[Jinksy]

Here's the key question at the heart of the system I posted in full elsewhere. If you're playing Fantunes style forcing 1 level openings, how do you deal with 5-5 suits in the 2-level opening range?

My current scheme (which MickyB has been savaging) is to open the *lower* of the two suits when your hand is top of the 9-13ish range (ie can give a positive response to a feature ask), since that's basically the only way you can describe these hands in a humane constructive auction without bypassing 3N. With the lower end of the range you open the cheaper suit, partly because your negative response to feature ask will take up too much space for you to be able to show these anyway, partly because with a points range close to or below the mean it's more likely to be the opps' hand so you want to preempt more aggressively.

MickyB's view is that bidding the cheaper suit is crazy in almost all cases - a) because whether or not it's 'their hand', if they get involved (as is reasonably likely on a distributional hand which expects to find the points distributed quite evenly) and you've failed to show a five hard holding in a boss suit, it's going to end poorly for you, and b) because even if they stay quiet, p might pass holding weak hands with a good fit where 4M turns out to be cold.

MickyB's feels like the commonsense view, but he hasn't convinced me yet that it's clearly better.

[Hone Heke]

Jinksy, on 2011-October-03, 10:25, said:

Here's the key question at the heart of the system I posted in full elsewhere. If you're playing Fantunes style forcing 1 level openings, how do you deal with 5-5 suits in the 2-level opening range?

My current scheme (which MickyB has been savaging) is to open the *lower* of the two suits when your hand is top of the 9-13ish range (ie can give a positive response to a feature ask), since that's basically the only way you can describe these hands in a humane constructive auction without bypassing 3N. With the lower end of the range you open the cheaper suit, partly because your negative response to feature ask will take up too much space for you to be able to show these anyway, partly because with a points range close to or below the mean it's more likely to be the opps' hand so you want to preempt more aggressively.

MickyB's view is that bidding the cheaper suit is crazy in almost all cases - a) because whether or not it's 'their hand', if they get involved (as is reasonably likely on a distributional hand which expects to find the points distributed quite evenly) and you've failed to show a five hard holding in a boss suit, it's going to end poorly for you, and b) because even if they stay quiet, p might pass holding weak hands with a good fit where 4M turns out to be cold.

MickyB's feels like the commonsense view, but he hasn't convinced me yet that it's clearly better.

[Hone Heke]

In a hand with wild distribution you can expect some competitive bidding. That is where the "Michaels Cue Bid" can come in handy. Try using that well known search engine.

At the lower end of the points range, consider a trap pass, and then bid one more of whatever suit your opponents bid. A pass with low points value is not a real risk as others are bound to speak. A good partner will help you find the fit, even if you haven't discussed it before! This has the added advantage of using up your opponents bidding space. And if they are silly enough to double you, then that gives you another "free" bid.

At the upper end of the points range, I like to bid the higher of the two suits planning a rebid of the lower so partner can correct if needed. This has the advantage of identifying any potential major fit first. But if the opponents have already spoken then revert to PLAN A above.

In both cases there is always the risk of being passed out and landing in the wrong contract, but in the right company with competitive bidding, and a partner who has not fallen asleep you will seldom go wrong. And even if you do not win the contract, you won't die wondering.

This is the type of hand where a bit of adrenalin can trump methodical system.