[kfay]

Here are a few hands I've held in the last two days where I had tough 1st round decisions.... at the 1-level!! Does anyone have strong opinions?

1)

Scoring: IMP

(P)-1♣-(Dbl)-?

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2)

Scoring: IMP

(P)-1♣-(Dbl)-?

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3)

Scoring: IMP

(P)-1♣-(Dbl)-?

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[aguahombre]

to all 3: whatever you would respond if there were no double. It didn't take up any room, so I don't pay much attention to it.

[mike777]

ditto....I ignore the x and bid per normal partnership agreements.


1s...1h...1s

[jillybean]

1♠
1♥
1♠
wtp

[MarkDean]

I know this is probably really bad because strong players always tell me I am nuts when I do it, but I would bid 2♣ on the first one. KQxx seems like the feature of the hand.

There are two reasons I think this makes sense when I would have bid 1♠ with no competition: the auction is more likely to be become competitive, and even if we have a 44 spade fit, a 32 break is now less likely (although obviously still quite possible).

I would bid 1♦ and 1♠ on the next two. I basically never redouble 1♣: the odds of us getting them on the one level are not that good, and I find that often the later auction is quite muddled in terms of what is forcing etc.

[kfay]

MarkDean, on Aug 24 2010, 12:12 AM, said:

I know this is probably really bad because strong players always tell me I am nuts when I do it, but I would bid 2♣ on the first one.  KQxx seems like the feature of the hand.

There are two reasons I think this makes sense when I would have bid 1♠ with no competition: the auction is more likely to be become competitive, and even if we have a 44 spade fit, a 32 break is now less likely (although obviously still quite possible).

I would bid 1♦ and 1♠ on the next two.  I basically never redouble 1♣: the odds of us getting them on the one level are not that good, and I find that often the later auction is quite muddled in terms of what is forcing etc.

Glad we agree. I bid 2♣ on the first one and 1♦ on the 2nd.

I redoubled on the 3rd but i hated that call the most of the 3 that I made.

[Phil]

On 2 and 3, I'll bid 'normally' with 1♥ and 1♠. On the 1st, I prefer 2♣.

[655321]

1) 1♠
2) 1♥
3) 1♠

On the first hand, I don't hate 2♣, I don't even mind it really, but personally I would need to be a bit weaker before I skipped to spades to raise clubs.

Similarly on (2), I don't really dislike other bids, but would always bid 1♥.

On (3) though, I do feel more strongly about bidding 1♠ and do hate the redouble with 3 clubs.

[JLOGIC]

Agree with 655321 as always about his bids, but disagree about not hating 2C and 1D.

In reverse order:

-On hand 3 I think redoubling is very bad because our hand is not good enough. The tactical issues are secondary to me, this would be like opening a random 14 count with 1N or something, it's just an overbid and overbidding will lead us to getting too high sometimes. The tactical issues are bad too with only a doubleton heart and some club length and 4 spades since finding spades later may be hard, and penalizing them is unlikely.

-On hand 2 I hate bidding 1D the most of any of these things. I would understand 1D with 5 good diamonds and a weaker hand and bad hearts so we get our lead in etc, but here it is probably our hand and we could easily have a heart partial or game. Bidding 1D will make finding hearts later difficult, we have to pass 1N from partner and if they compete in spades I'm not sure how we'll ever find our heart fit (some people play X of 1S as hearts I guess, I don't since I bypass diamonds to bid hearts!). I just don't see the upside to bidding 1D. If the point is to avoid 4-4 heart fits since they might not break well, I'm not on board with that at all. Occasionally partner will have a goodish hand with 4 hearts and a stiff diamond and we will miss a game in hearts by bidding 1D (and never find hearts). Not that likely, but why risk such a thing with our first bid of the auction in order to introduce 5 small of a minor?

