[inquiry]

Scoring: IMP

(Pass)-1♣-3♦-?

You are playing in a high quality event and hear the bidding showed above. What do you bid. If you feel the need to justify your choice, fell free to do so.

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[Fluffy]

IMO 3♠ is stronger than 4, so I would enver bid 3♠, te hand has too many losers for 4♠ so that is also out.

It leaves double and pass, I think it is cloe, in the end when it is close I always bid, so would probably double.

[inquiry]

Fluffy, on May 11 2007, 06:39 AM, said:

IMO 3♠ is stronger than 4, so I would enver bid 3♠, te hand has too many losers for 4♠ so that is also out.

It leaves double and pass, I think it is cloe, in the end when it is close I always bid, so would probably double.

I guess we might as well figure out what we would do over follow ups. So if you vote for:

Pass -- what do you do if partner dbls? If partner bids 3M, if partner bids 3NT? and if partner bids 4C

DBL -- asme choices

3S -- if partner bids 3NT, or 4C.

Don't worry what you will do if you bid 4S, 3NT or anything else.

[hrothgar]

I see arguments in favor of both Pass and 3♠.
Nothing else has any appeal to me.

3♠ is a slight overbid. However, it describes the most important characteristic about the hand.

Pass could work quite well, particularly if partner is broke. In turn, this raises a important point: If partner has a balanced 12 count, then 4♠doesn't look too attractive. If partner doesn't have a weak balanced hand, there is a good chance that he'll balance in which case we'll be pretty well positioned. Also, note that LHO is a passed hand and RHO made a red versus white preempt. Partner rates to have some values here. If you start with a pass, you're likely to get another chance to describe your hand.

I would (probably) pass, but I'm not convinced that this is the best course of action.

[pbleighton]

Close between 3S and pass. I bid 3S. At matchpoints I would pass.

Peter

[Halo]

3♠

No special agreements. I would pass 3NT because my spades are fairly strong.

[P_Marlowe]

3S.

You are playing IMP, i.e. you will stretch
to reach game, and 3S will allow you to
reach either 3NT or 4S.

With kind regards
Marlowe

PS: Yes, 3S is an overbid, but all your
honors should be worth their points, i.e
no wastage, and the diamond shortage
does not hurt as well.

[mikeh]

It is close between pass and double...3♠ is too much of an overbid, unless you are playing weak notrumps, in which case you have some protection because partner, if balanced, has enough to make a forcing 3♠ survivable. My xx in ♦s are a warning sign here.... a sign that he may have a weak notrump hand..

I would pass here: I'd double if we were vulnerable, but there are not a huge number of hands on which he will not reopen and we can make a game. Ax KJxx xx AJ10xx is a hand on which he might well not reopen, but even here, we need a trump break and a hook.

If I pass and he doubles, this is an easy 4♠ call.

BTW, if I did double, I'd be correcting ♥s to ♠s....

[jillybean]

3♠; best description of my hand. If I double and hear ♥'s I'd leave it there, my hand is far too weak to bid again.

[jtfanclub]

mikeh, on May 11 2007, 08:54 AM, said:

BTW, if I did double, I'd be correcting ♥s to ♠s....

Huh. You play that as ELC and not a powerhouse? Is that standard?

[Apollo81]

jtfanclub, on May 11 2007, 10:19 AM, said:

mikeh, on May 11 2007, 08:54 AM, said:

BTW, if I did double, I'd be correcting ♥s to ♠s....

Huh. You play that as ELC and not a powerhouse? Is that standard?

You're confusing this auction with a double when the opps have opened the bidding. When you make a negative double you are denying the ability to bid directly, which is forcing. In 1♦-(3♣) a negative double may show a good hand with 4 card major(s) (since a direct bid would show 5) or a not-so-good hand like this one with a long major (since bidding directly is forcing and shows a good hand).

The same applies to negative doubles at low levels. 1♦-(1♠)-X shows either 4 hearts with any strength (since 2♥ would show 5) or it could also be a bunch (5+) hearts with a bad hand (since 2♥ is forcing and shows a good hand).

[Apollo81]

I would double then bid 3♠. I don't think I am good enough for a forcing 3♠ bid, and I am worried about partner passing (if I pass) when there is a double partscore swing. Partner is not very likely to pass the double for penalties, nor I am totally displeased if he does.

[Echognome]

jtfanclub, on May 11 2007, 06:19 AM, said:

mikeh, on May 11 2007, 08:54 AM, said:

BTW, if I did double, I'd be correcting ♥s to ♠s....

Huh. You play that as ELC and not a powerhouse? Is that standard?

Since 3♠ is forcing, why would responder need to double and pull to show a good hand? You will obviously want to get your suit in. I think you're thinking of an overcall, which is non forcing.

Here I'd pass and bid 4♠ over a reopening double.

[jdonn]

I'll go the double then hopefully bid 3♠ route. On other auctions this gets me to 4♠ but at least lets me stop in 3♠ sometimes, so it seems obviously better than a direct 3♠ bid. That would only be better if you plan to pass partner's 3NT rebid.

[Fluffy]

If partner answers teh double below 3♠ then 3♠.

If partner bids 3NT I would think for about 3 minutes (I did) then pass

If partner bids 4♣ we rate to lose 4tricks whatever we play, so 4♣ is as good as anything else, and I don't knwo how many spades would 4♠ show now.

[whereagles]

I'd take the push and bid 3♠.

[jtfanclub]

Echognome, on May 11 2007, 10:19 AM, said:

Since 3♠ is forcing, why would responder need to double and pull to show a good hand?

I was thinking that this hand:

♠AKxx
♥xx
♦AKx
♣Qxxx

X'd and then bid 3♠...it didn't bid 3♠ the first time because it only has 4.
I'm sure I was confused (pretty normal for me).

So what do you do with this hand, then?

[Echognome]

jtfanclub, on May 11 2007, 10:54 AM, said:

Echognome, on May 11 2007, 10:19 AM, said:

Since 3♠ is forcing, why would responder need to double and pull to show a good hand?

I was thinking that this hand:

♠AKxx
♥xx
♦AKx
♣Qxxx

X'd and then bid 3♠...it didn't bid 3♠ the first time because it only has 4.
I'm sure I was confused (pretty normal for me).

So what do you do with this hand, then?

This hand has a very different nature. First off, it has primary club support. Second, it is a lot stronger than our given hand.

I think this hand is problematic, but I guess I would bid 4♦ as a GF agreeing clubs. Obviously, we will never get to 3NT when it's right, but I think this hand is so prime that I want to get to 6♣ when that's right.

[ArtK78]

I double. I have the right values for the double, even if the shape is not what partner would expect.

If partner bids 3H or 4H, I bid 4S.

If partner bids 3NT, I pass and I expect to make.

If partner bids 4C, I bid 4S. My suit is playable opposite a small doubleton spade. Partner certainly should not expect a better suit than this. Last I checked, 4S was game and 4C was not. If partner has less than 2 spades, he may correct to 5C. But he might work out to pass with a good singleton spade.

[bid_em_up]

jtfanclub, on May 11 2007, 01:54 PM, said:

Echognome, on May 11 2007, 10:19 AM, said:

Since 3♠ is forcing, why would responder need to double and pull to show a good hand?

I was thinking that this hand:

♠AKxx
♥xx
♦AKx
♣Qxxx

X'd and then bid 3♠...it didn't bid 3♠ the first time because it only has 4.
I'm sure I was confused (pretty normal for me).

So what do you do with this hand, then?

I would be completely happy to bid 3N with this hand over 1C-(3D)