Posted 2013-May-30, 10:19
Last night I got lots of really difficult hands to bid, including one that could have reasonably be opened 2♣ (I didn't because it was a massive heart-club two-suiter, but I was really hoping partner didn't pass!). Some of them were, I'm sure, much easier to bid at the other table, because they had a strong NT available, and that would have made life easy. Having said that, there was at least one hand that was really hard to play at the other table, because they told the defence what to do; our table had it easy, 1NT-3NT and scene.
Oh, did I mention it was hand-dealt?
Seriously, though, really big hands are difficult to bid. You need to find a fit, and then find out how many of two or three specific cards partner holds - all at the same time not making calls that can be passed, and not bypassing the "zero" safety level. And if you cheat and use pass or 1♣ for all the strong hands to maximize your space, the pesky opponents steal it all anyway. It's not surprising that you get a 2♣ opening (one side or the other) once a session, and likely there will be some nasty decision to make once every two or three of those hands. I highly doubt that they are deliberately cooking the hands - after all, if they are, you can bring in a system that makes those hands easier to the detriment of other hands, that don't come up as often.
When I go to sea, don't fear for me, Fear For The Storm -- Birdie and the Swansong (tSCoSI)