[helene_t]

ArtK78, on 2011-September-16, 10:51, said:

Is anyone else familiar with this 2 way cue bid? I have only been playing for 39 years, and I never heard that double followed by a cue bid showed a strong hand with 3 card support for partner's suit (or a GF hand).

I would say it could also be a raise to two and a half spades.

[chasetb]

I agree with Helene, the cuebid in that sequence shows one of several hand types, and since it's forcing you should be able to show exactly what you have.

Back to the OP's question, I DBL 1♦. 1♣ doesn't promise a suit, so I don't mind bidding 1NT there without a stopper; 1♦ usually promises a suit, and we don't have a stopper. Therefore, I treat it as a balanced (13+) - 17 and will raise partner, but not get excited unless (s)he shows me extras along the way.

[VM1973]

Well opposite a double your partner normally jumps with 10+ (that's standard, I think). So holding as much as 16 HCPs you can safely pass because partner didn't jump, therefore game is not there.

This hand, however, contains 17 HCPs which means that you could easily be missing game if it goes:

1♦-DBL-Pass-1♠-Pass-Pass-Pass

I wasn't happy bidding 1NT with the hand, but I decided to chance it for lack of a better alternative. As it turns out, my partner didn't materialize with the hoped-for stopper, nor with a transfer, nor with enough strength to Stayman. Thankfully I still didn't get burned.

[aguahombre]

VM1973, on 2011-September-16, 14:03, said:

Thankfully I still didn't get burned.

No, your choice didn't burn you on this hand; your partner did. In a reasonable field, you would get no matchpoints; at teams you get no imps.

Your partner had chances to get you +110 in 2H or plus 300 defending 3D. Instead you get +100.