[apjames]

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Are you a passer or a bidder?

If bidding, what do you bid.

[MrAce]

apjames, on 2013-October-10, 15:51, said:

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Are you a passer or a bidder?

If bidding, what do you bid.

1- I am a bidder. I won't argue others who passes, pretty normal to pass imo. Probably much better than bidding most of the time as well. However, i love getting myself into trouble

2-Whichever bid in your system shows a strong NT hand in balancing seat i will start with it.


EDIT: I am looking at this hand again and again, the more i look the more i started to believe bidding is probably a very bad idea, asking myself "What were you thinking, if any, when you posted that reply ?"

[Zelandakh]

The choice is clearly pass or double (to be followed by NT). I am with Timo in thinking that the more you look at the hand the less appealing doubling seems. It is perfectly possible that we are getting 50s with 3NT laydown but most of the time a double will fetch (P) - 2♥ - (P) - 2NT. Heck, partner could hold ♠QJx, ♥Axxx, ♦Axx, ♣Qxx where we are making 6NT (assuming the opps open Axxxxx, QJxx, QJx, -).

Scoring is not mentioned and doubling does have more going for it at IMPs than MPs. I think I would talk myself into a double vulnerable at IMPs because of the potentially massive upside; not vulnerable it is borderline. At MPs I am confident that pass is the percentage call.

[PhilKing]

I am going to stand on my chair and pass in a loud voice.

[Lorne50]

apjames, on 2013-October-10, 15:51, said:

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Are you a passer or a bidder?

If bidding, what do you bid.

I find that with 5 trumps it is usually better to pass although it is easy to create deals where it is wrong (especially if the oppo are not vul).

[BillPatch]

Since poster could have colored the diagram to show all other vulnerability combinations
I will assume he meant to indicate all white to indicate both NV, which is the most
favorable case for bidding. If we can make the same number of tricks declaring as
defending we will win the hand each time we make 6 tricks -50 1nt versus -80 their 1♠.
7 tricks +90 versus +50, 8 tricks +120 versus +100, 9 tricks(unlikely) a tie at +150.
If wee have adopted the balancing style of Mike Lawrence a 1 NT balance of the ♠ opener
shows a good 11 to a 16, 1NT is the proper strength bid for this 17 with the dual defects of
the singleton honor in the worst possible suit, and the long 3 spade suit which will often produce
fewer than one trick if opener fails to broach the suit. A double begging partner to bid at the
two level will too often lead to a negative score.

[RSClyde]

My partnership style to interfere with very light action at these colors with shortness in their suit. We make a take out double on a 1444 7 count. When partner passes I have a strong inference that he either has very little, or that they are in a truly terrible spot or some combination, so I'll pass. I think the lack of a good descriptive call makes pass all the more attractive: even if 1nt rates to be right, we're kind of heavy for it. Doubling first and then bidding 2nt is more than a little disgusting.

[rmnka447]

Passing in tempo and without a hitch.

Consider this. Opener is sitting behind all your Ks with opening values. So your hand in going to play like it's less actual point count value. And your longest suit is opener's suit.

[P_Marlowe]

Pass.

One reason: I have no clear bid, even an offshape 1NT would be wrong on strength,
not only wrong on shape, hence it is out.
If you played 1NT in this position as 14-16, 1NT becomes an option, but ...

We are green, we will beat it, will we have game? unclear, if yes, we will get
150-200, so no huge loss.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[mikl_plkcc]

It is extremely easy to miss a game if I pass (partner can have as many as 12 points), so I will double.

[billw55]

If partner had decent values to go with short spades, he might have found an action over 1♠. So I tend to suspect this is a deal with two strong hands and two weak ones. Getting a plus score on such deals is often good enough, and defending 1♠ looks like as good a chance as any. Pass.

[ggwhiz]

Pass

I might try the flawed 1nt in direct seat but have to double with this point range in balancing seat and doing that with a stiff heart turns my stomach.