[bd71]

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2/1. Matchpoints.

Your call?

[billw55]

edit: whoops - misread the auction, lol, must rethink

OK, make that 4♥, ignore my pass in the poll.

[ArtK78]

I have an effective yarborough with 5 card trump support. I do not want to encourage partner to move forward by making any forward going bid. So I pass, as ugly as that seems. Any heart raise is constructive over a preempt, and I dont want to make a constructive call on this hand.

I fully expect partner to reopen the bidding, as partner may assume that I have a penalty pass of 3♣.

[billw55]

ArtK78, on 2013-April-03, 08:16, said:

I fully expect partner to reopen the bidding, as partner may assume that I have a penalty pass of 3♣.

He might assume that, or other possible hands for me, but I doubt the one I actually hold will be among them.

[wyman]

I'm a 3H bidder just on bean-counting, but I'm conscious of the fact that my hand is effectively xx / xxxxx / Kxx / xxx.

I'm not confident that I'm right, but everything else just seems wrong :-/

[Phil]

What is with these answers? Pass? 4♥?

3♥ looks completely normal to me.

Has this place completely gone insane?

[lalldonn]

I was going to type almost exactly what Phil did. How are the first two votes 4♥ and pass on the most normal 3♥ bid ever?!

Also it's not right to say we have effectively a yarbrough or something lol. The heart queen can fix a 3-0 break if partner has AK, and save a trick if he has just one of them. The diamond king is obviously good. Even the clubs are better than not having them. Partner can have an honor or it may give the opponents no safe exit if partner has a singleton, etc etc. I mean we are just a clear normal raise. Not good enough for game but not raising is ridiculous, so what are we left with? There is no reason to overthink this.

[HeartA]

I voted pass by mistake. I thought the hand shown is the facing partner's 3♣ bid. I would vote 3♥ instead. So, please discount one "Pass" and add one 3♥.

[gszes]

there is no benefit to trying to scratch out a game at MP with a hand that essentially
looks like xx xxxxx Kxx xxx bidding 3h here at IMPS, while a stretch, at least has the
merit of maybe reaching a sketchy game. At MP 3h may all too easily be too high
and our best shot at a positive may be the opps playing clubs.



If p can act over 3c maybe we should consider 4h but until then it seems best
to wait and see. Strict bean counters will see an invite and act accordingly and they
can be right especially if playing against opps that make lots of unsound preempts.

[ArtK78]

Was the ♦K added after my post? I certainly did not see it when I made my call.

[ahydra]

I voted for 4H thinking that the overcall was 3S, not 3C. Put me down for 3H instead.

ahydra

[han]

wyman, on 2013-April-03, 09:10, said:

I'm conscious of the fact that my hand is effectively xx / xxxxx / Kxx / xxx.

The heart queen may not be a useful card, but if you don't have it then partner is likely to have it, and partner would count it for full. Differently put, your expectation opposite a random 12-count is considerably higher when you hold the heart queen compared to when you do not hold the heart queen, even if the heart queen itself is completely useless.

The QJ of clubs are less likely to be useful. Although, with a little imagination we could give partner Ax AJxxxxx Axx x, where the club QJ likely give you an overtrick.

[wyman]

han, on 2013-April-05, 06:03, said:

The heart queen may not be a useful card, but if you don't have it then partner is likely to have it, and partner would count it for full. Differently put, your expectation opposite a random 12-count is considerably higher when you hold the heart queen compared to when you do not hold the heart queen, even if the heart queen itself is completely useless.

The QJ of clubs are less likely to be useful. Although, with a little imagination we could give partner Ax AJxxxxx Axx x, where the club QJ likely give you an overtrick.

Thanks for the perspective; that's useful. The point about the HQ is well-taken. And also sometimes partner shows up with Hx(x) of clubs.

[MrAce]

Phil, on 2013-April-03, 09:58, said:

What is with these answers? Pass? 4♥?

3♥ looks completely normal to me.

Has this place completely gone insane?

We love you Phil

[neilkaz]

There are many negative adjustments to the LAW here and we have lotsa losers. 3♥ is fine...4♥ is a big overbid.

[the hog]

Phil, on 2013-April-03, 09:58, said:

What is with these answers? Pass? 4♥?

3♥ looks completely normal to me.

Has this place completely gone insane?

I think "insane" is an overbid. However the standard of answers, (and I guess posters), has certainly deteriorated drastically over the last couple of years. This is an obvious 3H bid. It is amusing that some change their answers after reading some of the replies here.

[wyman]

the hog, on 2013-April-06, 19:53, said:

It is amusing that some change their answers after reading some of the replies here.

...or refreshing. The place would really suck if no one learned anything.