[eagles123]

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should I do anything over 3s? how about 4s?

we play 5 card major strong NT if it matters

[Wackojack]

You have to assume your opps are not insane and likely have a 9 card fit. Partner will therefore have at least a 5 card diamond suit. Say: ♠ -, ♥QJ10, ♦AJxxx, ♣QJxx. Here I have given partner 3 wasted points in clubs and you would be lucky to make 5♦. Improve partner's hand to ♣KQxx 5♦look very good. The question is would partner re-open with a double with this hand?
I think I would go for 5♦. Double if you are more conservative and partner is very aggressive.

[mikeh]

I would pass 3♠, and think it to be clear, since we are effectively forcing to the 4-level if we double, and we can hardly expect a 4♠ call on our left, when he is a passed hand and we hold 4 spades, so we can expect partner to be able to bid over 3♠ if he has a hand that generates game opposite ours.

Having seen the surprising action by LHO, I have to confess that at mps I think double is best, tho I am worried about maybe RHO having a big black hand, with only 6 spades, and thus 3 spades, and shape, on my left.

If I have doubled, then I lead the club Ace, being grateful this is only mps, where a doubled overtrick is irrelevant I sure don't need much to go plus here.....a club, a quick entry to partner, a club ruff and one more red trick....surely odds on even with the worrying auction. Of course, maybe the opps are just nuts....

Note that I am giving up on being declarer. I think it to be close, but if partner has a 0=3=5=5, as is possible, then I think a 5 level red contract is too risky. If I were to bid, it would be 4N, planning to convert clubs to diamonds. If the opps were very solid players, I'd do that anyway, hoping to catch at least one 9 card fit, and being worried about N being very black.

[mikeh]

Wackojack, on 2015-June-23, 12:24, said:

You have to assume your opps are not insane and likely have a 9 card fit. Partner will therefore have at least a 5 card diamond suit. Say: ♠ -, ♥QJ10, ♦AJxxx, ♣QJxx.

I think that that hand is a clear pass, especially with a spade void and only 12 cards. But even if you add a non-spade x, I don't like opening with 11 hcp and only one control card, when I don't have the spade suit. Opening light in a major has some preemptive/competitive advantages, especially in spades, while opening light in a minor sometimes makes it easier for the opps, who may hold majors without opening values.

[MrAce]

eagles123, on 2015-June-23, 11:47, said:

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should I do anything over 3s? how about 4s?

we play 5 card major strong NT if it matters

I would double over 3♠. I am expecting this to be minority choice but this is my gut feeling. After all pd has an opener w/o ♠ values and he is short in spades. I love my hand vs minimum and 4 card ♥ and if I can't find hearts I have diamonds to settle.

Now that the other guy bid 4♠, he is obviously bidding 4♠ with values and at most 2 or probably stiff spade.They are bidding to make it, but you have a lot of defensive values. You have to understand that if you bid they ain't bidding 5♠ and you will be playing doubled most of the time.

Your decision imo but if you are willing to bid then bid 4 NT not 5♦, 2 places to play. Pd still can have 4 card ♥. But he will bid 5♣ most of the time because he is short in spades and he can probably play all other 3 suits. If pd bids 5♣ correct it to 5♦, now he knows you have hearts and some diamonds (with 4 or more diamonds you would bid 5♦ without 4 NT.

[MrAce]

Wackojack, on 2015-June-23, 12:24, said:

I think I would go for 5♦.

Why not 4 NT and correct 5♣ to 5♦?

Pd may have 0445 1444. You may think it is unlikely, but what do you lose by bidding 4 NT?

[Phil]

I'd double 3♠.

[helene_t]

Timo: S is a passed hand so he must have some spades.

Anyway I agree with double in first round. Having passed I suppose I would double in second round.

[MrAce]

helene_t, on 2015-June-24, 01:46, said:

Timo: S is a passed hand so he must have some spades.

Anyway I agree with double in first round. Having passed I suppose I would double in second round.

As south I would 100 % bid 4♠ with 2 aces and a stiff spade, when my pd bids 3♠ red s white seeing me coming from pass. What I was trying to say is that he has at most 2 spades. If he has 3 then N has only 6 and he probably have 6-5 or something.

But yes, coming from pass I think double over 3♠ is called for. We would not be scratching our head now over 4♠.

[gszes]

We see these types of hands a LOT where p appears to have a singleton or void in the opps suit and we hold nothing of value. It is a splinter situation but one where we "know" there are no wasted values in the opps' suit. Even if p is dead minimum there should be some reasonable play for 5d or 5h especially if p has a void. These kinds of situations practically scream for bidding further so I have to echo 4n at this point and even if I had x the first time around I would still bid 4n since p could all too easily be hampered by the all too real possibility we have "stuff" in spades and may wish to x.

[biggerclub]

Well I generally like mikeh's POV but here I go with the analysis that pard is short in spades so we have no wasted values and my hand is golden for pard so . . . x over 3♠.

When he bids 5♣, I convert to ♦s.

[steve2005]

biggerclub, on 2015-June-24, 12:29, said:

Well I generally like mikeh's POV but here I go with the analysis that pard is short in spades so we have no wasted values and my hand is golden for pard so . . . x over 3♠.

When he bids 5♣, I convert to ♦s.

You don't know you have no wasted values after 3♠. It's not until opps raise to 4♠ that you can upgrade. So while some may double 3♠ it's not clear all our cards are working.

[MrAce]

steve2005, on 2015-June-24, 14:56, said:

You don't know you have no wasted values after 3♠. It's not until opps raise to 4♠ that you can upgrade. So while some may double 3♠ it's not clear all our cards are working.

Really? What do you think a reasonable player bids 3♠ with, red vs white when his pd coming from pass?

And what happens even if he has wasted spade hcps?

K
QJxx
KJxxx
Kxx

This is one of the worse hands you can get, wasted ♠K, no Ace, wasted ♣K and we play games worse than this everyday. And funny as it is, they are probably cold for 4♠.
Imagine preemptor has a pedestrian AQT9xxx x xx Jxx.