[DWM]

Loads of questions from me, hope it does not get annoying. I am trying to look at our play afterwards more and more.

Scoring: MP

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3 passes to your partner

(P) - P - (P) - 1♥
(1♠) - 2♥ - (P) - 2♠
(X)

After P's good raise and the double what should you bid? The double Pen of spades

[Echognome]

I don't think 2♠ is a "good raise". It's a game try, that's for sure.

I would have bid 3♥ the round before and let partner decide. I don't think the hand is quite good enough for a 2♠ "good raise" from myself.

[awm]

This is really a very good hand in support of hearts. You have:

(1) Four trumps.
(2) Nine hcp.
(3) A bunch of potentially useful spots (i.e. the club ten).
(4) Eight losers (3♠+2♥+1♦+2♣) with good intermediates.

You're a passed hand. How much better could your hand really be? I think this is a limit raise, and would make whatever call shows a limit raise. In SAYC that's 3♥ over RHO's 1♠ overcall, but for most of the expert community it's a 2♠ cue (and 3♥ would be a weak bid with a good fit). One thing I would definitely not bid is 3♥ if my agreement is that this shows a weak hand -- this hand is too good for a weak raise.

Having made only a single raise, we see that partner is making some kind of try for game. Even if you disagree with me that this hand is a limit raise, it's gotta be much better than most hands you'd bid 2♥ with. Fourth trump, nine points, singleton, etc. I think it's a clear game bid.

[pclayton]

I would have made a limit raise with this too, especially after a 4th chair opening of 1♥.

[skjaeran]

I'd have made a limit raise last round as other posters.
Now I think it's an obvious raise to game.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

ok, I would have bid 3H instead of 2H with
the given hand, and be done with the hand.

As it is, 2H turned out better, partner makes
a move, I am max., I accept.

With kind regards
Marlowe

PS: A limit raise is ok as well, depends
on the vulnerability, if we are red, 3H is
enough, if they are red, I agree with the
limit raise.

[Echognome]

Despite the good spots, I find the limit raise to be an overbid. But I do find it close. To me, the stiff ♦K brings it down to a 3♥ bid. If you put that K into any of the other suits, it would be a limit raise for me.

[whereagles]

4, wtp? ^^

[mikeh]

I am comfortable with the single raise: bidding this as a limit raise, immediately, seems to me to require almost a double-counting of that stiff ♦K: as a working high card and a working stiff, and I tend not to evaluate like that in an unbid suit. B

However, now that partner has made (at least) a game try, my hand is huge. I am certainly going to game.

Partner either has a game try or a huge hand on which he is going to game anyway but wanted to see if slam was viable: x AKxxxx Axx AKx is an example, where opposite as little as the right 4 or 5 count, slam makes.

While relative frequencies suggest an overwhelming likelihood of the game try, it cannot hurt to cater to the occasional slam try.

How to do that?

It is not as easy as it may first appear. A splinter, while describing the shape and slam willingness, distorts the location of the high cards. It is, however, the only unambiguous slam move I have: the other slam move is 3♠.. but that should show a control.

We could pass: and then bid 4♥ over 3♥, since partner will not bid 3♥ on the slam hands... and if he bids 4♥ over the pass, showing a hand that was always going to slam and, thus, a slam try... bid 5♦.....

I think I have talked myself into this approach: pass and then raise to game or cue-bid.

[jtfanclub]

Huh. I'd never bid a pre-emptive 3♥ with this hand. Far too strong.
Change the king of diamonds to a little one, and it's still too strong.

It's borderline to bid 2♠, but I'd do it. Now, 4♥ seems automatic.