[bob100147]

What are common partnership agreements on the minimum requirements to make a Michaels cue bid? How do they change based on vulnerability? How do they change if RHO has opened 1♥ or 1♠ compared to RHO's opening one of a minor?

Thanks very much.

[Lurpoa]

Again a question of partnership agreement.


Mainly considerations of vulnerabilty. You must suppose a fit, and the count your "winners".

The result: -4 favorable vul, -2 unfavorble.

[helene_t]

The main reason why vulnerability matters is that you are more likely to want to sacrifice when favorable than at equal vulnerability. Michael's and U2NT should be used with the aim of reaching a contract for your side. So at unfavorable you should have reasonable prospects of reaching a making game. At favorable you can use it with rather weak hands, especially if you are 6-5, as it will often lead to a good sacrifice.

When opps open a minor and you have both majors I would use Michael's with rather weak hands at white/white also, as we need to fight for the part score.

Also, it is more attractive to show two known suits than to show a known major plus an unknown minor, so for that reason as well you should use Michael's with a wider range of hands over a minor. Actually I am not convinced that Michael's is the best use of the cuebid when opps open a major.

[blackshoe]

Michael who?

[mtvesuvius]

I hate two suited bids most of the time. Generally at Unfavorable/Equal Red I'll have a very sound Michaels, especially over 1M. At W/W and Favorable, I'm fairly aggressive with them, but will have most of my values in my suits and not much defense. My W/W or W/R 2 suiter bids are suggesting a save usually.

With most 2 suiters I'll just overcall one of the suits. It's worked quite well so far.

[whereagles]

My min is 7 losers with some intermediates or 6 without, say repectively

Axxxx
QJTxx
xx
x

Kxxxx
KQxxx
xx
x

[pooltuna]

bob100147, on 2011-March-25, 15:23, said:

What are common partnership agreements on the minimum requirements to make a Michaels cue bid? How do they change based on vulnerability? How do they change if RHO has opened 1♥ or 1♠ compared to RHO's opening one of a minor?

Thanks very much.

Testicles!!! Sorry gals it is the extra shot of testosterone that makes us do it

[tolvyrj]

We stopped the endless arguments bout that in our partnership by starting to play split-range michaels. User of the convention has either hand without opening strength ( less than 10 hcp. in any vulnerabilty) or 16+(15+) hcp.
The strenght is in your long suits, so u dont have like 3 defence tricks in your hand.
Wheter the opps open with major or minor has no influence.

[mtvesuvius]

Split range cuebids is fine, but they cause so much overbidding when you have the weak hand, since you assume "Oh, partner knows I'm weak, so I can bid this at R/R with my Axxxx QJxxx xx x"

[tolvyrj]

How very true, when we started to play split-range . But many hard lessons has taught us how to use this right.

[Lurpoa]

Split ranges are part of BWS2001-defaults


I agree with most of the above comments concerning vulnerabilty considerations.

The messages is: take care if vulnerable !

[Vampyr]

blackshoe, on 2011-March-26, 09:09, said:

Michael who?

Michael Michaels. His parents evidently lacked imagination!

[bob100147]

Thanks very much for all of the very helpful responses.

[bridgehand]

bob100147, on 2011-March-25, 15:23, said:

What are common partnership agreements on the minimum requirements to make a Michaels cue bid? How do they change based on vulnerability? How do they change if RHO has opened 1♥ or 1♠ compared to RHO's opening one of a minor?

Thanks very much.

Hi Bob,

As part of our BridgeHands video commentary on Partnership Agreements/Understanding (Law 20, 40, 75), we recently asked subscribers to respond to a survey regarding common opening bids. Survey item #7 included two-suited bids such as the Michaels Cuebid with some of our respondents commenting that they prefer using a dual-range (high-low) when using Michaels.

If you are interested, you can try the survey, review the results, watch the video commentary, etc at our blog:

http://www.bridgehan...dgeblog/?p=2215

The beginning of this video provides feedback on the Michaels Cuebid:

http://tinyurl.com/476pjbk


Warm Regards,

Michael
BridgeHands