[kgr]

Scoring: MP

---

1♣-(P)-P-(DBL)
2♠-all pass

You bid some sort of SAYC. My partner thought that 2♠ was preemptive. Is it a good idea to play 2♠ as preempt (f.i. same distribution but 10 HCP)?
And then first REDBL and bid ♠ later, risking that opps find save in 5♦ or 5♥?
How would you bid this hand?
(West did have 5 clubes and East 4 Spades, making 4S)

[mike777]

2s very good hand, p please bid something.

[HeartA]

2♠ bid is fine. It is North who chickened out.

[whereagles]

I open 2C... lol.

[kgr]

I did not open 2♣ because it would get too difficult to show my distribution if opponents would intervene with f.i. 3♥.
After 1♣-(3♥)-p-(p) I can still bid 3♠ to show my hand.

[the hog]

"I did not open 2♣ because it would get too difficult to show my distribution if opponents would intervene with f.i. 3♥. "

Quite right and neither should you open 2C. Your partner should raise 2S.

[whereagles]

Actually, having spades it isn't too hard to cope with intervention if you open 2C.

2C 3H pass pass
4H

2C 2H pass 3H
3S 4H pass pass
5C

2C 4H pass pass
4S (ok this one might be the wrong fit.. but maybe pard can help)

If you had hearts instead of spades, then it would probably be better to open at the 1 level. 1H, though, otherwise you'd be in trouble if it went

1C 2S pass 4S
..? <-- oops. But you can try 5C

Still, opening 1C or 2C is a matter of personal style, not of "theoretical correctness".

[Free]

2♠ is the right bid. I just wonder how you can possibly bid preemptive in ♠s if you opened 1♣ It's just impossible! 2♠ shows a reverse hand, and partner with a 4 card support should bid!

[Gerben47]

North should evaluate his hand in his range given by his pass of 1♣. In that respect his hand is HUGE, so raise to 3♠.

[the hog]

"Still, opening 1C or 2C is a matter of personal style, not of "theoretical correctness".

2C (4H) P (P)

your bid. 4S? - great, you have brilliantly described you 2 suiter! Anyway we have been through all this guff about opening 2C on hands like this before. Incidentally I would hardly equate a practical opening with "Theoretical correcrtness".

[whereagles]

Whether or not to open 2C is a matter of judgement, and different people have different judgement. Mine is to open 2C, but I am perfectly comfortable with other people bidding the hand differently. Heck, even I would bid it via 1C or 1S or 2C depending on what I had for lunch... lol.

You, however, seem to be convinced there is only one correct way of bidding the hand - YOUR way. That is, of course, rubbish.

[the hog]

"Heck, even I would bid it via 1C or 1S or 2C depending on what I had for lunch... lol."

Great for partnership consistency......

No I don't think there is only one correct way to bid a hand, but some methods are definitely better than others. In a previous post it was pointed out by numerous people on this forum for whom I do have time as bidders that opening 2C is not the way to bid extreme 2 suiters.

Incidentally you still have not explained what you would do over 2C (4H). Do you bid 4S and hide your C suit, do you show a 2 suiter with 4NT and maybe get too high. Furthermore what would you do if pd doubled 4H? As your opening bids depend on "what you had for lunch" this does not give your answer to this problem much credibility. I think what you had for lunch on this occasion has given you a touch of food poisoning.

[LukeG]

I think that 2♠ should show a strong hand with 5 spades and 6 clubs, in which case responder should raise to 4♠ since there is a nine card fit.

[whereagles]

The_Hog, on Mar 3 2005, 12:17 AM, said:

"Heck, even I would bid it via 1C or 1S or 2C depending on what I had for lunch... lol."

Great for partnership consistency......

No I don't think there is only one correct way to bid a hand, but some methods are definitely better than others. In a previous post it was pointed out by numerous people on this forum for whom I do have time as bidders that opening 2C is not the way to bid extreme 2 suiters.

Incidentally you still have not explained what you would do over 2C (4H). Do you bid 4S and hide your C suit, do you show a 2 suiter with 4NT and maybe get too high. Furthermore what would you do if pd doubled 4H? As your opening bids depend on "what you had for lunch" this does not give your answer to this problem much credibility. I think what you had for lunch on this occasion has given you a touch of food poisoning.

Ron, I think a talented and experienced player like you would certainly agree people do not always play in the same way. A person can be tired, happy, sad or fresh, and all those states of mind have a reflection on her choice of bids and plays. This is why I say I might bid the above two-suiter in various ways, depending on the circumstances.

Besides, it does not only have to do with the person itself. There are exterior factors that may swing the choice, like for instance state-of-match and peek and your opponents' faces. If I look at lefty and feel he's earger to bid, I'd definitely open 1S. If he seems bored, I might try 2C or even 1C.

It's not a matter of partnership consistency. It's a matter of using the tools available (the various choices of bids) in a way to maximize your chances in a particular context.

As for what I do over 4H, first let me tell you if I have hints from LHO it might go

2C 4H pass pass

I wouldn't open 2C. But if it does happen, and supposing pard's double would be take-out, I might now try 4S. No double means trap pass (very unlikely) or 4333-ish hand (no suit(s) to bid), so 4S seems ok.

But as I said, I don't expect the auction to go this way. I am an optimist; not the sort of person who is always thinking of the "worst case scenario" and preparing for it.

[flytoox]

whereagles, on Mar 2 2005, 11:05 PM, said:

Whether or not to open 2C is a matter of judgement, and different people have different judgement. Mine is to open 2C, but I am perfectly comfortable with other people bidding the hand differently. Heck, even I would bid it via 1C or 1S or 2C depending on what I had for lunch... lol.

You, however, seem to be convinced there is only one correct way of bidding the hand - YOUR way. That is, of course, rubbish.

I tend to think with this hand, 1C, not 2C, is the only correct opening bid. Your hand is offensive but not that strong. A reverse can easily bid out your shape and intermediate strength.

[inquiry]

whereagles, on Mar 4 2005, 05:12 AM, said:

2C 4H pass pass

I wouldn't open 2C. But if it does happen, and supposing pard's double would be take-out, I might now try 4S. No double means trap pass (very unlikely) or 4333-ish hand (no suit(s) to bid), so 4S seems ok.

But as I said, I don't expect the auction to go this way. I am an optimist; not the sort of person who is always thinking of the "worst case scenario" and preparing for it.

This isn't a worse case scenario, the worse case is...

2C-(4D)-4H-Pass
?

Followed not to far behind by

1C-(P)-4H

I open this 3C now (don't ask) and then rebid spades.

Ben