whereagles, on 2014-October-21, 04:55, said:
huh... I don't think 3♠ is close 1st round.. your playing strength is very limited and you have absolutely no clue as to what LHO holds. Agree that one should prefer to act soon, but this is too much.
2nd round is a whole new ball game. Now your hand is exactly what a delayed overcall is about: opps have a known fit and you have shape.
Not sure whether this is really true.
Assume West would double 3
♠ what will he do with such a hand if you pass?
In that case West will usually be strong enough to look for game, which will be 4
♥ almost always. West might raise with a strong hand and a void.
So bidding 4
♠ now instead of 3
♠ on the previous round will only mean 200 or 300 extra points more for East West and that comparison assumes that 3
♠ will not make.
I am a frequent balancer and I would bid 4
♠ with the South hand but I much prefer 3
♠.
That balancing is safer here is a mirage and shows muddled thinking.
The likelihood that East West have a heart fit does not come from West raise. It comes from looking at your void and East preempt.
Rainer Herrmann
This is from the second final session of my District's NAOP. My partner and I stood fourth after the first final session, with the top 3 qualifying for the National finals in New Orleans next March. This hand is one of the reasons why we did not qualify.. So, which one of us should bid (both or neither are acceptable answers, even though "neither" is obviously wrong)?
If it matters to you, East is a client and West is a pro.