[paulg]

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Matchpoints.

What is your call at favourable vulnerability?

[You are not playing (non-) Leaping Michaels, so that is not an option]

[JLOGIC]

Might depend on the style of the preemptor, I would bid 3S but would be tempted to X against a crazy preemptor.

[Fluffy]

I double if east is quick to try for maximum, 3♠ if he tanks before passing.

[ggwhiz]

I double but I'm holding my nose. Luckily it's only mp's.

I'm only 50-50 to be right on offence (at best ), ie. we belong in spades but pard can't bid them but 3♠ gets an auto pass from pard with shortness.

I'll take the added shot of float for +200 and hope for the best.

[VM1973]

I would bid 4 diamonds. If we assume that partner has some sort of values and he didn't take action the most likely reason why is because he is short in spades and doesn't have a robust club suit. Some sort of a 2-3-4-4 or 2-3-3-5 and 13+ plus. If 4 hearts gets bid you can always bid 4 spades.

Double has merit as well, considering that they're vulnerable and it's MPs. It does seem that you're bringing two defensive tricks to the party, but I would feel uncomfortable if partner thought long and hard and then passed.

I look forward to hearing all of you tell me that this is the worst bid in the history of bridge.

[paulg]

Fluffy, on 2012-October-24, 12:57, said:

I double if east is quick to try for maximum, 3♠ if he tanks before passing.

At the club, if they tank then it normally denies a fit and they are wondering if their 5-card suit is a better spot In this case everyone bid in tempo.

Opposition pre-empts tend to more solid at our table at the club. I've certainly never seen any crazy openings, at least in the sense that Justin means.

[Thiros]

Technically we don't have the values to act, but pass is really taking a position at matchpoints. It could be right, but the odds are against it.

Double has a real and obvious upside but it's rich. Our shape isn't nearly classic, and a secondary club fit with E-W is not unlikely. Indeed, RHO may well RUN to 4♣ after partner converts our double to penalty. Not to mention the danger of partner taking our double out to 4♣ or 5♣.

4♦ is just trying to land on the head of a pin. 3♠ is the highest-percentage shot.

[JLOGIC]

Heh every time I look at this hand I change my mind between X and 3S. Still think 3S looks right but I am really not sure, might depend on my mood tbh. I'm sure my dad would X lol.

[nigel_k]

Double is too risky for me when I have a normal looking 3♠ call.

[paulg]

This hand is from this week's Scottish simultaneous pairs. The commentary suggested that three spades was the only option so I wondered how wild my double was.

Double was the winning action as partner holds ♠Kx ♥KQxx ♦Qxx ♣A10xx and +800 beats your non-vulnerable games in spades and notrump. The pre-emptor held ♠109x ♥AJ109865 ♦KJx ♣-.

[VM1973]

Well my call doesn't work out well on this hand. LHO's club void is really surprising given my hand and partner's pass. A more likely hand for the preempter would be:
♠109x ♥AJ109865 ♦- ♣KJx

Oh well - it's only one board.

[Fluffy]

paulg, on 2012-October-24, 15:45, said:

At the club, if they tank then it normally denies a fit and they are wondering if their 5-card suit is a better spot In this case everyone bid in tempo.

Opposition pre-empts tend to more solid at our table at the club. I've certainly never seen any crazy openings, at least in the sense that Justin means.

anything you know about your opps obviously outweights anything someone can tell you on a forum , but sometimes you don't know them well enough, yesterday I was certain to push my opps to 3♠ bidding a 4-3 fit at the 3 level, but one of them doubled with Qxxx and the other tanked but left it with subminimum 4♠6♥ opening (sigh)

[CarlRitner]

Someone somewhere else started a topic asking about ELC, this is the perfect shape for such a double using ELC, although light on values.