[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

in a training session, in 2nd hand, vul - choose it, you hold

♠5
♥KJT9752
♦JT865

Dealer opens 2♠, which showes 5+♠ and a 2nd 5+ card suit.

Your turn.
What is your plan, I assume the actual vulnerability matters, they are
green, you can choose, if you are green or red, if it influences your
decision.

If you pass, and the bidding comes back at 4♠, do you act
than?

With kind regards
Marlowe

[jillybean]

(I'm old)
I'll have to be green to act. I'm talking about vulnerability, not my level of expertise.

With the aggressive bidding style of today, 4♥ won't have much impact. If it's MP's I bid 5♥.
I'm not considering the diamonds, JT865 are not worth a mention next to my 7 card heart suit.

I do not have experience playing IMP, I think I pass.

(I added my answer before reading the full post regarding ops bidding 4♠ in an uncontested auction)

[pilowsky]

3♥

[thepossum]

Since I have no idea I will bid 4H and see what happens next time round

What would 3S or 4S signify - to me in the absence of agreements it would suggest a hand like that

It can't go that wrong can it lol

[jillybean]

pilowsky, on 2024-March-09, 18:24, said:

3♥

cluck, cluck
🐥

[DavidKok]

It's high time I did something stupid, so here we go. I'll pass. I've had to sit through several "we don't bid weak over weak" lectures over the years, often after being raised to some no-play slam. I think bidding is percentage and would love to bid 4♥, but after a preempt our options are limited and we have allocated the bidding space to other hands than this one. That is the tradeoff we make when choosing a system.
Personally I prefer a 'game before slam' style where partner should not raise frequently, giving us more freedom to bid 4♥. That being said any action here, including pass, is going to be a gamble. We are never going to be able to convince partner that our hand looks like this, and I'm not sure whether pass or 4♥ is the lesser risk (though I think it's 4♥). However, I do know the system bid is pass, so that's my choice.

After the auction (2♠)-P-(4♠)-P; (P)-? I don't know what to do. On general principles I hate taking the last guess by passing then acting. Also partner's silence is deafening - either that 4♠ was bid to make with the strong hand sitting over me (most likely) or partner holds something close to a penalty double of 4♠ (strong but no convertible values). If it's the former 5♥X might be a good sacrifice, if it's the latter we may have slam on, or be turning a free plus into a hopeless minus, or pick up a double game swing, or other. Also where are the clubs? I think I should pass again, so I will.

[P_Marlowe]

thepossum, on 2024-March-09, 21:39, said:

Since I have no idea I will bid 4H and see what happens next time round

What would 3S or 4S signify - to me in the absence of agreements it would suggest a hand like that

It can't go that wrong can it lol

3♠ would be Michaels, hearts + ?
You could also bid 4♦, which would be Nonforcing Leaping Michaels, 5+ ♦ and 4+ ♥
4♠ would produce a long tank, ... in theory it would also be Michaels, a slam going power house.

but given that you have 7 hearts going the Michaels Cue bid way is maybe not the best idea.

[pilowsky]

jillybean, on 2024-March-10, 01:01, said:

cluck, cluck

🐓🐓

[pescetom]

I would pass, thinking more or less what DavidKok really thought

[nullve]

P_Marlowe, on 2024-March-09, 09:21, said:

Hi,

in a training session, in 2nd hand, vul - choose it, you hold

♠5
♥KJT9752
♦JT865

Dealer opens 2♠, which showes 5+♠ and a 2nd 5+ card suit.

Your turn.

Pass. Every other call would promise at least sound (rule of 20-ish) opening values.

P_Marlowe, on 2024-March-09, 09:21, said:

What is your plan, I assume the actual vulnerability matters, they are
green, you can choose, if you are green or red, if it influences your
decision.

Try to figure out the mode distribution(s) around the table, because the actual distribution around the table is usually close enough, and then apply LoTT with adjustments. Vulnerability could definitely influence my next decision.

P_Marlowe, on 2024-March-09, 09:21, said:

If you pass, and the bidding comes back at 4♠, do you act
than?

Seems like the mode distribution around the table (assuming West has raised on values) is something like

LHO: 3235
P: 3235
RHO: 6223

[Edit, March 12:

Spoiler

I had forgotten that 2♠ was not a weak two but showed at least 5-5 in two suits. So the mode distributions around the table (still assuming a raise on values, since partner didn't act) are rather

LHO: 3334
P: 4234
RHO: 5125

and

LHO: 4234
P: 3334
RHO: 5125

. Total trumps is still 18 on average, though.

]

Standard adjustments (such as quacks and intermediates in long suits, likely double (even double double) fit) leads me to believe that total tricks is at least one, but likely two, higher than total tricks (= 18), so acting seems clear if NV, at least if we can manage to find our best fit. It's probably -EV double dummy if V, but even then I'm somewhat protected by the (extreme) 1750 shape, since opps might not expect it and could therefore easily drop a trick on defense.

I'd pass if V at matchpoints and bid 5♥ (less revealing than 4N (two-suited) followed by 5♥) in all other cases.

[thepossum]

On reflection either 4 hearts or 3S cue bid Disrupt somehow
I'm assuming partner would work out that I had a two-suiter with the other major and some potential - but not too much to go crazy unless partner has a good hand too
I want to see the hand please

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

we were red vs. gren, which basically killed my interest to enter.
Partner said, he may have bid 3H, ..., a difference may be, that he is playing with me,
and I usually give p some slack, I wont kill them and go into over drive towards slam,
but I was holding the hand, and p reacts at times a bit different.

Partner has

♠T8
♥AQ86
♦K9
♣AQJ95

The opponents had



♠AKQ64
♥43
♦Q732
♣43

♠J9732
-
♦A4
♣KT876

As you can see, 4S is cold, making +1, 5H is down -1.

[nullve]

P_Marlowe, on 2024-March-12, 00:56, said:

Partner has

♠T8
♥AQ86
♦K9
♣AQJ95

The opponents had



♠AKQ64
♥43
♦Q732
♣43

♠J9732
-
♦A4
♣KT876

As you can see, 4S is cold, making +1, 5H is down -1.

You have given Opener only 12 cards. Did he also have the ♣2? If he did, your partnership could have made 11 tricks in hearts:

---

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

you got the hand right, ..., I was trying to post a lin, but did not want to show the player names,
and resorted back to tipping.

With kind regards
Marlowe