[card_cat]

Just last night I am playing BBO. Opps vul, us not. RHO (dealer) opens 1H. With 13 hcp and 4 cards in each of the other three suits, I double. LHO passes, partner passes (!) and then RHO sits there for a few moments.

I am thinking partner must be sitting on AKQJxxx in hearts, with a spade void, and is planning on setting them bigtime at the one level, and that RHO is either trying to figure out a place to run to or just licking his/her chops at the opportunity to play 1HX vul.

Then RHO decides to bid ... 2H.

[Cyberyeti]

Dumbest bid I ever made was counting 13 tricks in 7♥ looking at a stiff A♣ and assuming I could ruff partner's second club, unfortunately partner had already shown me 543 in the other 3 suits so there was no second club and it was no play.

[FelicityR]

card_cat, on 2019-September-11, 17:15, said:

Just last night I am playing BBO. Opps vul, us not. RHO (dealer) opens 1H. With 13 hcp and 4 cards in each of the other three suits, I double. LHO passes, partner passes (!) and then RHO sits there for a few moments.

I am thinking partner must be sitting on AKQJxxx in hearts, with a spade void, and is planning on setting them bigtime at the one level, and that RHO is either trying to figure out a place to run to or just licking his/her chops at the opportunity to play 1HX vul.

Then RHO decides to bid ... 2H.

Maybe RHO has the ♥AKQJxxx and an outside ace, and hopes you will double again, and your partner pass again (!), and collect the game bonus

[jdulmage]

My RHO opened 2NT 20-21 HCP. I held AKQJT in a single suit and figured why not? I doubled. My LHO bid 3NT so I doubled again. Down 2.

[smerriman]

jdulmage, on 2019-September-11, 18:29, said:

My RHO opened 2NT 20-21 HCP. I held AKQJT in a single suit and figured why not? I doubled. My LHO bid 3NT so I doubled again. Down 2.

This is only tangentially related, but I always find it a little odd how making 1Nx+2 gives you a worse score than 3NT. Doesn't apply to 2Nx+1 though!

[sfi]

jdulmage, on 2019-September-11, 18:29, said:

My RHO opened 2NT 20-21 HCP. I held AKQJT in a single suit and figured why not? I doubled. My LHO bid 3NT so I doubled again. Down 2.

I was involved in a similar auction: 1NT - X - 3NT. I was the doubler and my entry for this topic is not the 3NT bid - it's the fact that I doubled 3NT as well. Partner had nothing higher than a 7 and we only took 2 tricks.

[pescetom]

FelicityR, on 2019-September-11, 17:57, said:

Maybe RHO has the ♥AKQJxxx and an outside ace, and hopes you will double again, and your partner pass again (!), and collect the game bonus

Or maybe he hopes you will consider this possibility and not double again

[eagles123]

to be fair this was against real beginners, but playing MP they had some mental auction to 4H, which my partner doubled. It was obviously a penalty double at that stage, but my RHO asked me what the double was, I explained penalties (and elaborated i.e. my partner thinks we can beat the contract) and she went into the tank. I was looking at at least a couple of defensive tricks so couldn't believe she was considering redouble, and there was no other strain she could have reasonably considering. anyway, after a good two-three minute tank, out comes 5H!

I mean it was -6 rather than -5 or something so made no difference whatsoever in the MP context, but it was somewhat hard to keep a straight face.

[mikeh]

I had the same basic auction 40 years ago in a Regional Swiss. I held J10987xx xx xx xx and LHO opened 1S, partner doubled, rho passed and so did I, unhappily. Opener bid 2S, and I doubled (I was younger then) and went down 1.


But the worst bid/call I’ve seen was after my partner and I saved in 7H over 7D. My vulnerable rho, knowing that pass showed first round control, passed and his partner, knowing the same thing, bid 7N.

unfortunately for them a void is not what one needs to stop a suit in notrump. Down 7 doubled, vulnerable while our teammates were +2140.

[Cyberyeti]

mikeh, on 2019-September-12, 08:43, said:

I had the same basic auction 40 years ago in a Regional Swiss. I held J10987xx xx xx xx and LHO opened 1S, partner doubled, rho passed and so did I, unhappily. Opener bid 2S, and I doubled (I was younger then) and went down 1.


But the worst bid/call I’ve seen was after my partner and I saved in 7H over 7D. My vulnerable rho, knowing that pass showed first round control, passed and his partner, knowing the same thing, bid 7N.

unfortunately for them a void is not what one needs to stop a suit in notrump. Down 7 doubled, vulnerable while our teammates were +2140.

Fortunate they split 7-6. I had something slightly similar where opps had an artificial sequence with a wrong bid in it so they both showed balanced hands and I figured a) they probably didn't have 13 tricks b) if I lightner with my Axx partner will probably lead that suit. Anyway, partner wasn't put to the test, they pulled to 7N and I was on lead against that so I doubled and led my ace noting dummy's void, being somewhat startled by partner's K, followed by the Q/J/10 and some more.

[barmar]

smerriman, on 2019-September-11, 19:18, said:

This is only tangentially related, but I always find it a little odd how making 1Nx+2 gives you a worse score than 3NT. Doesn't apply to 2Nx+1 though!

In general, bad doubles don't become onerous until you double a part-score into game. So doubling 1N and 2minor are relatively safe, but 2N and 3minor can be deadly if you're wrong.

[Cyberyeti]

barmar, on 2019-September-12, 09:11, said:

In general, bad doubles don't become onerous until you double a part-score into game. So doubling 1N and 2minor are relatively safe, but 2N and 3minor can be deadly if you're wrong.

Till they redouble

[neilkaz]

Up the list of the worst was in MBC a couple years ago when the bidding went 1NT (15-17) on my right, I doubled for penalty (SAYC agreed) and my PD pulled my X to 2NT intending natural and to play and inviting 3NT. I didn't think this player could bid 2NT as something conventional so I passed and wished him GL. Even though he should make as he basically should know where almost every high card is, he managed to go down.

Clever of him to pull a contract of 7 tricks at NT to one needing 8 tricks.

[AL78]

Hi, my first time on this forum.

Playing a four card major Acol system with a weak partner (not a beginner):

1H (2D) 2H (3D)
3H AP

I held (as East) A7 AKQ865 J4 J86 and made 12 tricks for a bottom.

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What a waste of picking up the club suit for no losers.