[ArcLight]

IMPS, White on Red RHO deals and opens 2♥ (a weak 2 in hearts, 6 cards, with at least 1 honor, the hand can have 10 HCP)

What do you bid holding:
♠ Q J 10 9 7 6 5
♥ Q x x
♦
♣ Q J 10

[gwnn]

2 spades. not really a great hand in terms of controls, but it's got a fair amount of spades.

I wonder how many people will say "don't preempt over a preempt" in this thread.

[CSGibson]

agree 2 spades.

[pooltuna]

gwnn, on Aug 10 2010, 09:52 AM, said:

2 spades. not really a great hand in terms of controls, but it's got a fair amount of spades.

I wonder how many people will say "don't preempt over a preempt" in this thread.

at least 2 since you count as first

[whereagles]

Easiest pass of the week

[Codo]

don#t preempt over a preempt.

So, is this a preempt? No.

Is this a two spade bid? Yes, but at own risk.

[Pict]

2S but ready to apologise because I don't think partner will make allowance for this hand when it matters.

[ONEferBRID]

gwnn, on Aug 10 2010, 09:52 AM, said:

I wonder how many people will say "don't preempt over a preempt" in this thread.

3S over 2H would be a preempt over a preempt.

But 2S over 2H is just an overcall.

This hand is even better than the one Eric Rodwell overcalled on ( from a national team championship several years ago ):

Rodwell
Q 9 x x x x
x
x x
K x x x

His partner put him in 4S ... which he made by not allowing righty in to push a Cl thru !
Meckstroth
A x x
Q T x
A K Q J T
9 x

[jdonn]

I bid my 7 card major, serious wtpppppp

[Fluffy]

I don't have the values to bid so I pass

[655321]

2♠

[awm]

I'd pass.

This hand differs from Rodwell's hand in one critical respect: the number of hearts.

Partner's expected hand given my values and the preempt is something like a weak notrump in values. If he has this hand, he is probably bidding game over my two level overcall. The important questions here are what I think I can make opposite that hand, and whether partner will balance on that hand anyway.

If partner has heart length and I have the given hand from this thread, we probably can't make a game. There is a fast heart ruff coming from LHO and any values partner might have in diamonds will be wasted. So I expect that bidding 2♠ will quite often get me to a non-making game. If partner has heart shortage then we will often make a game, but partner was bidding over 2♥ anyway (or opponents might even raise hearts, in any case I get another opportunity). So by passing, I get to 4♠ most of the time it makes (i.e. partner has relatively short hearts) and avoid it when it fails (partner has longer hearts) as well as possibly getting out in 3♠ when partner has a good but misfit hand with long diamonds.

[whereagles]

Rodwell's hand sucks. I can only understand such a bid in the context of some inverted overcall scheme, where you bid on rubbish and dbl or pass+bid later on decent hands.

[the hog]

whereagles, on Aug 11 2010, 12:01 AM, said:

Easiest pass of the week

Totally agree with Nuno. I seriously do not understand why anyone would bid 2S on this quacky rubbish hand unless they hate their partner.

[aguahombre]

Short version: Partner is the dangerous opponent if I overcall.

Long verson: Exactly what Adam said.

[eyhung]

I would pass for exactly the reasons awm described. Qxx of hearts is the death holding that strongly encourages me to pass and see if partner wants to defend. I do realize the spades have an incredible offense/defense ratio that may make bidding work out (partner may be reluctant to reopen with short spades). I could be convinced that 2♠ is right but my instinct seeing ♥ Qxx is to pass and see what partner does. Perhaps my instinct to bid 2♠ with QJT98xx of spades should be stronger. But I don't think it's a slam dunk decision as Josh implies. Certainly I would never dream of bidding 2♠ here with an old-fashioned partner, I expect those partners to hang me.

[P_Marlowe]

2S.

The playing power of the hand outweights the missing HCP count.

With kind regards
Uwe Gebhardt

[Free]

Easy pass at the moment

[MFA]

Pass for now.

[bluecalm]

Quote

So I expect that bidding 2♠ will quite often get me to a non-making game. If partner has heart shortage then we will often make a game, but partner was bidding over 2♥ anyway (or opponents might even raise hearts, in any case I get another opportunity). So by passing, I get to 4♠ most of the time it makes (i.e. partner has relatively short hearts) and avoid it when it fails (partner has longer hearts) as well as possibly getting out in 3♠ when partner has a good but misfit hand with long diamonds

So your plan is to bid 3♠ over:

2♥ pass - 3♥ pass
pass - ?

Partner here won't raise you to game with many hands opposite which the game makes imo.

What about:

2♥ pass 4♥ pass
pass ?

Bidding 4♠ looks suicidal here but partner may well have a hand when it makes or is cheap sacrifice.