[jdonn]

JLOGIC is a slightly below average bidder so he is just consolidating his immense play advantage.

[awm]

Perhaps an additional question is, suppose that you know you play a non-standard notrump range. So the "rest of the field" will not likely have this decision. Does this effect your action?

[NickRW]

If you play strong NT in EBU land or weak in ACBL land, then you will for sure notice some swings in your favour where you've found a 44 major fit and the field hasn't - and also some swings against you where you didn't find the fit everyone else did. However, if you make such an 'antifield' choice in your bidding system then presumably you did it because you thought it was better - or at least that you were more comfortable with it - so live with your choice instead of trying to make up for the possible downside once in a while - IMO.

Nick

[Cascade]

jdonn, on Jul 20 2010, 02:26 PM, said:

JLOGIC is a slightly below average bidder so he is just consolidating his immense play advantage.

Is he from North America?

[helene_t]

nige1, on Jul 20 2010, 02:56 AM, said:

If one choice has no clear advantage over another, then a good player should go with the field; but otherwise, what's so special about bidding? I don't understand this peculiar matchpoints strategy. Presumably, you think you have an edge in all areas of the game? Do you want to give opponents a sporting chance by willingly sacrificing one of your advantages?

You have an edge in terms of avoiding stupid mistakes that are very unlikely to gain.

You may also have an edge in terms of getting the 51/49 decisions right but those are subject to fluctuations so a sensible strategy is to go with the field when it comes to close decisions, but deviate from the field by making fewer stupid can-only-lose mistakes.

The "go with the field" theme can come up in opening leads, defense and declarer play also, but only if you can assume that the field will be facing the the same choice as you do. A first seat opening is a choice the whole field will be facing so here you can chose to go with (or against) the field if you know the field well. As the bidding (and play) progresses, going with the field becomes less and less of an issue.

[MFA]

helene_t, on Jul 20 2010, 02:07 PM, said:

The "go with the field" theme can come up in opening leads, defense and declarer play also, but only if you can assume that the field will be facing the the same choice as you do. A first seat opening is a choice the whole field will be facing so here you can chose to go with (or against) the field if you know the field well. As the bidding (and play) progresses, going with the field becomes less and less of an issue.

I don't understand this. How can it be relevant to go with the field in the early decisions, just because the field is not yet blown to atoms, if you more or less think it will usually be as the hand progresses?

[helene_t]

hmmm I suppose you are right. Maybe I have it backwards: later in the play I may be able to judge that until now everything has proceeded normal, while at the beginning of the bidding I won't know.

[paulg]

The only countries that I would even consider 'bidding with the field' are the US and France. In my experience other countries have a far greater diversity of systems and methods that makes the field significantly less homogeneous.

[hanp]

Although there are some pairs here that play weak notrumps, the large majority plays 15-17 and I'd say almost everybody would pass with these 4432 hands.

[pooltuna]

nige1, on Jul 19 2010, 08:39 PM, said:

JLOGIC, on Jul 18 2010, 02:55 PM, said:

IMO at MP you just want to do what the field does on this type of hand, which is (everywhere I have played) to pass. If your partner is a worse declarer than the field, you probably want to gamble and stayman. Of course that is not an exact science, maybe your partner opens 1N more than the field and has won the board already by opening 1N on a 6 card minor or something (again in the fields I normally play it is very common for even average minus players to open 1N on 5332 with a 5 card major, more common than it is for those players to open 1N on a 6 card minor).  If most of the field started staymaning with this hand type (and I do notice more people doing so), I would start also.

It may or may not be good idea to use Stayman on this hand. IMO, however, unless you are doing well with few boards left, you should choose the bid with the best expectation at the current form of scoring. If you simply bid with the field, play with the field, and defend with the field, then you finish in a mediocre rut

And I am sure that is what he is doing. The field is not using Stayman with this hand because 75 years of bridgeplaying says the %age action with this hand is to pass.

[hanp]

Either you are older than I thought or you are overestimating the field. The field doesn't take %age actions, the field takes easy actions.

[pooltuna]

hanp, on Jul 20 2010, 09:14 AM, said:

Either you are older than I thought or you are overestimating the field. The field doesn't take %age actions, the field takes easy actions.

in this case the easy action=the %age action