[Hanoi5]

We're white, they're red, MP's:

♠Q6x
♥KT7xxx
♦KJ
♣Q3

You open second seat with 1♥ and partner shows 10-12 with 4-card support (via 3♦), what contract do you want to play? Why?

[PhilKing]

I want to play in 2♥, because there is a fair chance of 5 losers.

I will have to settle for 3♥ now. If desperate I could punt 3NT, which may have the same tricks. eg Jxx AJxx Axx Jxx.

[Free]

You can easily have 4 quick losers from the top, this hand is all about slow cards, doesn't have a single trick, balanced,... Obvious 3♥ imo. It's not just because we have 10 trumps that we have to bid game.

[Siegmund]

I thought I wanted to go to 4H anyway, expecting to make it opposite most hands where partner had two aces.

Ran a quick sim (partner has exactly 4 hearts, 10-12 HCP), and got confirmation that it is only making 4H double-dummy about 30% of the time, which surprised me. I was prepared to be wrong about 4H, but not prepared to see the success rate below 40%. That is low enough that even with the 'opening lead bonus' from the defense you probably aren't making quite often enough.

Guess I learned something new today.

[PhilKing]

Siegmund, on 2013-July-21, 14:36, said:

I thought I wanted to go to 4H anyway, expecting to make it opposite most hands where partner had two aces.

Ran a quick sim (partner has exactly 4 hearts, 10-12 HCP), and got confirmation that it is only making 4H double-dummy about 30% of the time, which surprised me. I was prepared to be wrong about 4H, but not prepared to see the success rate below 40%. That is low enough that even with the 'opening lead bonus' from the defense you probably aren't making quite often enough.

Guess I learned something new today.

OP stated "10-12" - not 10-12 HCP. It would be amazingly bad for partner to have 12 HCP often, for instance - 9HCP with a doubleton is more typical. So the sim also has to be condemned as well.

[gszes]

happy with 3h here. Opps inability to enter bidding so far makes it
reasonable to assume they will not enter the bidding at the 3/4 level
vul when we have exchanged so much information.

[Siegmund]

PhilKing, on 2013-July-21, 14:57, said:

OP stated "10-12" - not 10-12 HCP. It would be amazingly bad for partner to have 12 HCP often, for instance - 9HCP with a doubleton is more typical. So the sim also has to be condemned as well.

Yes, if the sim had said that going was obvious opposite 10-12HCP, I'd have gone on to worry about removing the good and shapely 12s and adding shapely 9s, etc. Since the sim was already telling me not to go I didn't bother with the refinement.

Though, for those of us who open a lot of 11s -- our partners DO only make limit raises with 4432 and 12HCP.

[nige1]

Hanoi5, on 2013-July-21, 10:14, said:

We're white, they're red, MP's: ♠ Q 6 x ♥ K T 7 x x x ♦ K J ♣ Q 3
You open second seat with 1♥ and partner shows 10-12 with 4-card support (via 3♦), what contract do you want to play? Why?

IMO 3♥ = 10, 4♥ = 6. You are unlikely to make 4♥. Also 4♥ is more likely than 3♥ to disturb sleeping dogs. HCP are fairly evenly split. Opponents must have a fit. If they have a less dull shape and more aces than you, then their "sacrifice" may make.

[rmnka447]

3 ♥ never 4 ♥ on the auction given. That may even be too high.

I'm not opening this hand 1 ♥ ever. I might make a weak 2 ♥ opening bid when playing in a very aggressively bidding partnership. Qx and KJ tight are worth less than their point count. Only 1 QT.

[fromageGB]

Siegmund, on 2013-July-21, 18:18, said:

Though, for those of us who open a lot of 11s -- our partners DO only make limit raises with 4432 and 12HCP.

Even some of those of us who don't open 1♥ on 11 unless it is a 6 card suit still make a 3♦ bid on 11/12 HCP. There is nothing to stop responder bidding game over opener's sign-off, and having such strength in the 3♦ means that when you bid 2♠ (Jacoby 2NT) you are known to be stronger. This can help in the slam zone.

[Cyberyeti]

Partner probably held Jxx, Axxx, A10x, J10x and you're supposed to work out how to get to 3N

But seriously 3N from your hand may well be more likely to make than 4♥, but it's almost impossible to explore, you either bid 3♥ or 3N, and at pairs I'd probably bid 3♥ but am not too unhappy with 3N.

[yunling]

A clear 3♥. This must be the worst 1♥ opener I have ever seen.