[TWO4BRIDGE]

2/1, neither vul:

-- ( 1D ) - 1H - ( p )
??
2H = ?
3H = ?
4H = ?
2D = ?
3D = ?
4D = ?

[MrAce]

TWO4BRIDGE, on 2015-February-02, 17:20, said:

2/1, neither vul:

-- ( 1D ) - 1H - ( p )
??
2H = ?
3H = ?
4H = ?
2D = ?
3D = ?
4D = ?

2♥ = 5-9 hcp usually 3 card fit
3♥= preempt 4 card
4♥= usually 5 cards or 4+6 or positional 4-5 with a void or stiff. Any hand that wants to play 4 M with the fear that starting cue would be a misdescription or leaking to much info or letting them have space,
2♦=limit raise or better, but can be done w/o fit depending on your other structure over pd's overcall. this also affects the definition of 2 NT respond.
3♦ =4 card fit, better than preempt, worse than cue.
4♦ =splinter

Extras:

2♠
3♣
4♣
3♠

are FJS for me, with different msgs

[mikeh]

I almost simply upvoted Timo's post, but my own style, when not playing specialized methods (read: transfer advances), is just a tad different, just on the hcp shown by the raise structure. I suspect that the difference may be even less in real life than appears from our posts.

As an example, were I to hold Qxxx xxx QJx Jxx, I would pass 1♥ even tho I have a hand that falls within Timo's range for a single raise.

I would also content myself with a single raise with many 10 counts.

Having said that, there are 5 counts on which I would single raise and 10 counts on which I would cuebid....I suspect that Timo and I would treat most hands identically.

Btw, and fully aware that this is I/A, I don't think that the notion of transfer advances is too esoteric for real advanced players, tho I would suggest that an intermediate player has lots of more useful areas on which to spend his or her time.

One major (no pun intended) edge for transfer advances is that it does allow for weak raises. The problems with the garbage type 5-7 count with 3 card support are, on the one hand, that passing fails to pre-empt the auction and we may regret that on the next round, and, on the other, that raising may get partner making a game try and turning a plus into a minus, or (on a bad day) a small, undoubled minus, into a large, doubled minus.

Transfer advances, as commonly played, would use 2♦ as a 'good' single raise (some would include 'or better', since the transfer allows advancer to have another chance to bid), while the direct 2♥ raise is a weak hand with zero game interest. There are other complexities possible, which is why I wouldn't recommend transfer advances to players still learning standard bidding methods.

[whereagles]

Transfer advances are a great tool, if not an underrated one.

But where they *really* shine is at high levels. E.g.

(4♣) 4♠ (pass) 5♣ <-- diamonds

After the xfer is complete, advancer can then
- pass with a bucketload of diamonds or
- pull to 5♠ with diamond cue and probable lack of club cue
- bid 5♥ with a huge 2 suiter

etc... /thread hijack OFF