[Codo]

Scoring: IMP

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The bidding so far:

(pass) pass (3♥) X
(pass)

Using your splendid judgement, your choice is:

[whereagles]

I have a tool to show this hand and it's 3♠

[TylerE]

Pass, but not because I think it'll be bloody. This should be off 1, maybe 2, and I don't really think we can make anything.

[jdonn]

Gross. 3♠ I guess. I used to pass these but it hasn't worked well for me. Probably nothing I do will work well for me.

[mtvesuvius]

3♠... yuck

[ArtK78]

Why would you think that 3♥ is going down?

I bid 3♠ and hope that it is right.

[kfay]

TylerE, on Jun 2 2009, 03:49 PM, said:

Pass, but not because I think it'll be bloody. This should be off 1, maybe 2, and I don't really think we can make anything.

Dude... why?

I have to bid a pointed suit. I guess I'll bid 3♠ since I have to take fewer tricks in 4♠ than 5♦, so I'll be down less (hopefully).

[peachy]

3S, but not because "majors rule". Because only 9 tricks is the impossible goal instead of ten. I estimate that bidding leads to a smaller minus than passing.

[kenrexford]

3NT. If I'm going for it, I'm going all the way.

I think 3♠ is a B.S. chicken-$#!T bid.

Well, maybe not that bad. Maybe the sane bid. But, I'm still bidding 3NT.

[Lobowolf]

It's time to rename Hamman's Rule.

[hanp]

I think that on most of the hands where you can make 3NT, partner wouldn't let you play there. Now, that may also be true for 3S but at least partner won't expect values for that bid. I was going to post earlier that the good news is that the opponents likely won't double you after partner raises to 4S. That isn't necessarily true when partner raises to 6NT.

[the hog]

hanp, on Jun 3 2009, 08:57 AM, said:

I think that on most of the hands where you can make 3NT, partner wouldn't let you play there. Now, that may also be true for 3S but at least partner won't expect values for that bid. I was going to post earlier that the good news is that the opponents likely won't double you after partner raises to 4S. That isn't necessarily true when partner raises to 6NT.

Agree with this. I bid 3S.

[kenrexford]

hanp, on Jun 2 2009, 08:57 PM, said:

I think that on most of the hands where you can make 3NT, partner wouldn't let you play there. Now, that may also be true for 3S but at least partner won't expect values for that bid. I was going to post earlier that the good news is that the opponents likely won't double you after partner raises to 4S. That isn't necessarily true when partner raises to 6NT.

I'm not so sure this is right.

First, a 3NT bid after a double of 3♥ or 3♠ should often be taken for what it often may be -- an "oh heck" 3NT call.

Second, even if partner expects more values, he often expects some of those values to be wasted, opposite his short hearts.

[hanp]

No I don't think 3NT is often a "oh heck" bid, at least for many of us. For example, if you have a very weak hand with a 5-card minor you will bid 4m. But if you have some values (and a stopper) then you will bid 3NT. Also, both 3S and 4m *deny* a good hand, 3NT does not.

If you do often bid 3NT as an "oh heck" bid then you will lose on the hands where you do have a solid hand and partner has a monster, because he won't know you have anything more than a 4-count.

[655321]

Pass, but not happy obviously.

If partner has the nuts I think Pass will work very well. We would expect to beat 3♥X, sometimes by several tricks, and often when we don't make a thing.

If the opponents are able to double us (perhaps if we bid 3♠ and partner raises to 4), again I think passing will be OK. Our damage in 3♥X is limited to -530 (with overtricks at just 100 each, cheap at the price) but on a bad day 4♠X could be more expensive.

However, if we can escape undoubled, I think bidding will work a lot better than passing. Perhaps the opponents have 11 or so points each, and bidding 3♠ will buy it undoubled whereas passing still scores up -530. So by passing I am probably betting on partner having most of the missing HCP. Perhaps this is wrong, and because RHO is a passed hand we will escape undoubled relatively frequently.

[Jlall]

Ken you are clearly almost a good bridge player, if you would just not do stuff like bidding 3N on hands like this...

[jdonn]

3NT is one of the worst bids I have ever seen.

[awm]

I've had good luck bidding my longest suit on hands like this, so I'll bid 4♦.

As far as I can tell, 3♠ will virtually never lead to a good contract. Even if partner really has the nuts like ♠AKxx ♥x ♦AKxx ♣AQJx you don't have real play for 4♠ with the quick tap of the long hand (even if everything breaks it will be hard to avoid losing two spades, a heart, and a diamond). Yet 5♦ has a bit of a chance (i.e. diamonds 3-2). The only merit of 3♠ is that you are somewhat less likely to be doubled in your awful contract... whereas bidding 4♦ might actually lead to making something.

Of course, anything could work or backfire, but I think bidding 4♦ maximizes my chance of getting to a contract which can actually be made. I'll take this over "minimizing the damage."

[aguahombre]

awm, on Jun 3 2009, 12:49 AM, said:

I've had good luck bidding my longest suit on hands like this, so I'll bid 4♦.

As far as I can tell, 3♠ will virtually never lead to a good contract. Even if partner really has the nuts like ♠AKxx ♥x ♦AKxx ♣AQJx you don't have real play for 4♠ with the quick tap of the long hand (even if everything breaks it will be hard to avoid losing two spades, a heart, and a diamond). Yet 5♦ has a bit of a chance (i.e. diamonds 3-2). The only merit of 3♠ is that you are somewhat less likely to be doubled in your awful contract... whereas bidding 4♦ might actually lead to making something.

Of course, anything could work or backfire, but I think bidding 4♦ maximizes my chance of getting to a contract which can actually be made. I'll take this over "minimizing the damage."

what an antiquated concept for a relatively young person. "Partner asks me to bid, so I bid my suit."

[Phil]

hanp, on Jun 2 2009, 08:57 PM, said:

I think that on most of the hands where you can make 3NT, partner wouldn't let you play there. Now, that may also be true for 3S but at least partner won't expect values for that bid. I was going to post earlier that the good news is that the opponents likely won't double you after partner raises to 4S. That isn't necessarily true when partner raises to 6NT.

Agree with this.

Also agree with Han's excellent point about how partner may bury you after 3N. Besides, its a partnership wrecker.