[wank]

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IMPS

This sequence was perpetrated by my and partner and I and repeated by a couple of European Open Pairs medallists. Comments?

[han]

I understand north's decisions, but I try hard to overcall 2H initially instead of coming in at the 3-level a round later. But on this hand my preference is passing out 2S. That's right, I would miss 4H and I'd be defending 2S.

The word hanging gives an emotional feel to a decision that should be based on winning or losing IMPs. Will partner be unhappy if he risked his life with 3H and we hanged him by raising to 4 when his 3H bid was right? Maybe so, but that shouldn't matter.

The reason partner didn't overcall 2H is probably that his suit is too crummy. That's ok, our queen fourth should help. He balanced 3H red against white, so he should be expecting to make 3H a large amount of the time. It doesn't make sense to bid 3H expecting to go down. Partner may be expecting our 10-count (actually, this time he could not), but he can't expect our great fit. Perhaps a more likely hand for partner would be something like xxx AJxxxx x KQx. But even with that hand, I'd prefer to bid 2H directly.

Opposite myself I would raise with the north hand, but again, I wouldn't dare to bid 3H on the actual hand.

[MrAce]

I would never lift with N hand. I would not bid 2♥ previously with S hand and i would have passed 2 ♠. Only thing i might have done different than most people could be to DBL 1♠ with S hand perhaps, but i am not really sure about that either for various reasons. Maybe i am resulting.

[han]

You would not bid 3H with this south hand, and you would not raise to 4H on this north hand. What kind of hand do you need to bid 3H with, and why then would it be a bad idea to raise with the north hand?

[gnasher]

I think East should double 1♠. It's not going to get easier to bid if he passes on the first round, and double at least ensures that we don't lose a 9-card heart fit. It's true that West will expect four clubs, so there's some risk of reaching an inadequate fit, but East's hand looks OK for playing in clubs, and it seems safer to do this than to overcall hearts at any point.

I probably wouldn't have thought of this until after the hand was over.

[MrAce]

han, on 2012-August-22, 03:36, said:

You would not bid 3H with this south hand, and you would not raise to 4H on this north hand. What kind of hand do you need to bid 3H with, and why then would it be a bad idea to raise with the north hand?

Qxx KTxxxx x Qxx

Axx Kxxxxx x xxx

Axxx JTxxxx Qx x

xxx AKxxxx xx xx

This is what balancing means to me.

To me balancing does not mean " hey pd, i have a 2/1 overcall strength but i was sissy previous round due to my bad trumps so i am trying to catch up at 3 level, bid game if you have 4 card support and a balanced 10 count"

Balancing means " Pd i was able to spot your strength and/or i was able to spot the support you have in the suit i am about to bid, please do not get excited unless you have something rare " 10 hcp balanced 4 card support is not a rare hand when pd balances to me.

I am not against 3♥ with S hand as much as i am against suggesting to bid game with N hand. After all South thought his pd has short spade and very likely to hold some hearts.

[Phil]

I think this is a tough hand and I have sympathy for both players.

[mfa1010]

I would never waltz in with 3♥. Partner could have horrific hands easily here since I'm so strong, may I suggest Jx, x, Kxxxxx, xxxx?

Double of 1♠ was possible. I think I would. But else I think I would have to live with never getting in the bidding.

[gszes]

1d p 1s x
2s 3h p 4h

easy hand
reentering the bidding with 3h is a flight of fancy that mananged to
find p with the right fit and just enough power to make 4h a good contract.

p has nothing special for your belated raise and will almost always pass. the
fact that they have 4 hearts will normally be meaningless except to maybe
avoid a loser in hearts. While the spade K may be favorably placed there
isnt any special reason to assume they can ruff a spade even. Leave 3h alone
if p couldnt act earlier game will certainly have almost no chance.

You must plan ahead in the bidding. Understand when you are most likely
to be shut out entirely and just how useful your hand may be and at what level.
The above is certainly true in 4th position when the limits of your p hand are
more defined.

Failure to act early with an effective hand will normally grant a huge advantage
to any opair that opens light (an ever increasing number).

[ahydra]

I think I would bid 2H with South first round, but with only AJxxx it's hard to understand why the actual South passed. See no problem with North not raising 3H to 4. Game doesn't look great anyway if trumps don't split 2-2.

ahydra

[Poky]

ahydra, on 2012-August-23, 11:03, said:

I think I would bid 2H with South first round, but with only AJxxx it's hard to understand why the actual South passed. See no problem with North not raising 3H to 4. Game doesn't look great anyway if trumps don't split 2-2.

ahydra

Delayed 3♥ it is not a pile of crap, North has an auto-raise.

Game could be below 35% only if South is prone to make nonsense bids.

[mr1303]

I would never raise with the North hand in a month of Sundays.

3H for me would be a hand where I know partner has a fit, because he is short in their suit

xxxx KQxxx in the majors plus a bit more besides. Even then, I doubt I'd make that call vulnerable.

[han]

mr1303, on 2012-August-26, 03:42, said:

3H for me would be a hand where I know partner has a fit, because he is short in their suit.

There is no possible hand where you know that partner has queen fourth of support. Unless partner is a prophet, this must be a great surprise to him.

[dake50]

2H over 1S in their forcing, unlimited auction just
gives them a fielder's choice: X or show offensive hand.
Let alone blabbing where stuff is when they stretch to 4S.
After 2S comes back, now it looks a partial hand.
3H to try for its ours.
Because of VUL, partner downgrades S:Kx, but 4H is on.
Unfortunate. Put that K anywhere else then 4S.
Besides 4H must find HK, CQ, not S-ruff and trump promote.
I'd want to be in it but not crushed to miss.