[WasWinM]

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Playing with either robots or a pick-up pard, i.e., someone whose bidding cannot be fully trusted, and playing imp pairs, what do you do now?

[mike777]

4S

Another of those implied cue bids no doubt 🧐

[jillybean]

Somethings not right, I give it one more go.
5♣

[Cyberyeti]

3♣ shortage ?

Partner has shown Q10xxx, AQJx, Qxx, Q or similar

If partner is not capable of bidding 4♦ with a diamond control I get a new partner (with a pickup I will have discussed cue bidding style and am unlikely to agree to first before second).

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

if you play with a robot, you at least know, he did understand 2NT.
Lets assume, that the pickup is also playing 2NT as forcing raise,
..., the robot may tell you the meaning of 3C, the pickup may play,
what he considers standard.


At the end of the day, we stil have too much to give up yet, so I bid
4NT, a bid I would have choosen a round earlier, if you have limited
agreements, accept it.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[WasWinM]

To me questions abound. With such weak spades, will partner try to slow us down and bypass a diamond control? Would this partner cue bid an Ace over a King, especially with supporting heart cards. With weak spades, if I bid 4S will he continue with diamonds controlled? And finally, probably the most important question, How much trouble are we in at 5S if he or she has no diamond control?

Here is partner's hand:

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Is this a hand that serious 3NT would help with, as either way you play it, 3N as the serious or the non-serious, once you've made the serious bid you've announced a strong hand and don't feel as if you might need to catch up later?

[WasWinM]

Cyberyeti, on 2026-August-20, 02:40, said:

3♣ shortage ?

Partner has shown Q10xxx, AQJx, Qxx, Q or similar

If partner is not capable of bidding 4♦ with a diamond control I get a new partner (with a pickup I will have discussed cue bidding style and am unlikely to agree to first before second).

Yes, standard Jacoby 2NT. Simple 2/1.

[P_Marlowe]

WasWinM, on 2026-August-20, 08:03, said:

To me questions abound. With such weak spades, will partner try to slow us down and bypass a diamond control? Would this partner cue bid an Ace over a King, especially with supporting heart cards. With weak spades, if I bid 4S will he continue with diamonds controlled? And finally, probably the most important question, How much trouble are we in at 5S if he or she has no diamond control?

Here is partner's hand:

---

Is this a hand that serious 3NT would help with, as either way you play it, 3N as the serious or the non-serious, once you've made the serious bid you've announced a strong hand and don't feel as if you might need to catch up later?

If you have (non)serious av., 4H should deny the diamond control, ..., if you trust the bidding, you should stay low,
given the setup, I cannot trust the bidding, and I have to decide, do I push or not.
We had the discussion recently, that peoble would claim, bypassing the diamond suit was no indication, that there was
NO control.

[mike777]

The question of course is does 4H promise a D control as well as a heart control. Assumed cuebid in diamonds.

Perhaps in the expert forum, in the intermediate forum, I have my doubts.

The good news is I would think a decent partner with both a club control, diamond control and a heart control after our 2NT raise and sign off in 4spades will continue the slam auction.....


Qxxxxx
Axxx
Ax
x


slam is not hopeless, smile

[pescetom]

WasWinM, on 2026-August-19, 16:10, said:

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Playing with either robots or a pick-up pard, i.e., someone whose bidding cannot be fully trusted, and playing imp pairs, what do you do now?

It depends a lot upon what 2NT is likely to mean to a pick up pard...
Around here it could only be an invitational raise of spades (for some, specifically 4 cards) and now 3C has to be some kind of ask... I would never make it if we were a pickup partnership. As pickup in S I would bid 4S and complain politely later. But say I thought I knew what it meant, 3H would not be on my radar.

[mikeh]

WasWinM, on 2026-August-20, 08:03, said:

To me questions abound. With such weak spades, will partner try to slow us down and bypass a diamond control? Would this partner cue bid an Ace over a King, especially with supporting heart cards. With weak spades, if I bid 4S will he continue with diamonds controlled? And finally, probably the most important question, How much trouble are we in at 5S if he or she has no diamond control?

Here is partner's hand:

---

Is this a hand that serious 3NT would help with, as either way you play it, 3N as the serious or the non-serious, once you've made the serious bid you've announced a strong hand and don't feel as if you might need to catch up later?

4H is nuts. Your pickup partner is at most an intermediate. No competent player, knowing that partner doesn’t have a diamond control, would do anything that suggests moving towards slam. And anyone beyond the level of a weak intermediate would know that partner would have cuebid 3D with both red kings…and possession of the heart ace tells us that partner isnt cuebidding the ace of hearts

Now if you’re not actually playing bridge…as in you’re playing the bastardized version known as robot bridge, who the f**k cares? It’s all meaningless

[a_user]

mikeh, on 2026-August-20, 15:15, said:

4H is nuts. Your pickup partner is at most an intermediate. No competent player, knowing that partner doesn’t have a diamond control, would do anything that suggests moving towards slam. And anyone beyond the level of a weak intermediate would know that partner would have cuebid 3D with both red kings…and possession of the heart ace tells us that partner isnt cuebidding the ace of hearts

Now if you’re not actually playing bridge…as in you’re playing the bastardized version known as robot bridge, who the f**k cares? It’s all meaningless

Absolutely, mikeh has nailed it. Your partner is an evil swine.
Hopefully you're equipped with a stick large enough to beat them into the next day.
Clearly zero tolerance for errors is the best approach to intermediate partners because it encourages them to continue playing Bridge.

[mikeh]

a_user, on 2026-August-20, 21:07, said:

Absolutely, mikeh has nailed it. Your partner is an evil swine.
Hopefully you're equipped with a stick large enough to beat them into the next day.
Clearly zero tolerance for errors is the best approach to intermediate partners because it encourages them to continue playing Bridge.

Lol

Not sure how you got from my saying partner must be intermediate (or lower) skill level to assuming I’d beat them up. It’s actually a very good lesson handcand that’s how I’d treat it at the table