[gwnn]

xxx
JTx
AKx
KT9x

third seat favorable imps. assume partner is opening "normally" but a little on the sound side (this might be only my impression because I like opening rather light)

edit: hand is correct

[ArtK78]

Unless I am playing with either Roth or Stone, I cannot see why I would want to open this hand in 3rd seat. You might open 1♣ for the lead, but that is about it.

[jdonn]

1♦. I probably want a diamond lead if we defend, my hand is better than average, and I can easily pass any response.

[Jlall]

Prefer 1D to 1C.

[gwnn]

*****!!! minors reversed! sorry

[Jlall]

gwnn, on Nov 11 2009, 01:39 PM, said:

*****!!! minors reversed! sorry

Ok then definitely 1C, was more interesting the other way

[Phil]

jdonn, on Nov 11 2009, 01:26 PM, said:

1♦. I probably want a diamond lead if we defend, my hand is better than average, and I can easily pass any response.

Agree - its not very likely I will need a club trick. Frankly, it might be counterproductive to the defense.

[junyi_zhu]

gwnn, on Nov 11 2009, 06:18 PM, said:

xxx
JTx
AKx
KT9x

third seat favorable imps. assume partner is opening "normally" but a little on the sound side (this might be only my impression because I like opening rather light)

edit: hand is correct

this is a normal 1C opening hand to me, regardless positions....

[jdonn]

I switch to 1♣ since the minors have switched! (I open the KT9x).

[655321]

I will open my KT9x minor, not my AKx one.

Would never pass in 3rd seat with this hand.

[barmar]

junyi_zhu, on Nov 11 2009, 01:56 PM, said:

gwnn, on Nov 11 2009, 06:18 PM, said:

xxx
JTx
AKx
KT9x

third seat favorable imps. assume partner is opening "normally" but a little on the sound side (this might be only my impression because I like opening rather light)

edit: hand is correct

this is a normal 1C opening hand to me, regardless positions....

Not even close to an opening for me, unless playing 10-12 1NT (which I never have). I'll usually pass 4333 12 counts, and 11 counts are right out. It's 9 losers, the only compensating features are a couple of well placed 10's and a 9.

[P_Marlowe]

Pass.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[eyhung]

I wouldn't have said anything if there were at most one poster who passed, but I feel this is a clear opening in the KT9x suit 3rd favorable if you consider yourself to be a better team than your opponents. Sometimes passing out is right, but it feels very random. Meanwhile, bidding is right when :

1) They misjudge the bidding
2) You and partner judge well in the bidding
3) They misjudge the play
4) You and partner judge well in the play

It's wrong when the converse happens, but that's less likely since

1) you + partner are unlikely to misjudge the future auction/play since you have what is expected for your bid (a light opener with a lead-director) and you are the better team
2) They are the worse team.

I remember a great tip from a Grant Baze article : when you are up against weak opponents, do not lose the board with an early non-obvious unilateral action. Keep things flexible with a flexible hand and give them opportunities to lose the board. They bid worse, they play worse, they defend worse: that's what weak opponents do. Passing is such a unilateral random decision: you may be staking everything on passout being right when you don't know much about the hand.

[gwnn]

This was a hand at the junior teaching table and there was an almost unanimous support for Pass. The points they raised were (and I'm not including them here to be LOL-ed at):

• You're giving them the whole 1 level. You should open it a weak NT if available.
  
• This hand has lots of defence, you don't want to declare
  
• You will get too high too often
  
• It makes more sense to open a quacky hand than one with lots of controls (same hcp), see point 2
  
• some other stuff that I don't remember/blocked out

I do not personally agree with either of these points but sometimes when I post something they said it I am convinced that I was the one who deserve a lol. (for example I opened the "idk" hand 1♦ and missed a good 4♠)

[junyi_zhu]

gwnn, on Nov 12 2009, 07:26 PM, said:

This was a hand at the junior teaching table and there was an almost unanimous support for Pass. The points they raised were (and I'm not including them here to be LOL-ed at):

• You're giving them the whole 1 level. You should open it a weak NT if available.
  
• This hand has lots of defence, you don't want to declare
  
• You will get too high too often
  
• It makes more sense to open a quacky hand than one with lots of controls (same hcp), see point 2
  
• some other stuff that I don't remember/blocked out

I do not personally agree with either of these points but sometimes when I post something they said it I am convinced that I was the one who deserve a lol. (for example I opened the "idk" hand 1♦ and missed a good 4♠)

"It makes more sense to open a quacky hand than one with lots of controls (same hcp), see point 2"
Obviously some were selling snake oil at that table.

[jdonn]

Points 1 is true. 2 is mostly false and also contradicts 1. Point 3 is pretty false although there is some truth (if LHO preempts and partner negative doubles, that's bad). Point 4 is a big fat LOL.