[Nilz]

I thought there was a thread somewhere about weird auctions, but I couldn't find it.

My opps perpetrated this auction on me last night. LHO opens a 19-22 2NT. RHO thinks and bids 3NT. LHO bids 6. I doubled on principle with a quacky 5 count, and of course it made an overtrick. LHO revealed that she'd miscounted, and therefore had to bid again. She had a balanced 23. I pointed out that her partner could've had 6 points (he actually had a 6322 8 count with KQ to 6 diamonds), but they didn't seem to understand how ridiculous the 6nt bid was.
Nobody else bid slam at all, so the double cost nothing, as I knew it wouldn't. Yet they still insisted that the double was the stupidest bid at the table. Oh well. Sometimes, you just gotta laugh.

[Free]

This one is probably the worst I actually got at the table:
1♦ - 1♠ - pass - 2♦
pass - 2♠ - Dbl - 4♠!
Dbl - pass - pass - pass

Partner asked about the Dbl and it was explained as penalty. Since he had a max, he bid game what he had planned all along... -2

[jdonn]

Doubling on principle probably was the worst bid, sorry! Either 6NT is crazy and you have a huge score whether you double or not, or 2NT was crazy and they are in a normal contract. People always seem to forget about that very common second possibility!

[Nilz]

jdonn, on Jul 23 2010, 09:47 AM, said:

Doubling on principle probably was the worst bid, sorry! Either 6NT is crazy and you have a huge score whether you double or not, or 2NT was crazy and they are in a normal contract. People always seem to forget about that very common second possibility!

Yes, you are right of course, the double was stupid.
However, I thought it was possible that the slam may go 1 or 2 off, whilst some others may play exceptionally badly and go 1 or 2 off in some lower level contract. Maybe not common where you play, but I have known people to make 3 or 4 tricks fewer than other declarers in the same denomination through sheer bad play.
Also, I hoped that if I could entice declarer to take a finesse through my worthless hand instead of my partner's, we may gain there.
But it obviously was a silly double, and hopefully I'll learn not to make such impetuous bids in future.

[ArtK78]

Nilz, on Jul 23 2010, 09:18 AM, said:

Yet they still insisted that the double was the stupidest bid at the table.

It was, no doubt, in the top 2!

[ArcLight]

>>However, I thought it was possible that the slam may go 1 or 2 off, whilst some others may play exceptionally badly and go 1 or 2 off in some lower level contract. Maybe not common where you play, but I have known people to make 3 or 4 tricks fewer than other declarers in the same denomination through sheer bad play.


If you double, you tell the opps that you have the misisng HCP, and they might make the contract, where as the field is down 1.

Setting a slam is usually a good score, the extra 50 don't gain much.

[Fluffy]

if you hang around enough with Frankie Frontaura he will tell you this real hand:

1NT-2NT
3NT-6NT

playing rubber with an agressive partner, 2NT was just a psyche probe, since he would never pass 2NT with a real 1NT opening.


about silly doubles...


2NT-(ps)-3♦-(ps)
3♥-(X)-3NT-(ps)
4♥-(ps)-ps-(ps)

I asked abotu the double after the bidding and RHO told me it asked for a heart lead obviously, and it was! she had ♥AQx, saldy she wasn't on lead . +450 was total average.

[ggwhiz]

I once had an opponent open 1nt on a 22 count by accident, their pard bid 3nt so they bid 6nt and it was a flat score so I agree about the double.

Best double? A friend told me about playing in the LM pairs for the first time and having a 19 bid power precision auction to 7♣. The pair that went on to win doubled him on air and he saw ghosts, bad splits and safety plays for down 1.

The guy that doubled said he only did it cause nobody else would get there.