[twcho]

You hold AKT9x QTx xx xxx, MP, all vul,
The bidding went 1♦ - Pass - Pass - ?
OK, it is simple, you balance with 1♠, the bidding then goes on:
2♦ - X - Pass - ?

What is the meaning of this double?

[Echognome]

I play that as "you just made a mistake."

[P_Marlowe]

Takeout, with spade tolerance.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[cnszsun]

I don't think trap pass of 1♦ is that frequent, so maybe it's better still using it as negative double.

[helene_t]

I don't think there's any standard for this. I prefer to play it as t/o but it's something to discuss with p.

[Gerben42]

I play "If you need to ask it is TO", so this is TO . Penalty still goes like:

1♦ p p 1♠
2♦ p p X
p p p

[foo]

P_Marlowe, on Jul 13 2007, 02:37 AM, said:

Takeout, with spade tolerance.

With kind regards
Marlowe

What he said.

This is pretty much the modern expert treatment. Very few good players play X's below 2N as penalty except in a few specific auctions.

[pclayton]

I'm playing it as penalty, but I'm willing to listen as well.

Another auction I'm revisiting is (1x) - dbl - (1y) - dbl. CW says you double to expose the psyche, but I haven't seen a psyche here in years. 2y is also available to show a suit.

OTOH, when I hold 4-4 or 4-5 in the other suits, I'd like a call available.

[bid_em_up]

pclayton, on Jul 13 2007, 01:49 PM, said:

Another auction I'm revisiting is (1x) - dbl - (1y) - dbl. CW says you double to expose the psyche, but I haven't seen a psyche here in years. 2y is also available to show a suit.

Odd. I've seen this one a lot (at least on BBO).

[Stephen Tu]

Even if it's not a psyche I want to double to show 4, may want to play the 4-4 after they run even knowing about a 4-1 or even 5-0 split, with opps bidding weak 4 cd suits there often. I'm less inclined to bid 2y with only 4, when partner may well have only 3 & same bad split, those play worse.

With the other suits, I just pick one and bid it, don't find I get in massive trouble in finding the "wrong" one, often get a chance to show the 2nd later.

[goodwintr]

I agree with those who play that the double in the original question (1D-P; P-1S; 2D-Dbl.) is penalty, but I am "classically" oriented: I bet the younger you are, the more likely you play this double for takeout. With regard to the second sequence mentioned in this thread, 1X-Dbl.; 1Y-Dbl., Reese wrote that the double of 1Y shows a moderate hand with exactly four cards in Y, and 2Y directly over 1Y shows a moderate hand with five cards in Y: the idea was to avoid silly mixups about who really has the length in Y. In the sense that the double of 1Y shows length in the suit (even though only four), I guess that makes it a penalty double.

[BebopKid]

Partner should have 10+ points, 4 hearts, 4 clubs, 2 spades, 3 diamonds.

At least that many points for the double at the 2 level and this very specific hand shape that could not do a takeout double.

This is the only logical hand I could see for the doubler.