[rduran1216]

han, on 2011-April-30, 12:50, said:

I'd bid 1S.

finally an 18pt hand I'm overcalling.

I agree with whoever said swapping the black 10 and Q turns this into a x instead of 1S.

[aguahombre]

Amusing to me is that ---given the oppenents' spade distribution ----if the minor suits were reversed in one of our hands or the other, that stiff Spade Ace would be worth three tricks more than a low spade.

Opening lead of the minor where we hold KXXX in dummy and QX in hand.

[jh51]

Siegmund, on 2011-April-28, 20:50, said:

Axxx in spades may well be only one entry.

This is false statement. The worst Axxx had that parnter can hold is A932. (Look at the missing spots.) The 9 can always be a second entry even if trump is breaking 3-0.

[Echognome]

I'm still in the heavy overcall and double later camp. I agree this one is close for me.

[1eyedjack]

aguahombre, on 2011-April-28, 19:14, said:

I don't think this can be answered with conviction out of context. For us, doubling then bidding a suit suggests doubt about what trump should be, and we would have to be prepared to bid game all by ourselves or keep bidding spades til pard gives up to double first with 6+ spades.

The heavy 1S overcall seems fine on this hand.

Ok, I'll bite. Using this style, how do you bid a hand that does NOT have any doubt about what trump should be? Is it just a straight choice between a simple 1S overcall and blasting game in Spades? Perhaps you play strong jump overcalls (I have nothing against them, incidentally, but they are a bit out of fashion).

[aguahombre]

1eyedjack, on 2011-May-02, 14:20, said:

Ok, I'll bite. Using this style, how do you bid a hand that does NOT have any doubt about what trump should be? Is it just a straight choice between a simple 1S overcall and blasting game in Spades? Perhaps you play strong jump overcalls (I have nothing against them, incidentally, but they are a bit out of fashion).

Double, then bid the suit=doubt (and bigger than overcall)...double, then jump in the suit covers 1-suited biggies which don't qualify for the "blast" to game. This hand falls short in strength/suit quality for double then jump. Hence, 1S.

After doubling with the one-suiter biggie, if partner shows signs of life, making the jump not possible, everything is forcing anyway, so it doesn't matter. And if it is the opponents who make a jump impossible, the 1-suited biggie is still ok bidding the suit.

This seems to leave weak jump overcalls intact without encountering any gaps.

This post has been edited by aguahombre: 2011-May-02, 21:58

[Fluffy]

the AQ combos mean that we need entries in dummy to make game. By bidding 1♠ we might inmediatelly draw a free bid from partner wich shows enough strenght to have a good shot at game. That's why I'd overcall 1♠.

[JLOGIC]

Sometimes bridge is really simple. You have 18 with 6 spades. Double.

It's not even a bad 18, you have tenaces over the opening bidder including AQ of hearts, and you have the T8 of spades.

I don't even understand the point of bidding 1S. I am going to double and bid spades showing my values. I am not worried about getting preempted since I have spades and so many values.

If you bid 1S it can easily go all pass and you are cold for game (partner will just routinely pass with 7 with less than 3 spades or 8 and a stiff spade, or maybe even 8 with a doubleton spade and no heart stopper). What problem auctions are we envisioning?

If you bid 1S it could go...2H pass pass. What can you do now but bid 2S? Unfortunately you haven't shown your hand and can just miss game.

Those are pretty normal scenarios to just miss game for no reason because you chose to randomly overcall too heavy.

[bluecalm]

I was about to post that it has to be another poll with 100% on obvious bid but then I thought I will first see the results...
I think without one of the Q's it becomes close. Most people in my area would still double but I guess we in Poland double a bit more often than standard.

The biggest problem with 1♠ is that they will bid something and we will be forced to double or bid 2♠ neither conveying what we have. If we double first and then bid 2♠ (or 3♠ if they jump) our problems in the hand are over.

[cloa513]

Its a little too good especially at this vunerability to open 1S. I don't why you'd say awful suit- there was much worse overcalled at the 1 level sometimes even at the 2-level. 3NT is another viable option if partner has 4 or 5 excellent clubs and not much else.

[benlessard]

If we reverse the black suit it a close call between X and 2C (both are ok imo) but here its WTP X. Also im not fond of light overcall.

[Fluffy]

bluecalm, on 2011-May-03, 18:19, said:

The biggest problem with 1♠ is that they will bid something and we will be forced to double or bid 2♠ neither conveying what we have. If we double first and then bid 2♠ (or 3♠ if they jump) our problems in the hand are over.

I think 1♠ then double shows exactly what we have

[eagles123]

I'd double, or possibly bid 2S. Too strong for 1S IMO

[JLOGIC]

Fluffy, on 2011-May-18, 15:45, said:

I think 1♠ then double shows exactly what we have

Overcalling 1S then doubling for takeout shows exactly what we have? A 6232 18 count, really? So what would you bid over 1H 1S 2H p p ? with AQxxx x KJxx Kxx. I would have thought you would double, but since a 5143 13 count is not exactly a 6232 18 count, I'm now curious.

[P_Marlowe]

X - we have spades.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[kenrexford]

1NT.

(Just to be weird.)

[aguahombre]

JLOGIC, on 2011-June-08, 14:13, said:

Overcalling 1S then doubling for takeout shows exactly what we have? A 6232 18 count, really? So what would you bid over 1H 1S 2H p p ? with AQxxx x KJxx Kxx. I would have thought you would double, but since a 5143 13 count is not exactly a 6232 18 count, I'm now curious.

I would have thought it would have been partner's job to keep us in the auction if I have that 13-count hand and we still belong in it at the 3-level; while the overcall then double would suggest a max overcall and probably 6 spades (maybe 6-1-3-3 being perfect, but other not-so-perfect possibilities).

I, too, am curious. Maybe my views are based on antiquated overcall methods.

[nige1]

IMO, _X = 10 1♠ = 9. playing standard methods.
The slight downside of double is that to bid spades later, you would like a better hand and a better suit
A 1♠ overcall is superficially attractive but leaves you badly placed, later. because rebidding the spades or doubling may give a wrong impression.
If allowed to play more sensible methods, you might prefer an immediate intermediate/strong 2♠ jump overcall

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