[apollo1201]

A deal that almost cost us the qualification to the national final...

Last board of the last session of the league final, MP scoring. So far you feel you are between 5th and 10th out of 40, only 5 will qualify. So you dont think you need to play and bid in a desperate need for a swing.

Anyway, you are green against red, LHO deals and passes, partner passes, RHO opens 2S (weak) and you hold:

K6
KQ876
KT54
Q2

What is best?

Good things: SK looks slightly better now, you are not completely flat, you are green if things go wrong, and both opps hold less than opening values

Not so good things: aceless hand, suits quality ok-ish, not a clear 2-suiter

[P_Marlowe]

3H

Basically you have 2 options, either pass or 3H,
I go with 3H.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[mcphee]

I am not delighted with bidding 3H but I think the field will. Might go for a number here but passing could be worse. These hand types are difficult and you would like another H. Partner may raise and I remain less than confident we will claim after the opening lead. Lack of aces make me nervous.

[helene_t]

Green against red I don't think going for a number is very likely. It could happen, of course.

3♥ for me. I think I would chose this at any vulnerability for lack of better options. (Edit: Forgot to notice that partner is a passed hand. This makes it very close, but I think I would still bid 3♥)

This post has been edited by helene_t: 2016-April-12, 05:40

[Jinksy]

Call me a wimp, but I'm leaning towards pass. Partner would need a perfect hand for us to have any shot at game, and I don't have a clear alternative call. Really dislike 3♥ - I'd prefer X, planning to pass 3♣, but anything we do might be trading +100 or +200 for a minus score. Can imagine Xing, esp if we don't play Lebensohl and I can bid 3♦ as ELC over 3♣.

[apollo1201]

In the PM, the bastard on my left had AJT9x H and a side ace and despite partner having the 2 other aces and the DQ, I ended up -300 for a bad score, but at least I would have not been the only one here

3D is the ideal spot that we can reach after an X and with a very pessimistic partner (with 11 HCPs and the SA she would go to 3NT).

There were several 3NT down 2 or 3 undoubled, another poor guy like me in 3HX (some wests didnt double 3H, unbelievable at this level of the competition), a mad team at 4HX, and some 2S=.

[Cyberyeti]

apollo1201, on 2016-April-13, 14:22, said:

In the PM, the bastard on my left had AJT9x H and a side ace and despite partner having the 2 other aces and the DQ, I ended up -300 for a bad score, but at least I would have not been the only one here

3D is the ideal spot that we can reach after an X and with a very pessimistic partner (with 11 HCPs and the SA she would go to 3NT).

There were several 3NT down 2 or 3 undoubled, another poor guy like me in 3HX (some wests didnt double 3H, unbelievable at this level of the competition), a mad team at 4HX, and some 2S=.

Play lebensohl after the X.

W would bid P-P-2♠-X-P-2N-P-3♣-P-3♦(diamonds, better than immediate 3♦) and I would then pass as by far the majority of the time if we're making game, partner would have opened

It's not necessarily a good idea to X 3♥, you wouldn't want to hear XX(rescue)-P-4m where you might not be taking very much if anything.

[Jinksy]

Cyberyeti, on 2016-April-13, 15:12, said:

Play lebensohl after the X.

W would bid P-P-2♠-X-P-2N-P-3♦(diamonds, better than immediate 3♦) and I would then pass as by far the majority of the time if we're making game, partner would have opened

'You' are the (unpassed) hand that's bid 3♦, in this sequence, so whether north passes presumably depends on whether you're playing a pull of his 2N as something ELC-like, or as a strong one- or two-suiter. I'd expect the latter to be better in the long run - what you lose on this hand, you gain on game and slam bidding.

[Cyberyeti]

Jinksy, on 2016-April-14, 04:13, said:

'You' are the (unpassed) hand that's bid 3♦, in this sequence, so whether north passes presumably depends on whether you're playing a pull of his 2N as something ELC-like, or as a strong one- or two-suiter. I'd expect the latter to be better in the long run - what you lose on this hand, you gain on game and slam bidding.

Sorry, I left a couple of bids out, clearly in a Lebensohl sequence I bid 3♣ and partner bid 3♦, now fixed.

[Jinksy]

So you're happy to play in 3♣? There are certainly hands where I'd do that for want of a better call, but with a comparatively small upside to getting it right here, it doesn't seem worth the risk.

[Cyberyeti]

Jinksy, on 2016-April-14, 07:02, said:

So you're happy to play in 3♣? There are certainly hands where I'd do that for want of a better call, but with a comparatively small upside to getting it right here, it doesn't seem worth the risk.

I think taking that risk is better than defending 2♠ but it's close. If I play 3♣, partner has the bad hand which is quite unlikely, if he bids 3♣ and he plays it is where I worry slightly but I had to go with that when I doubled.

If I don't double, partner will have The ♥AJ109x hand 2♠ and 3/4♥ will both make.

[Jinksy]

Cyberyeti, on 2016-April-14, 07:45, said:

If I don't double, partner will have The ♥AJ109x hand 2♠ and 3/4♥ will both make.

What hand? xx AJT9x xxx Kxx probably isn't making 3 hearts, let alone 4. xx AJT9x Qxx Kxx must be odds against to make 4, and is pretty close to an opening hand. The tailor-made xx AJT9x AJxx xx gives us a decent game, but even if P passed with that originally, he's unlikely to pass 2♠ out.

If I'm doubling it's more because I fear double part score swing than missing game, but it seems almost as likely that they're not making 2♠ and we're not making any (biddable) 3-level contract - and on top of that there's the possibility of critical damage at the three level, as on the actual hand.

[Cyberyeti]

Jinksy, on 2016-April-15, 08:58, said:

What hand? xx AJT9x xxx Kxx probably isn't making 3 hearts, let alone 4. xx AJT9x Qxx Kxx must be odds against to make 4, and is pretty close to an opening hand. The tailor-made xx AJT9x AJxx xx gives us a decent game, but even if P passed with that originally, he's unlikely to pass 2♠ out.

If I'm doubling it's more because I fear double part score swing than missing game, but it seems almost as likely that they're not making 2♠ and we're not making any (biddable) 3-level contract - and on top of that there's the possibility of critical damage at the three level, as on the actual hand.

The one apollo gave for LHO with a side ace, with that ace in spades or diamonds, xxx, AJ109x, Ax, xxx/Axx, AJ109x, xx, xxx for example which makes 3 or 4 depending on whether the unsupported K stands up.

[wank]

pass. this hand is pretty minimal for a 2h overcall perforce it's less than minimum for a 3h overcall.

[Jinksy]

Cyberyeti, on 2016-April-15, 15:36, said:

The one apollo gave for LHO with a side ace, with that ace in spades or diamonds, xxx, AJ109x, Ax, xxx/Axx, AJ109x, xx, xxx for example which makes 3 or 4 depending on whether the unsupported K stands up.

It had better be making four, since that's where those hands will put you if you bid. And with either one you're giving partner an absolutely perfect hand, but it still requires the preemptor to have the ace of the respective suit - fine if it's spades, comfortably under 50% if it's diamonds.