[microcap]

First Hand, Playing IMPS. You Hold:

Scoring: IMP

---

Comments and experience with these type hands are of interest...

[Walddk]

1♥. Not the greatest of opening bids, but 2♥ and 3♥ would both be a bigger lie. I have way too much outside hearts to pre-empt, and my hand could be a suitable dummy in any other denomination. My 2nd choice would be pass.

Not even if you twisted my arms would I pre-empt with a hand like this.

Roland

[Echognome]

1♥ rebid 2♥. I agree that it's not the greatest of openings, but I still think worth an opening bid.

[Winstonm]

Pass.

When a hand does not fall into any category the green card works well. Pass does not lessen your hand; nor does pass increase its value; however, pass does define your hand; something partner might like to know.

Winston

[Al_U_Card]

Jlall, on Oct 21 2005, 09:35 AM, said:

one heart. Just too much outside stuff for me to like 3H.

Looking at the honor cards in the hand, I am sorely tempted to open 3H because pard will bid 3NT (and have a sure outside entry) or 4H when it is right and the opps will guess wrong more often than over the 1H opening. If we are playing disciplined preempts then this goes back to the 1H.

[Al_U_Card]

Walddk, on Oct 21 2005, 09:20 AM, said:

Not even if you twisted my arms would I pre-empt with a hand like this.

Worth it for the exercise alone....lol

[mikeh]

I would not open: a 1♥ bid may leave me unable to handle the auction. Partner will overbid and/or double the opps based on an expectation of some defence. Opening bids do require some defensive value: purely offensive hands preempt.

OTOH, this is not a purely offensive hand either.

I would usually pass. If feeling too irritable to pass (if I have had too much coffee or am being shot at by Danes) I'd open 3♥. 3♥ has the advantage that some Danish opps would not expect this hand type

But pass is the sensible bid, for me at least. White v red I wold probably squeak 1♥

So you can tell that this is an easy hand for me: NOT

[Echognome]

I should say that I often forget that my bridge judgment is tainted by the fact that I usually play a limited opening system. I understand that this is the SAYC and 2/1 section, but would it not be more tempting to open 1♥ if playing limited opening bids?

[tysen2k]

1♥. Hearts is the suit that gets lost in a competitive auction. Passing gives up a lot of tempo and preempting seems wrong with so much defense.

Question for others who play light, limited openings. Even though we open light, partner and I have the agreement that if opener rebids his suit showing 6+ then it promises a sound opening since opener would have preempted with less than a sound opening. Do others have similar agreements?

Tysen

[han]

If I pass now then I will likely pass for the rest of the auction. I'd rather open 1H, even though I don't like the hand.

[microcap]

My comment: I am not as good a player as those who would open 1♥, and I am surprised at the significant majority that vote for 1♥. [I agree with the poster who would open 1♥ if playing limited one bids]

My thought is that this auction is almost sure to get competitive, and in fact that is what happened at the table. Your partner is going to expect some quick tricks from you if you end up on defense, and the fact is that you have none. And if you catch partner with a very good hand, you could end up in a bad slam or even 5♥ down one~

I would vote for 2 ♥, the choice of no one so far, as the best lie, with pass second choice.

[whereagles]

I like 4♥, willing to give up on slam to try and play this undisturbed.

[mike777]

microcap, on Oct 21 2005, 01:53 PM, said:

My comment:   I am not as good a player as those who would open 1♥, and I am surprised at the significant majority that vote for 1♥.  [I agree with the poster who would open 1♥ if playing limited one bids]

My thought is that this auction is almost sure to get competitive, and in fact that is what happened at the table.  Your partner is going to expect some quick tricks from you if you end up on defense, and the fact is that you have none.  And if you catch partner with a very good hand, you could end up in a bad slam or even 5♥ down one~

I would vote for 2 ♥, the choice of no one so far, as the best lie, with pass second choice.

Strongly prefer 1h over 2h. Easy choice for me. I could have a worse hand for 1h than this.
With 1H partner will expect outside K.
With 2H parner will not expect outside K

My experience with this style has been fun and winning. Enjoy!

[Double !]

Hannie, on Oct 21 2005, 01:36 PM, said:

If I pass now then I will likely pass for the rest of the auction. I'd rather open 1H, even though I don't like the hand.

agree

you do have playing strength and too much outside for a template pre-empt.

speak now, of forever hold your peace.

may I count losers now? lol

[Al_U_Card]

This explains clearly why travellers are rarely flat.....

[Echognome]

tysen2k, on Oct 21 2005, 07:06 PM, said:

Question for others who play light, limited openings. Even though we open light, partner and I have the agreement that if opener rebids his suit showing 6+ then it promises a sound opening since opener would have preempted with less than a sound opening. Do others have similar agreements?

Actually we don't, although I can see the merits of such an idea. We have "gaps" in our preempting structure. I.e. we can be too good to preempt and not good enough to open. However, that is in part because we have a very aggressive preempting style. There are always tradeoffs...

[dcvetkov]

While 1♥ is better than 3♥, problem with opening this hand is partner will always play you for more and some quick tricks, and will be quick to dbl their maybe their spade contract for which you dont have much defence or bid too aggresively to impossible game or slam.

So pass is not that siily as it looks like

[Winstonm]

Echognome, on Oct 21 2005, 10:59 AM, said:

I should say that I often forget that my bridge judgment is tainted by the fact that I usually play a limited opening system.  I understand that this is the SAYC and 2/1 section, but would it not be more tempting to open 1♥ if playing limited opening bids?

Absolutely. Each choice of system has its built in flaws so it seems reasonable to utilize its advantages to the maximum. If my top end for 1H is 15 or thereabouts, this is an easy 1H opener; however, when the top end climbs up to around 21-22, you have to adjust from the low end to have something remotely reasonable.

Good point.

Winston

[cherdano]

whereagles, on Oct 21 2005, 08:55 PM, said:

I like 4♥, willing to give up on slam to try and play this undisturbed.

White vs Red, I think I will agree with whereagles here. 4♥ preempts are allowed to have some defence after all. Otherwise I hate opening this 1♥, but I hate 3♥ and pass even more, so I will start with 1♥.
Still I will feel bad when I have to take out partners penalty double of 2♠ to 3♥ and wish I would have opened 3♥ immediately.