[stansllee]

---

What do you bid?

[l milne]

I always thought cue-bidding in these auctions was a general force, showing a trap pass, so I would bid 2♠ to begin with. I don't really have heaps of experience in these auctions though.

[Fluffy]

Will end up in 3Nt but I can bid 2♠ along the way

[stansllee]

l milne, on 2011-January-07, 15:29, said:

I always thought cue-bidding in these auctions was a general force, showing a trap pass, so I would bid 2♠ to begin with. I don't really have heaps of experience in these auctions though.

This is my idea of what a cue bid (2♠) should look like.
Over your 2♠, partner bid 4♥

---

Now, What do you bid?

[stansllee]

Fluffy, on 2011-January-07, 20:48, said:

Will end up in 3Nt but I can bid 2♠ along the way

---

Yes, Partner undoubtedly had 3NT in mind, at the table, he go straight for it.
If you trust partner, Can you figure out what that 4♦ meaning is, and,
What do you bid?

[Fluffy]

I would had bid 2♠ and passed 4♥ with IMO its a 6-5 red. If I had bid just 3NT and partner bids 4♦ this is ust a 5-5 hand and I would bid 4♥ to play also.

[pooltuna]

Hamman eggs in one basket

[gnasher]

I wouldn't have passed 1♠. We could easily have a slam in clubs, and be struggling to beat 1♠ by more than one.

In the given auction, is 2♠ definitely forcing?

[stansllee]

pooltuna, on 2011-January-08, 06:55, said:

Hamman eggs in one basket

---

This is NS holding, and the bidding at my table
By the way, East have ♦Kxx
and the trumps was a friendly 3-2

[whereagles]

If pard is bidding well, he'll have a very offensive 55 on the reds. I'll take my chances with 4♥ (over 2♦, rather than 3NT, because I'm not sure where my tricks will be coming from in 3NT.

[stansllee]

whereagles, on 2011-January-08, 08:25, said:

If pard is bidding well, he'll have a very offensive 55 on the reds. I'll take my chances with 4♥ (over 2[diamonds), rather than 3NT, because I'm not sure where my tricks will be coming from in 3NT.

---

You are quite right, bid 4♥ instead of 3NT, this is the 4 hands diagram.
But will partner realise you have 16 HCPs which include 6 controls?

[whereagles]

I don't want him to realize anything, as I am the one in charge here. Remember: opener bid his shape/strength very accurately, so the level and suit decisions are responder's responsibility.

The hand has potential for a misfit, exercising some caution and finding a playable spot are the top priorities. After all, opener could easily have a spade more and a heart less, say,

x
AKQxx
QJTxx
xx

I certainly don't wanna be in slam here.

[gnasher]

whereagles, on 2011-January-09, 03:53, said:

I don't want him to realize anything, as I am the one in charge here. Remember: opener bid his shape/strength very accurately, so the level and suit decisions are responder's responsibility.

So if opener happens to have

- AKQxxx QJ10xx xx (an excellent slam)

or

x A10xxx KQJxx xx (an excellent 3NT)

the hands are just unbiddable?

[whereagles]

Well, point is this isn't the kind of auction that's usually discussed in detail. It's a matter of trying to go for the best possible result or the best result possible. I have like 5 years experience of doing the first thing with very limited sucess.

What I'm saying is that if you find a way to sort out what opener has, AND HE UNDERSTANDS YOUR BIDS, fine. Otherwise it's probably better to be practical, as it usually is in misfit auctions. And under practical bid assumptions, I believe 4♥ will, on average, have better play for than 3NT or 6♥.

In my usual partnership I would probably bid

... 2♠
3♥ 4♥

on grounds that I might losers in spades and hearts, plus difficulties in setting up the diamonds and possible bad breaks.

Opposite a random pard, 4♥ would probably be my bid.

[jschafer]

stansllee, on 2011-January-08, 02:24, said:

Yes, Partner undoubtedly had 3NT in mind, at the table, he go straight for it.
If you trust partner, Can you figure out what that 4♦ meaning is, and,
What do you bid?

Would people really bid 4♦ over 3NT on a 5-5 shape? I would have thought that shows at least 6-5.

[Siegmund]

IMO no way is 4D ever going to be only 5-5. The 2D bid has already promised something too interesting to reopen with a double (I expect 1552/0553 for 2D, though on a really bad day itll be 3550. 0544 would ahve bid 2C) so 4D will be something beyond that. I would guess 6-6 more often than not, plus the most exciting 6-5s. Virtually guarantees a spade void.

[cloa513]

You have to include the case
of five hearts, five diamonds and 3 spades which is always possible, i.e. EW have a great club fit.