What is he thinking about?
#1
Posted 2014-May-16, 09:43
All White, MP...Partner is up-and-coming with only a couple years under his belt; thoroughly familiar with our methods in this situation; prone to an occasional trance before coming up with a correct call.
(3C) P!!!! P ?
Partner's pass took about 40 seconds. Of course the B.I.T. is AI to the opposition, and UI to me. The questions are: What is likely to have been his problem? What is unlikely to have been his problem? You don't get to see my hand, yet.
#2
Posted 2014-May-16, 09:59
A less experienced player might be wondering if he could preempt. Or double for penalties. Or bid an unusual 3nt.
#3
Posted 2014-May-16, 10:05
Partner might be tanking for many reasons, including:
1. he has a strong hand with clubs
2. he has a borderline suit overcall
3. he has a borderline NT overcall
4. he has a borderline conventional overcall
5. he has a borderline takeout double
6. he is trying to choose between strains
7. he is trying to work out possible matchpoint scores
8. he is considering a wild psyche
.. and probably others that I have missed. It seems that most of these possibilities suggest bidding (or doubling) over passing out 3♣. So I think you are ethically and legally restrained from bidding unless bidding is clear.
Then there are possibilities unrelated to his hand, perhaps he is thinking about where to have dinner.
-gwnn
#4
Posted 2014-May-16, 10:38
#5
Posted 2014-May-16, 11:17
Second place would be modest ♣ length, say 3325 and similar 14-15 strength.
Trust demands integrity, balance and collaboration.
District 11
Unit 124
Steve Moese
#6
Posted 2014-May-16, 13:36
wank, on 2014-May-16, 10:38, said:
A tank of that magnitude is known locally as a coma and he may have had a stroke.
What is baby oil made of?
#7
Posted 2014-May-16, 13:42
In fact, I would go so far as to argue that it is a mistake to even think about what is going on. The more you focus on it, the more it is likely that the UI is going to influence you. I don't mean that it will lead to you bidding when you should pass, or doubling when you should be bidding something else. It may equally persuade you that you should pass because otherwise you have arguably been influenced into bidding. Just look at your hand, and make the decision that seems best based on the pass, not the tempo, and let the chips fall where they may.
In such situations, if I am playing against friends, they know I am trying to be ethical. If I am playing against relative beginners, I may invite them to call the director at the end of the auction, so that they don't feel intimidated into not calling.
If I were being forced to guess...well, it depends on what I know of partner's style and whether we've had discussions about overcalling over pre-empts. Maybe last week I told him that I thought that one required a good opening hand and a decent suit to overcall. Or I told him about the idea of a stopperless 3N and so on. If we've never had a discussion then it's just a pure guess.
#8
Posted 2014-May-16, 13:46
#9
Posted 2014-May-16, 22:09
So, it was likely he would choose to sit a reopening double. I held AKX AQJXXX AQXX v...a probable Grand which would be defending 3CX. A reopening 4C was possible in those days (That's how long ago it was).
So, I doubled, and sure enough it was left in. It was agreed that I had chosen a L.A. which was least likely to be suggested by the UI and that I was correct to take the UI into account when choosing that action...except for the opponents who had no sense of humor.
Partner had been mesmerized by XX XX XX KJTXXXX.
#10
Posted 2014-May-17, 22:31
aguahombre, on 2014-May-16, 22:09, said:
So, I doubled, and sure enough it was left in. It was agreed that I had chosen a L.A. which was least likely to be suggested by the UI
Are there any other LAs? Any other bid you might make would be either a gross underbid or distortion of your shape. What would 4♣ have meant in those days?
#11
Posted 2014-May-17, 23:00
barmar, on 2014-May-17, 22:31, said:
Huge takeout...two-suited cues were not the norm, yet. Today, there would be no alternative to a double...and no story.