[gnasher]

Scoring: MP

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RHO opens 1♥. What would you do
(1) If you play Equal Level Conversion
(2) If you don't

[paulg]

Playing ELC I would double.

Otherwise I would overcall 1♠.

Passing seems too dangerous.

[paulhar]

I would overcall 1S not playing Equal Level Conversion. Of course, my partner, a devout Law follower, will bury me.

As for playing ELC, the people that play it get what they deserve when responder bids 3H and advancer bids 4C. I don't play it and will offer no opinion on that part of the question since I would be speaking from ignorance.

[Fluffy]

I never played equal level conversion, and I might bid 1♠, pass, or bid 2♦, the 3 of them are close. Double is not an option for me.

[mtvesuvius]

I hate ELC. I have never played it. Never will. I bid 1♠, becuase 2♦ is way too dangereous, and I have too good of a hand to pass. Double is not going to turn out well...

[david_c]

I'd never play ELC.
Pass.

[maggieb]

Even Josh Donn would bid 1♠ with this hand. I'm not sure what the best call is playing ELC, since I have never done so, but I would probably still bid 1♠.

[MickyB]

I recognise this I bid 1♠ in sleep

[shevek]

mtvesuvius, on Dec 27 2008, 06:46 PM, said:

I hate ELC. I have never played it. Never will. I bid 1♠, becuase 2♦ is way too dangereous, and I have too good of a hand to pass. Double is not going to turn out well...

ELC is quite a subtle method. 4-2-5-2 is certainly better than 4-3-5-1.
Better auctions are after a 1♠ opening holding 2-4-5-2 or similar.
To double then bid 2♦ over 2♣ is really just saying "Damn I hoped you'd bid hearts."

There are other examples following a preempt.
Say 3♣ is opened in front of you and you hold ...

♠AQJ6   ♥AJ965   ♦K3   ♣72

Now it seems clear to double and plan to convert 3♦ to 3♥. This seems a useful agreement.
However, agree with 1♠ overcall on the posed problem.

[the hog]

1S. Pass is out of the question and 2D does not have a good enough suit. Don't play elc.
Nice hand for Polish 1NT overcall.

[MFA]

gnasher, on Dec 27 2008, 06:28 PM, said:

...
(1) If you play Equal Level Conversion
(2) If you don't

I don't like to think of ELC as "either/or" but rather as "how strongly does this principle apply here". It is a continuous spectrum from X+♦ showing no extra values at all (100% shape, 0% values) to X+♦ showing a hand unambiguously too strong for an overcall (0% shape, 100% values).

Defending high level preempts, one has to mix in some ELC, since X+bid as a strong one-suiter is not practical at some levels. At this low level, one can choose more freely where to be in the spectrum. I play some ELC here, but not enough to seriously consider a double with this hand.

[andy_h]

shevek, on Dec 28 2008, 11:28 AM, said:

mtvesuvius, on Dec 27 2008, 06:46 PM, said:

I hate ELC. I have never played it. Never will. I bid 1♠, becuase 2♦ is way too dangereous, and I have too good of a hand to pass. Double is not going to turn out well...

ELC is quite a subtle method. 4-2-5-2 is certainly better than 4-3-5-1.
Better auctions are after a 1♠ opening holding 2-4-5-2 or similar.
To double then bid 2♦ over 2♣ is really just saying "Damn I hoped you'd bid hearts."

There are other examples following a preempt.
Say 3♣ is opened in front of you and you hold ...

♠AQJ6   ♥AJ965   ♦K3   ♣72

Now it seems clear to double and plan to convert 3♦ to 3♥. This seems a useful agreement.
However, agree with 1♠ overcall on the posed problem.

I haven't seen many players who play ELC, and the ones who don't I think we all tend to do an offshape t/o X with those 2452 hands these days so we can get into the auction. At least it's the mainstream here in the forums.

As to the actual hand, I'd also overcall 1S. And that I also hate ELC

[jdonn]

maggieb, on Dec 27 2008, 06:59 PM, said:

Even Josh Donn would bid 1♠ with this hand. I'm not sure what the best call is playing ELC, since I have never done so, but I would probably still bid 1♠.

Hehehe.... Josh Donn..... will not answer the question.

[blackshoe]

I'm no expert, but this doesn't look to me like a good hand for elc. The diamond suit isn't good enough. I'd overcall 1♠ even if I were playing elc.

[mike777]

gnasher, on Dec 27 2008, 06:28 PM, said:

Scoring: MP

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RHO opens 1♥. What would you do
(1) If you play Equal Level Conversion
(2) If you don't

One spade...no problem yet...but....

[Codo]

With ELC I double.

I often play raptor, so no need for ELC and no problem with this hand.

In standard bidding I bid 2 Diamond. I have two ways to win: 1. We do have a fit
2. I am a hero, when it goes ... 2♥ pass pass to me, because I now can show my second suit.

I agree that the spade suit is nice as a lead director. But otoh, there are more hand where I need a diamond lead to develop a trick then hands where I need a spade lead to catch my tricks before they discard their spades.

[OleBerg]

2♦.

No reason to get fancy.

This will almost only turn out bad, if it is passed out.

There is no way near enough reasons to distort our hand with a 1♠ bid.

[kgr]

with ELC: DBL
without ELC: 2♦ (I have to confess that I don't consider this dangerous and would not think about bidding 1♠ instead).
with the methods I play: 2♦ showing 4card ♠ and better ♦'s then ♠'s.

[H_KARLUK]

2♦; doesn't promise 4+M in our CC