[Dinarius]

When vulnerable and having your opening bid of 1NT doubled, would you consider it good MP tactics to redouble?

When non-vulnerable, if you scramble six tricks for -100, the chances are you're probably average plus, if they're making 110, 120, 140 or whatever.

But.......

1NT doubled and minus one for -200, is almost always a zero at MP. At best 10% of the MPs.

So, when vulnerable, is it worth gambling that 10% of the MPs in order to win 100% of the MPs if you somehow scramble seven tricks in 1NT redoubled?

D.

[FelicityR]

I suppose it all depends on the range of 1NT. Or maybe not...

With my former regular club partner we invariably let the double, except if partner had a very weak hand, run back to the opener to redouble automatically, using Helvic. Now the pressure was on the opponents.

[JanisW]

If you're looking at an ordinary 1NT-opener you should assume that the bidding started 1NT X at every table.
Therfore I disagree with your assumption that 1NTX-1 will only yield 10%.

If you consider your 1NT-opening slightly offbeat, there still is no need to gamble because there is nothing to gain. No one should be able to outscore your 180 for 1NTX= and -200 could well be worth a lot more than -400, others might be at some other poor spot... 1♦ X 3♦(preemtive) X all Pass ...
Therefore XX is not teribbly needed naturally in this sequence and there are some conventions around it.

For example we play that partner has to act over the X if he is weak (for example xx,Qxxxx,x,xxxx will XX and correct 2♣ to 2♥)
therefore partners pass is either strong or he just has no save spot to run to. In any case it forces XX by opener. Now 2[any] starts scrambling or partner leaves the XX in.

[Tramticket]

Dinarius, on 2018-May-18, 02:15, said:

When vulnerable and having your opening bid of 1NT doubled, would you consider it good MP tactics to redouble?

I play a weak NT - and there are of course many systems to escape from 1NT doubled. Some of these are based on this principle and a pass of the opposition's double is forcing, meaning that you cannot play in 1NT doubled, only 1NT redoubled.

Whether this is a good policy or not has been discussed several times on these forums.

[el mister]

1NTX making is almost always a top in the circumstances you describe - ie you scramble it home against the odds, so not seeing much of a positive case for 1NTXX being a difference maker there. Janis has described the negative case - -200 could easily be the par score and you're chasing -400?

It's not a top if opp's have stepped into a trap and 1NX is an easy make for the whole room. But then it's quite hard to get to play 1NXX over pard's value-showing pass. Opps will normally take it out IME. At least with 1N - X - all pass you know you have them.

[ggwhiz]

Redouble sets you up to lose the post-mortem.

If 1nt makes what means they will let you play it there? Or that partner will sit for this or their runout. Playing for fun and practice even in really bad fields it is horrible partnership strategy to play the opponents for idiots.

[Left2Right]

You will find that the better players use Steve McQueen or something similar. (Remember him from The Great Escape?)

Reason: It makes no sense to settle for a part-score bonus when you could have earned a game bonus for the same effort.
Non-vul 1NTX= 180 1NTXX= 560

And yes, I do of course have a constraint file for that too. See www.charlesandgerry.com/bridge/constraints.html#escape
Practice Steve McQueen with your favorite partners at a BBO Bidding table.

After adopting Steve McQueen, you will never again play 1NTX; it will always be redoubled or taken out.

One proviso though, it will always be up to the 1NTer's partner to order up the redouble or the escape; after all, he is the captain.