[AL78]

Another very strange session where for a change, partner and I were NS, right when the cards went EW. 17 out of 18 hands the opponents were in the bidding, and I thought it harsh that three times we ended up in a contract the AQ were sat over the KJ. I had much better hands than normal, my partner was dealt garbage (average HCP 7.61). Here are a couple of hands where we had a couple of aggressive opponents:

We were playing a 5 card major system, strong NT.

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I did the best I could but fell short by one. A better than average result, but a shame we couldn't stop in 3♥ like six other people managed. I felt at the time my 3♥ was on the aggressive side, but we had just gone through a load of hands where we were either outcompeted in the auction, or it was the opponents hand, and I was getting sick of it.

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We got an avg+ from this by getting it down when it should have made (cards lie favourably for EW in minors), and fortunately others in 4♥ made it, but a shame in one sense we were shut out of our making 3♠. I don't know what you think about the leap to 4♥, I wouldn't have done it myself, but what do I know?

[pescetom]

I have more sympathy with your 3♥ than their 4♥.
Was it IMPs?

[AL78]

pescetom, on 2020-June-05, 11:27, said:

I have more sympathy with your 3♥ than their 4♥.
Was it IMPs?

Matchpoints.

[hrothgar]

On the first hand, the issue might not have been your judgement, but the opponent's.
I'm not sure how many people would overcall 2♦ with that hand

On the second hand, I really dislike South's 2♠ overcall, but would have likely doubled with the North hand.
The 4♥ bid seems really aggressive

[AL78]

hrothgar, on 2020-June-05, 11:48, said:

On the first hand, the issue might not have been your judgement, but the opponent's.
I'm not sure how many people would overcall 2♦ with that hand

On the second hand, I really dislike South's 2♠ overcall, but would have likely doubled with the North hand.
The 4♥ bid seems really aggressive

I did consider doubling, but felt it was a rather icky 10 count, and with a minimum like that, I'd prefer to have some shape.

[Stephen Tu]

Well at least you didn't sell out to 3d which I might well have done! South arguably shouldn't raise to 4H in this competitive situation with the DQ not known to be of value.

Sometimes the opps do slightly (or not so slightly) abnormal stuff that works out well on a particular card layout. You have to learn to just shrug these results off, they are going to happen, and they should usually be evened out by the abnormal stuff that's just a random gift to you when it works out badly. Unfortunately sometimes this evening out occurs on a completely separate session or day, and you have a bad game.

The idea is to be able to pile up enough good results on the other boards to still win, or whatever your goal is. Focus on decisions you make that you think are clear mistakes on your part, not stuff that is arguably just unlucky. Bids that are clearly anti-percentage, play/defense where you clearly had enough information that you were supposed to go right.

[AL78]

Stephen Tu, on 2020-June-05, 13:23, said:

Well at least you didn't sell out to 3d which I might well have done! South arguably shouldn't raise to 4H in this competitive situation with the DQ not known to be of value.

Sometimes the opps do slightly (or not so slightly) abnormal stuff that works out well on a particular card layout. You have to learn to just shrug these results off, they are going to happen, and they should usually be evened out by the abnormal stuff that's just a random gift to you when it works out badly. Unfortunately sometimes this evening out occurs on a completely separate session or day, and you have a bad game.

The idea is to be able to pile up enough good results on the other boards to still win, or whatever your goal is. Focus on decisions you make that you think are clear mistakes on your part, not stuff that is arguably just unlucky. Bids that are clearly anti-percentage, play/defense where you clearly had enough information that you were supposed to go right.

I can shrug off being stuffed up, and these boards are far from the worst examples, and if I feel I did the best I could on a board, it isn't so bad. We did well in the end, coming second with 59%, my partner was very happy even though she picked up awful hands.

It is odd, but since my bridge club has moved to BBO, my partner and I seem to get better results. At the physical bridge club, we frequently got sub 50% results, and were mostly below 55%. On BBO, we are up in the high 50's. I'm guessing that several pairs who often carve us up haven't registered on BBO, so the field is a bit easier or a bit less random, or there are more inexperienced pairs in the online field who throw gifts at us.

Sometimes it is hard to tell what it unlucky and what is down to a mistake/error of judgement (or even a combination of both), hence why I post hands on here.

[DavidKok]

On the first hand I would not raise to 4♥ with that South hand. Doubleton Qx in opponents' suit always spells trouble, I tend to count this as -1 point (so 3 down from the usual 2 HCP). I also wonder what a double by North on 3♦ would have meant - I think this should be an invitation to 4M, which pretty much perfectly describes this shape and strength.

On the second board, the jump to 4♥ seems too aggressive. But if the opponents are playing 5-card major it is East who is to blame. They should have bid 2♥ instead of 1NT, after which the jump is justified. I also don't understand why North did not try to sacrifice or double - if 4♥ makes you're looking at a poor score either way.

[Stephen Tu]

DavidKok, on 2020-June-05, 17:48, said:

I also don't understand why North did not try to sacrifice or double - if 4♥ makes you're looking at a poor score either way.

During the bidding, North can't know that West's bid isn't perfectly normal. So 4H making might only be average minus. Also North has some decent defensive values in the minors; going -300 when you could have gone +50 instead isn't fantastic either.

[DavidKok]

Stephen Tu, on 2020-June-05, 18:13, said:

During the bidding, North can't know that West's bid isn't perfectly normal. So 4H making might only be average minus. Also North has some decent defensive values in the minors; going -300 when you could have gone +50 instead isn't fantastic either.

I don't quite agree. North has about 2 tricks on the defence. Partner South has passed and then bid spades on the second round, which means their values are likely to be in the spade suit. I think EW are making game most of the time on this sequence and 4♠ is likely to be off only one or two.

[AL78]

DavidKok, on 2020-June-05, 17:48, said:

I also don't understand why North did not try to sacrifice or double - if 4♥ makes you're looking at a poor score either way.

I felt I had some defensive potential, my partner had freely made a two level overcall (although I confess I couldn't work out at the time what hand could overcall both opponents in the bidding at the two level but couldn't open 1 or 2♠). The stench of phantom sacrifice was wafting around the table, and I don't like being suckered. I almost was as it happens, but declarer misplayed the contract to go down.

[AL78]

DavidKok, on 2020-June-06, 10:06, said:

I don't quite agree. North has about 2 tricks on the defence. Partner South has passed and then bid spades on the second round, which means their values are likely to be in the spade suit. I think EW are making game most of the time on this sequence and 4♠ is likely to be off only one or two.

This comes down to guessing what is going to happen at the other tables, something I admit I am not very good at. There are times I have thought the opponents are taking liberties and tried to punish them with a penalty double, only to see the contract cold and a bottom instead of an average if I had kept quiet.