[jillybean]

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Matchpoints, your bid

[ggwhiz]

3nt. Should survive for 40% or so if we missed 6♦ in most fields instead of risking a near zero when it goes down. Landing in 5 diamonds is nowhere.

If the 3♥ bidder has something like AJ10 a bunch and a club entry and I go out the door I'll quote Bob Hamman "If 3nt is one of the choices, there are no other choices" and say we gotta play against that guy, he's a pooch.

[jillybean]

I bid 3N and lho led low from AJT9754 to his partner's K3.

Partner held QT98, 8, K65, AKQT8

[wyman]

jillybean, on 2010-November-13, 22:26, said:

I bid 3N and lho led low from AJT9753 to his partner's K3.

Partner held QT98, 8, K65, AKQT8

Awesome for you -- the board was fouled!

[vuroth]

What can you do? You know where 10 ♥ cards are. The chances are very good that if partner has 2 or more you're making 3NT. If partner has 0 or 1 you may very well be in trouble.

If you bid 3NT and it doesn't make, as it didn't in this case, don't you expect most of the field to be in 3NT as well?

[jillybean]

vuroth, on 2010-November-15, 08:20, said:

What can you do? You know where 10 ♥ cards are. The chances are very good that if partner has 2 or more you're making 3NT. If partner has 0 or 1 you may very well be in trouble.

If you bid 3NT and it doesn't make, as it didn't in this case, don't you expect most of the field to be in 3NT as well?

You'd hope so wouldn't you but when we got 4/28 MP I feel like I need to ask the question.

[ArtK78]

I don't agree that 3NT is automatic on this hand.

It is my style (and that of most players that I respect) that a direct double of a preempt is either an above-average opening hand or a textbook takeout double. In either case, slam has to have play.

Having said that, it may be very difficult to figure out whether you belong in diamonds or no trump and whether you are off two quick tricks in hearts. If partner has something like:

QJxx
Ax
Kxx
AQTxx

you will probably make 12 tricks in no trump or diamonds. But if partner has something like

QJxx
x
KJxx
AQxx

you belong in 6♦.

On the other hand, partner could have

QJxx
xx
KJx
AKQx

and 3NT is likely to be the right spot (unless LHO opened 3♥ on a 6 card suit and RHO has Kx or Ax of hearts).

I would start out with a cue bid of 4♥. I intend to bid diamonds naturally after that, but we will see how the auction develops. In any event, I want to bid a slam on these cards. It may not be right, but that is my action.

[ArtK78]

Edit:

The first example hand should have only 4 clubs. Sorry.

[jillybean]

ArtK78, on 2010-November-15, 10:57, said:

I would start out with a cue bid of 4♥. I intend to bid diamonds naturally after that, but we will see how the auction develops. In any event, I want to bid a slam on these cards. It may not be right, but that is my action.

4♥ should imply minors and deny 4♠ ? Holding 4♠ you would have bid 3or4♠ initially?
I am acutely aware that I am still often falling into the 3N trap, this could have been a good board to try something new.

[pooltuna]

jillybean, on 2010-November-12, 22:01, said:

[snip]
Matchpoints, your bid

Well I haven't had a chance to use this in a while and who can resist?

Hamman eggs in one basket?

[han]

I think I would bid 3NT. It's true that 3NT may fail while 5D or even 6D makes, but I think that too often partner has honor doubleton in hearts and 3NT easily outscores 5D.

Jillybean, 4H in this auction can be either an "I'm not sure where to play" bid, or the start of a slam try. It does not deny 4 spades. On this hand you could bid 4H and then over partner's 4S (very likely partner will bid that) bid 5D, that's a slam try in diamonds.

I think that Art's slam force is too much.