[Thranduil]

The bot holds ♠AK98743 ♥-- ♦9 ♣Q6543 in East, favorable vulnerability, and is dealer. And it passes!

Full deal: https://tinyurl.com/2bdpckc2

What is going on there? Noone who understands even a little bit of Bridge would pass with a monster hand like this.

Needless to say, we missed our cold 4♠. Also, looking at the results in the tournament, there's an interesting pattern: Every table with a robot in East had the opponents play and make 4♥, while almost all tables with a human in East played either 4/5♠ or 5/6♥.

[johnu]

Good defense by robot East to hold 4♥ to an overtrick. I don't see how East can possibly get into the auction. Only 9 HCP is not an opening bid, and after North bids 4♥, how can East bid when 4♠ would show around 25 points. Basically the East hand is unbiddable.

[Thranduil]

johnu, on 2025-March-24, 16:10, said:

Good defense by robot East to hold 4♥ to an overtrick. I don't see how East can possibly get into the auction. Only 9 HCP is not an opening bid, and after North bids 4♥, how can East bid when 4♠ would show around 25 points. Basically the East hand is unbiddable.

I disagree. East's hand is an easy opening bid for anyone who does not just count HCP. You have a 7-5 shape with a 7-card spade suit headed by AK. You have 18 total points. You are making 4♠ almost by yourself and only need little support from partner for slam. If it's not a 1♠ opener for you, it surely is a 3 or 4♠ opener.

[johnu]

Thranduil, on 2025-March-24, 16:19, said:

You have a 7-5 shape

Well, there's the saying 6-5 come alive. GIB is programmed with the saying 7-5 pass forever.

[smerriman]

Thranduil, on 2025-March-24, 15:36, said:

Noone who understands even a little bit of Bridge would pass with a monster hand like this.

Exactly. GIB doesn't understand even a little bit of bridge. All it does is look up rules about HCP, total points, and suit lengths, and with freak hands, it's common that no rules apply because it rules out half of them due to not having enough HCP, and rules out the other half due to having too many total points, or not enough cards in the suit.. same reason it opens 4♠ holding a solid 13-card spade suit.

First true victim of johnu's sarcasm for a while..

[mikl_plkcc]

Thranduil, on 2025-March-24, 16:19, said:

I disagree. East's hand is an easy opening bid for anyone who does not just count HCP. You have a 7-5 shape with a 7-card spade suit headed by AK. You have 18 total points. You are making 4♠ almost by yourself and only need little support from partner for slam. If it's not a 1♠ opener for you, it surely is a 3 or 4♠ opener.

This hand is just barely enough for me to open, and I will never preempt with a void and a 5-card side suit at the first or second seat.

After I open 1♠, if the opponents enter the bidding, I will rebid a high level of spades, but if not, I will treat it as a minimum opening unless partner responds me in my second suit, so my shortness can be reevaluated using dummy points instead of length points.

[jillybean]

Please can we stop expecting robots to think like humans.