-On hand 1 I hate bidding 2C instead of 1S because we might belong in spades, and bypassing spades will often preclude that. It is easier to outcompete them when we have a spade fit. We might also have a spade game, and will often miss that in order to play 3N or something else by bidding 2C. With FIVE clubs I see the upside of raising clubs immediately since we can preempt and also help find a save at the same time, but on this hand a save seems very unlikely w/w unless partner can rebid clubs. We also have a reasonable hand and theres no reason to be thinking saving rather than just competing in our fit or finding our best game. Partner could even be 4333! I just don't think 2C has much upside other than lead directing, certainly not enough of an upside for me to start out by masterminding the auction with my very first bid.

Bridge is a pretty simple game at the 1 level, partner opens and you have some values and a 4 card major and a balanced hand...and you bid your major! Hopefully you find a major suit fit and compete or bid game in it! If not you can go from there. Those are the main priorities with such a normal mundane hand, not tactics.

[OleBerg]

1) 1♠. Exchange ♥'s and ♠'s, and I'd bid 2♣.

2) 1♦ or 1♥, according to system.

3) 1♠


Re: 2)

I don't see much gain in bypassing diamonds and introducing hearts.

If it is going to be a competitive auction, a diamond-fit, that can be 5-4, is much more likely to be usefull. If we dont have a diamond fit, hearts may still be unearthed. (I have an excellent hand for for a later T-O double of spades.)

If we get the auction to ourselves, hearts will surface.

The only problem I can foresee, is if the opponents preempt in spades and we belong in 4♥, then we might be in trouble. But as virtually everybody plays that any bid by the doublers partner is constructive, I don't fear it.

[Flameous]

1. I also like 2 clubs but I'm not quite sure which one is better. For couple of times I have won the contract with 2C, some times I come back balancing with 2S later and we are where we are supposed to be and sometimes partner competes to 3C and we miss our spade fit we could have played a level lower. I guess 2C for IMPs cause you have better chance of buying the contract and 1S for MP cause you want to play major even in 4-3 fit.

2. 1D for me, would love to psyche 1S but I'm too strong for that

3. Easy 1S

[Free]

I'd just show the Major on every hand.

[Fluffy]

I don't think this ones too much and bid my major as well, I think 2♣ with just 4 cards is kind of ridicoulous, it lies to partner about our lenght and it preempts just the same as 1♠ anyway.

Reoubling with 9 scattered can't get you anything good since at least to me it creates a force.

But actually I am giving this ones more thought than I'd do at the table, I find them pretty automatic.

[P_Marlowe]

#1 1S, the alternative being 1NT, but usually p is more interestes in the major,
and I may be able to show the stopper in another round
#2 1D, I have 5 of them, but this is basically a systemic question, if you play
Walsh, 1H is clear cut, we dont
#3 1S, and no I dont redouble

With kind regards
Marlowe

[PrinceNep]

Kfay,

Given that it is IMPs, I agree with 2♣ and 1♦. Best to show where you live on the first hand. Partner will continue over 1♦ on the second hand if it is right, so I don't foresee missing a 4-4♥ fit.

On the third hand, I like 1NT. Given that RHO is a passed hand and is doubling 1♣, he is almost assuredly 4-4 in the majors. With that information, you don't mind a lead in any suit and are in a good position to play the hand correctly. Why everyone wants to bid 1♠ and put partner in a tough situation without a ♥ stopper I don't know.

[pooltuna]

1) 1♠,1NT, or 2♣ just don't pass.
2) I'm already a passed hand so XX
3) I'm already a passed hand so yes

[hanp]

I disagree that we should bid as if their was no double. For example on 2, I might have bid 1D without the double (depending on agreements). But after the double (which makes it very likely that LHO is about to bid spades) I would certainly bid 1H.

1S on 3 seems automatic and so does 1S on 1.

[Apollo81]

I would probably bid 1♠ IRL on the first hand, but I don't hate 2♣. Bidding 1♠ is only necessary if we have a spade fit and it's our hand. Bidding 2♣ could lose if this happens, but could also win in other cases (directs the right lead, partner able to jam the auction at next turn, etc).

[MarkDean]

OK, so I am a moron and did not notice we have four hearts on hand 2. I would bid 1♥, not 1♦, for basically the same reasons I would bid 1♥ without the double.

[bluecalm]

I don't have strong opinions about those. Just don't redouble with any of these hands!