[whereagles]

Matchpoints, adv pard

---

Bid? Pard weak 2 style is usually sound.

[MrAce]

I'd double.

[Tramticket]

Why is no one bidding spades? I'm not sure that I want to help them into their 5S contract.

[Jinksy]

What does 'sound' mean? If 'pure', then P will have Kxxxxx(x) in ♥s and little outside it, and probably a shortage elsewhere. If 'HCPy', then they probably have little chance of making this, and we have no particular reason to think we can make 5.

In the latter case I X. In the former case I probably pass, since I can't tell who's making what.

[whereagles]

Jinksy, on 2014-December-22, 07:03, said:

What does 'sound' mean? If 'pure', then P will have Kxxxxx(x) in ♥s and little outside it, and probably a shortage elsewhere. If 'HCPy', then they probably have little chance of making this, and we have no particular reason to think we can make 5.

In the latter case I X. In the former case I probably pass, since I can't tell who's making what.

"Sound" means I agreed "classic style" with pard, whatever he believes that to be. Clearly, he doesn't have a classic preempt, so your guess is as good as mine

[WesleyC]

Double looks pretty obvious to me.

Occasionally they'll make it, but usually you'll pickup +200/500.

[kuhchung]

5H, but i am the worst bridge player ever

[Phil]

Double and partner is the worst bridge player ever.

Look at our heart intermediates. They open 2!h in 2nd/red?

[kuhchung]

i always have 7 if i've opened such a bad suit 2nd r/r

[Winstonm]

I think I have to bid 5S, not because I think I can make it but because I don't think we can defeat 5D. I doubt anyone can double us at 5H, so down 100 or 200 is better than -600.

[PhantomSac]

This: Pard weak 2 style is usually sound.

+

This: Why is no one bidding spades?

+

This: i always have 7 if i've opened such a bad suit 2nd r/r

Make bidding 5H pretty clear. Partner is very likely 47xx and if it's 4702 that could well be a double game swing. Either way we will very likely make 5H and may or may not beat them.

If partner does somehow have 3 spades and they have 8 spades he still has 7 hearts in which case we are probably down 1 and we very well might not beat them. I would still take my chances and bid 5H. I do not think partner having 6 hearts is possible, I think a hand like x Kxxxxx xx KQxx is a reasonable 2H opener but our hand and their failure to bid spades makes that impossible. The same hand type with 4 good spades and 6 bad hearts is not a 2H opener. Qxxx K987xxx --- xx is a perfectly fine 2H opener to me, passing is pretty lame and 3H is way too much.

[mgoetze]

WesleyC, on 2014-December-22, 22:28, said:

Double looks pretty obvious to me.

Occasionally they'll make it, but usually you'll pickup +200/500.

How are you getting +500? ♠K, ♣A, and which two other tricks?

[kuhchung]

I post 5H and Justin just jumps on the bandwagon, sheesh

[FrancesHinden]

Double is frightening. We have 1 defensive trick, and 1 card that might be a defensive trick. 5D could be making an overtrick on a bad day.

[mikeh]

FrancesHinden, on 2014-December-23, 15:59, said:

Double is frightening. We have 1 defensive trick, and 1 card that might be a defensive trick. 5D could be making an overtrick on a bad day.

B...b....but we have so many high cards!!!!!!!!!!


















FWIW, I think 5♥ stand out.

[whereagles]

Thx all. Very interesting discussion here.

I doubled it, expecting some extra HCP in pard (he's a bit of a bean-counter) to justify for the lousy suit. It does go down, but the only lead to set it is an unlikely spade, which of course wasn't found (disrupts communications).

---

Actions were a bit non-standard, but in retrospect Justin's arguments are very compelling. This particular weak 2 is rather revolting (and unexpected for this particular player), but a 7-4 is perfectly fine for the actions and adds to the 5♥ argument.

[Fluffy]

I knew partner had to be 6-4 for his opening in second with a ***** of a suit, but opening with spades its ludicrous.

[WesleyC]

mgoetze, on 2014-December-23, 15:30, said:

How are you getting +500? ♠K, ♣A, and which two other tricks?

I'm playing partner to have the "sound 2H opening" that they have systemically showed. 2nd/Vul this implies some high card strength outside of hearts. In my world, 2722 shape is certainly possible but 47 shape isn't.

Despite being the complete opposite of a sound preempter, 2H on partner's actual hand is not something I would perpetrate

[gszes]

Late again but we already know p has strayed from their usual "sound"
weak 2 strategy since we know they have a crummy suit. Extra stuff outside
to help make up for trump suit deficiency is a non starter since trump
suit quality is the only definition for "sound". That means we have zero
reason to take any particular action. At MP this is usually a recipe for
pass. At IMPS it is probably a reasonable form of insurance to try 5h.

When you are fixed stay fixed and do not make it worse when you are not sure
what to do.

[cherdano]

PhantomSac, on 2014-December-23, 15:07, said:

Qxxx K987xxx --- xx is a perfectly fine 2H opener to me, passing is pretty lame and 3H is way too much.

Wow I have never disagreed with as much with a post by Justin. Why misdescribe your hand in second seat, with both majors? I guess I am old-fashioned in second seat - two flaws (bad suit, very playable in the other minor) => no preempt from me.

Meanwhile, the other person at the table who could be 74 with a side-four-card spade suit could be dealer. What other hand would pass in first seat, but be worth 5♦ in the given auction? Of course, the conclusion is pretty much the same - 5♦ is a good bet to make, and 5♥ probably jsut down one.