[Jazzman64]

I got blistered by my partner on this bidding sequence with this hand:

---

I took partner's 2♣ overcall to be forcing, so I bid the 4-card suit that would keep bidding the lowest. Partner rebid clubs and went down by 3.

Partner asked me why I bid at all. I thought her bid was forcing and said so. We went down by 3 instead of by 2--don't know what the big deal is.

On a related note, I'm getting really really sick of being yelled at. I represent myself as a beginner and play at the "relaxed" tables. But there doesn't seem to be a safe place on BBO for a newbie to learn.

[Jazzman64]

Sorry, I had an incomplete bidding sequence. It was passed out after my partner's 3 ♣ bid.

[TylerE]

Not forcing, and should be passed. The #1 rule on this type of auction is *no rescuing before we are doubled*.

[Cthulhu D]

Jazzman64, on 2014-November-04, 20:24, said:

On a related note, I'm getting really really sick of being yelled at. I represent myself as a beginner and play at the "relaxed" tables. But there doesn't seem to be a safe place on BBO for a newbie to learn.

Yeah pass here - I think the robots are the best place to start though. You can try a ton of stuff, they never complain and it's a good learning experince.

[TylerE]

The only problem is that the robots use lots of conventions that a novice won't know, like lebensohl, inverted raises, etc.

[the hog]

Not forcing unless it is conventional eg for the Majors or whatever.

[Cthulhu D]

TylerE, on 2014-November-04, 22:11, said:

The only problem is that the robots use lots of conventions that a novice won't know, like lebensohl, inverted raises, etc.

Yeah, but you can mouse over the bids and work out what is going on generally. It might be a distorted perspective though obviously on my part.

[paulg]

Jazzman64, on 2014-November-04, 20:24, said:

On a related note, I'm getting really really sick of being yelled at. I represent myself as a beginner and play at the "relaxed" tables. But there doesn't seem to be a safe place on BBO for a newbie to learn.

You might consider trying the Beginners and Intermediates Lounge (BIL) on BBO. They offer a free trial - http://bilbridge.com/

[helene_t]

Hi Jazzman,

Welcome to the forum!

We all have had problems with rude partners when we started on bbo, no matter what our skill level. Here are some ideas:
- become a member of BIL. If you play Acol you can also play in the Acol club.
- As you become a bit more experienced you can volunteer as a substitute in tournaments. Partners tend to be more friendly toward substitutes than towards random partners
- mark people you liked to play with as friends. After some time you will have enough friends so that you don't need to play with randoms

As for your question: natural overcalls are not forcing. With 17 points he would have doubled. So if you can't make game opposite most 15 counts just pass. Now that the opponents open 1nt (they do play it as 15-17 don't they?) it is quite unlikely that you have game so even with say 13 points you should probably pass unless you have a six card suit to offer

[ggwhiz]

When they show that much power with the 1nt bid all roads lead to a partscore contract by us 99% of the time and with a stiff club, as Scheinwold said "when you are in a hole, stop digging".

Meanwhile I get yelled at too but when I run across a player with good manners I mark them as a friend just so I can find them online and invite them to play when available. I've got quite a list now so hang in there.

[mgoetze]

TylerE, on 2014-November-04, 22:11, said:

The only problem is that the robots use lots of conventions that a novice won't know, like lebensohl, inverted raises, etc.

That's OK, the robots don't really know them either.

[rmnka447]

Unless partner's bid is conventional, it is definitely non-forcing. It should be passed.

Yes, you do have a singleton in partner's suit and are concerned that 2 ♣ may not be a good place to play. However, partner will not intervene without length in the suit bid. The minimum length is normally 5 cards. The problem is that you can't know how long partner's suit is. If partner's suit is 6 or 7 cards long, 2 ♣ may not play too badly.

Since you can't know what partner has, your best choice is to pass. With length in ♣s, partner is less likely to have a fit in any suit you might hold. So bidding on is more likely to dig you into a deeper whole than you might already be in.

[BillPatch]

The normal minimum length for partner's bid is 6 cards. With 100 honors or a side 5 card suit to move to if doubled one might consider bidding a 5 card suit. Overcaller does not intend to be rescued.

[gszes]

There is a program BIL (beginner intermediate lounge) you can join at
www.bilbridge.com that matches up beginner/intermediate players with
mentors that are willing to donate their time to help newer players learn
the ropes.

Learning from other beginners/intermediates is bound to be an irritating
experience as most are also experiencing growing pains and hate it when one
of the bids they :knew: was right turned out badly and they are actively looking
for someone to blame (partner for instance).

The simple answer to your question is pass. You have little/no reason to suspect
your side has a game or can improve the contract. 2c is supposedly a reasonable place
to play and it may be the last reasonable place to play.

[whereagles]

Jazz, send me a message if you're online. I can play with you.

Zero record of yelling