[bluenikki]

 nige1, on 2020-January-30, 11:27, said:

phoenixmj "This was a play of the hand question but they provided no explanation of one of the bids. What does west's 2s bid mean to you? "
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IMO there are 2 likely agreements, here ...
- Natural is the more popular e.g. ♠ A K J T x x ♥ A ♦ x x x x ♣ A x
- 2-suiter is possible with ♣ probably much better than ♥ e.g. ♠ x x x ♥ A K J x ♦ - ♣ A J T x x x x
With less shape, you might double for T/O e.g. ♠ x x ♥ A K x x ♦ A x ♣ K x x x x
Without such suit disparity, you might overcall 2N e.g. ♠ x x ♥ K Q x x x ♦ x ♣ A K x x x
With better ♥ than ♣ you might overcall 2♦. e.g. ♠ x ♥ A x x x x x ♦ x x ♣ A K Q x

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If you choose to describe your 2-suiters with such accuracy, you'd better end up as declarer! The information is far more useful to the opponents than to your partner.

[bluenikki]

Actujally, it's better if you're dummy.

But the main thing is when you've given a detailed description of your shape and honor location, you must not end up on defense.

[mikeh]

I think most experienced players and most experts, in NA, would play a 2M overcall after 1x. P. 1M. ? as natural.


I’ve had the hand a number of times, and seen it played against me by some very good players. As for rarity, it is certainly uncommon, but so too is exclusion keycard or even rarer bids such as the jumpcue of RHO’s major opening, asking partner to bid 3N with a stopper, yet I think both are, when need arises, very useful.

I also think that how one plays this, in terms of suit and strength, affects one’s view of relative frequency. I play it as basically a reasonable weak two bid, with vulnerability taken into account. At favourable, I’d bid 2S after 1x. P. 1S. to me with as little as KJ98xx Axx xx xx

Red v white, my suit is going to be better. At a minimum something like KJ10974 and close to an opening hand, on upwards.

Btw, have you and your partner discussed how to bid after your RHO makes this call after your partner’s 1S response to your opening?

How confident are you of your ability to punish the overcall? Is opener’s x penalty or takeout or DSIP?

If you pass, what do partner’s calls me.

While I think the style I described here has intrinsic merit even against well-prepared opponents, it is even better against most players, who may have never discussed this with any partner.

As for two-suited, I have double and, unless they open a 2+ club, a cue of opener’s opening suit, plus a jump to 2N. I’ve never noticed a problem in 4th chair having only 3 takeout calls, plus the strong 1N, or bidding one of the other suits.