[lenze]

The last board of the night and you and your partner have a good game going(MPS)

You hold as South Both VUL

S KT3
H K3
D AK763
C A32

West deals and opens 1H
North passes and East bids 2S (Preemptive)

Your Call!!!!

[luis]

Dbl

[hrothgar]

Pass

[Free]

Pass

[inquiry]

DBL.

LOGIC: Matchpoints, ignore the risk of bidding vulnerable, sure you can go for a telephone number, but it is only one board. You got to get in there on this auction. There are a number of reasons for this. First, the bidding might go 1H-P-P at tables without a weak jump shift. Second, the bidding might go 1H-P-1S at other tables, and your hand might well make a sandwich bid 2D anyway, finding your fit. And they are vul, with your heart king in the pocket, so I suspect they will make 2S if EAST has good six card suit or fair 7 card suit. So they rate to make 2S or to be off at most one.

So I am going to bid at matchpoints. At imps I would pass, and hope for the best. Down one would be ok versus +110 in a minor at imps, but not at matchpoints. So I close my eyes and double. This will be a scramble situation, so if partner bids 3C he rates to have five. With 4-4 in the minors or even 4-3 he is likely to bid 2NT to hear my longer minor.

[lenze]

Thanks for the replies. There were actually two winning calls at the table(Alas, I did not find either one). One was 2NT, leading to an easy game (Club suit was blocked) The other was double (The BIG winner). I swear this was North's hand

S AQJ9
H QJ864
D T4
C 95

West was 0-5-3-5

[inquiry]

One hand does not prove the rightness or wrongness of a single bid. I would rather see more normal north hand, even at matchpoints how can RHO bid 2S on a six card suit headed by the eight, and in a singleton or more lilekly a void in hearts?

But it does illustrate my point. The bidding is not always likely to go 1H-P-2S at other tables, so you have to consider that in deciding what to bid.

Ben