases) that you misinterpret something that a better player says that is right in that circumstance but not in others that you think are the same.

[steve2005]

yes hand lack aces but has excellent source of tricks and a 6-loser hand certainly not a minimum