[Flem72]

mps, white v. red, W deals:

P-P-1D-X
1S-P-2C-X
P-2D-P-3C
P- ?

You hold

JTx
xx
Q9874
JTx.

What's 3C?
What's your call?

Regards and Happy Trails,

Scott Needham
Boulder, Colorado, USA

[the hog]

Flem72, on 2011-October-12, 17:18, said:

mps, white v. red, W deals:

P-P-1D-X
1S-P-2C-X
P-2D-P-3C
P- ?

You hold

JTx
xx
Q9874
JTx.

What's 3C?
What's your call?

Regards and Happy Trails,

Scott Needham
Boulder, Colorado, USA

I think 3C is a get even bid. Partner you made a silly 2D bid, so now I can torture you with a silly 3C bid. I pass.

[Flem72]

the hog, on 2011-October-12, 19:26, said:

I think 3C is a get even bid. Partner you made a silly 2D bid, so now I can torture you with a silly 3C bid. I pass.

You guessed the final spot, but since I consider this a real bridge problem, and not a complete lark, let me ask what you would do in this auction as S (4th to bid) with

Axxxx
AKQx
AK
Qx? Maybe Michaels?

The E hand was

void
xxx
Txxx
AKxxxx.

At our table, S played 3C, for -50 for 7/12. S congratulated N for her judgment, since 2S was played only once, and 3S was played doubled.

But how else do N-S try to find the (relatively) good 3N? What SHOULD 3C mean?

Regards and Happy Trails,

Scott Needham
Boulder, Colorado, USA

[kemperb]

If my partner bid this way, I'd assume he has clubs. The first double didn't deny clubs, and neither did the second, so why can't partner have something like AQx KQx x AKJTxx? The 2♣ bid could be a psyche, or maybe a legitimate bid like Kx xx AKxxx Qxxx.

The better question might be: what is 2♦? Natural, as in "OMG, I can't stand 2♣x" with xxx xx QJT9xxx x, or artificial, as in "OMG, we're going places" with values?

[han]

3C over 2C would show clubs, just like 2S would show spades. Double of 2C and then 3C does not show clubs imo.

[helene_t]

Partner has some kind of monster hand, but the fact that LHO passed isn't really consistent with partner having clubs. I bid 3NT.

BTW the 2♦ bid was wrong. 2♦ is not natural here I think but even if it is you don't want to play 2♦. Just pass, 2♣ doubled should be OK.

[JLOGIC]

I've got to be honest I'm clueless about this entire auction and that's pretty scary to me.

[Flem72]

JLOGIC, on 2011-October-14, 06:28, said:

I've got to be honest I'm clueless about this entire auction and that's pretty scary to me.

You might be preoccupied with a little game in Netherlands , but how would you handle the S hand given E's fairly creative actions? In my mind, this is an example of what happens to 'normal' bidding structures when a player takes action that skews the 'normal' expectations re: what bids describe -- similar to uncovering a psych. In postmortem, N was heard to say she had no idea what was going on: understandable, don't you think?

Regards and Happy Trails,

Scott Needham
Boulder, Colorado, USA

[pooltuna]

JLOGIC, on 2011-October-14, 06:28, said:

I've got to be honest I'm clueless about this entire auction and that's pretty scary to me.

That is because you made a presumption of sanity.