[jtfanclub]

Auction goes:

(1♣) 1♦ (1♥) P
(2♥) 2♠ (3♣) ?

Your hand:

QT653
K852
85
K8

Partner is very good, and you have no specific agreements about this auction.

P.S. Feel free to tell me what an idiot I am for passing 1♥.

[JLOL]

I would just bid game, woulda bid 1S the round before also.

[mtvesuvius]

I like to use doubles in competitive auctions like this one to show no clear direction with support. I cannot blame you for passing 1♥, however I think I probably would have bid 1♠ because I want to get my suit in while I can. Now that partner has bid them, I see no reason why I should not bid 3♥. Partner may be 6-4 or 6-5... I voted for 3♥.

Edit: I just saw that my K♣ is wasted, I think I may just bid 4♠ now...

[Codo]

It was a great idea to pass 1 ♥. After all this increases the chance of making partner declarer, so that you can focus on your best part of the game: Being dummy.

I have no clear idea about 1 Spade. Yes I have values, yes I have five, but I hate the King of clubs and the bad suit quality. Make it KQxxx,Kxxx,xx,xx and it is easy.
Make it QTxxx,Kxxx,Kx,xx and it is possible.

Anyway, now my partner bid a strong two suiter but he did not use michaels. So I play him for 5(6)/4. He will have at most one heart, that leaves him with three or two clubs.

I am not sure who can make what, but I will try to be dummy. (Seen above), the best part of my game too). When I bid 4 Spade, they may belive me and defend with 5 Club.

So I walk the dog with 3 Spade. If we buy it there, it could even be good, because I doubt that my kings will take more then one trick in offense.

[jdonn]

I won't call you an idiot but I would definitely have bid 1♠ the round before. Double showing spades with diamond tolerance is another possibility, if that's how you play it.

I'll bid 4♠ now. The heart king seems clearly useless except that it might give the opponents fewer options on defense, but I think it's a mistake to automatically downgrade the club king. Partner has the ace, partner has the queen, partner has the jack and they lead from the queen, the ace is onside, there are many possibilitie that give the club king good value.

[mtvesuvius]

Codo, on Jan 16 2009, 11:35 AM, said:

Anyway, now my partner bid a strong two suiter but he did not use michaels. So I play him for 5(6)/4.

In most relatively standard systems, partner doesn't have a Michaels bid available for ♦ & ♠ over 1♣. Partner could still be 6-5 here, IMO.

[jdonn]

mtvesuvius, on Jan 16 2009, 11:40 AM, said:

Codo, on Jan 16 2009, 11:35 AM, said:

Anyway, now my partner bid a strong two suiter but he did not use michaels. So I play him for 5(6)/4.

In most relatively standard systems, partner doesn't have a Michaels bid available for ♦ & ♠ over 1♣. Partner could still be 6-5 here, IMO.

It's an important inference that partner doesn't have 5 hearts. It confirms that at most one opponent is psyching but definitely not both.

[MFA]

3♥. Leaving partner an out in 3♠. 4♠ would be an overbid.

[Phil]

My requirement for a snapdragon double of 1♥ is Hx in pard's suit. So 1♠ is fine. You really need to get in there when you hold spades, so passing is out of the question.

I now bid 4♠. I expect a 4-6 and AK's, but we can still be cold if pard has less than this. Anyway, game has to have a good enough play.

[Fluffy]

If the ♥K was elsewhere I'd make a slam aproach.

I would not pass the earlier round, between double and 1♠ I have no strong opinion, 1♠ protects our kings better.

[ArtK78]

1♠ on the previous round. Having passed, I bid 4♠ now.

[jtfanclub]

As it turned out, partner had something like:

J8xx
Q
AQTxx
ATx

The diamonds were onside and both opponents had identical 2-4-3-4 distribution, so there's just two spades and a heart loser. I tried 3♥, and partner declined. He thinks I should have bid 4♠, and I think he's right. Still, what were the odds that both of my kings would be worth a trick each?

[Codo]

So after the diamond finesse works, trumps are 2-2 and there are no ruffs in a side sutit you missed the game?
.....

Game is not as bad as that, you will win with some singelton honours too, but stil a close call.

[jdonn]

Codo, on Jan 16 2009, 07:11 PM, said:

So after the diamond finesse works, trumps are 2-2 and there are no ruffs in a side sutit you missed the game?

Yup partner was arguably not good enough for his bid, and we ended up needing a finesse through opener and some reasonable breaks (2-2 in trumps not necessarily required) to make game.

I'm liking a 4♠ bid more and more!

[MFA]

jdonn, on Jan 16 2009, 07:14 PM, said:

Codo, on Jan 16 2009, 07:11 PM, said:

So after the diamond finesse works, trumps are 2-2 and there are no ruffs in a side sutit you missed the game?

Yup partner was arguably not good enough for his bid, and we ended up needing a finesse through opener and some reasonable breaks (2-2 in trumps not necessarily required) to make game.

I'm liking a 4♠ bid more and more!

It's funny, because I was considering if he should accept due to the extra values. ♣Axx seems very nice.

This is a prebalance situation so we will compeete freely with 2♠, especially with a 6-4, for instance Jxxx, x, AKxxxx, xx.

[jdonn]

MFA, on Jan 16 2009, 07:27 PM, said:

This is a prebalance situation so we will compeete freely with 2♠, especially with a 6-4, for instance Jxxx, x, AKxxxx, xx.

Wow. To each his own, I guess.

[brianshark]

I agree with Josh. My first impression on seeing the actual hand was that pard was not even good enough for his 2!s bid.

[MFA]

brianshark, on Jan 16 2009, 08:33 PM, said:

I agree with Josh. My first impression on seeing the actual hand was that pard was not even good enough for his 2!s bid.

That is because we are nervous about hitting a misfit and partner could be broke. But once the fit is established and partner shows a strong spade raise, the overall values are not so bad. We could have had a more shapely minimum.

[kenberg]

Partner has about the hcps I would expect, but I might think his J of spades would be the ace and the ace of clubs would be the jack.

I was a 3S bidder. Maybe I should rethink this but I would expect that a lot of things would have to go right to make 4.