[bridgepali]

I find an impediment to trump play to be my partners. They understate their hand's point count leading to an underbid contract and overstate their hand's point count leading to a set contract; unless a trick taking tactic, like a finesse or discard, can be found to satisfy the shortness in the point count.


There are fifteen point altering card formations I am aware of that by their in-hand presence will inflate/deflate point count disrupting the matching-up between point count and corresponding bid level ranges.

Example:

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Bidquest:
Abiding by the 5cardMABBS South opens declaring five hearts and at least 13 pts. North responds at the three level (pt. range 23-25) declaring having 11-12 pts. and enough hearts to fill out the 5/3 requisite trump footprint. South perceiving from the bid that the 5/3 requisite trump footprint is satisfied and that the combined hands have at least 25 pts. (Three level pt. range) with the 1 pt. not declared in the opening bid, bids hearts at the four level (pt. range 26-28). Unfortunately the contract gets set! Instead of having 26 pts. the combined hands have 23. The doubleton queen of clubs in North's hand reduced the hand's point count by the value of one trick (3 pts.).

I find determining levels to bid at exclusively by point count to be an effective approach for conducting the bidding process; even when my partner is using another method.

Watch for Talking Pts.???

[manudude03]

If 3H is a limit raise with 3+ trumps, I am not raising to 4 on the south hand (3 spades without any of the top ones is a disaster holding). Having said that, most good players do not play 3H as that kind of hand, but rather a more pre-emptive bid with less than 10 HCP (much less in some cases) and at least 4 trumps. With North's hand type, most good players would bid 2S allowing South to make a game try.

As a general piece of advice on BBF, creating topics to post in a somewhat lecturing tone tends not to go down well.

[blackshoe]

Here's an auction for you:

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[Vampyr]

blackshoe, on 2016-June-11, 17:18, said:

Here's an auction for you:

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A bit of a fluke as the diamonds are blocked.

OP, is your point here that partner accepted a game invitation on a balanced minimum? Yes, that was bad.

[johnu]

blackshoe, on 2016-June-11, 17:18, said:

Here's an auction for you:

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An interesting auction.

a) Weak NT and jump to game with 11 count?
b) 13 HCP strong NT and routine jump to game?

I still can't figure out the talking point. ♣KQ is bad opposite J10x?