[AL78]

MPs in a weak field (NGS around 46%) and a weak partner who you've only played once before with and doesn't really know much about bidding beyond the fundamentals of the system. We were playing Acol, 3 weak twos, weak NT.

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Your call?

[mike777]

4S

[hrothgar]

I would probably bid either 6♠ or 6♣

[Cyberyeti]

4♥ initially

[mw64ahw]

I should get a 2nd bid so X (nominally takeout of ♥ with a random weak partner, otherwise 2♥) and see how inspired partner feels.

Edit: with may regular partner we have 4♣ as leaping Michaels in 4th seat after a suit has been shown. Don't think its ever come up though.

[mw64ahw]

Cyberyeti, on 2025-May-01, 07:45, said:

4♥ initially

Dangerous - I've known weak partners to freeze and Pass. I once ended up playing in 4♣ after a splinter bid with a pick-up partner. Still made 3 though. Slam was on in ♠

[mw64ahw]

AL78, on 2025-May-01, 07:24, said:

MPs in a weak field (NGS around 46%) and a weak partner who you've only played once before with and doesn't really know much about bidding beyond the fundamentals of the system. We were playing Acol, 3 weak twos, weak NT.

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Your call?

Are you sure they know 2♦ is a transfer. I've been caught out before playing Acol? Once played a pair where it was announced transfer, but turned out to be ♦.

[Cyberyeti]

mw64ahw, on 2025-May-01, 07:52, said:

Dangerous - I've known weak partners to freeze and Pass. I once ended up playing in 4♣ after a splinter bid with a pick-up partner. Still made 3 though. Slam was on in ♠

Reminds me of a friend playing with a weaker partner who played in a 1-0 fit after a 1♠-4♥ auction, I never play with weak or pickup players.

[AL78]

I started thinking along the lines of hrothgar but eventually decided to bid 4♠. The auction proceeds:

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Now what?

[DavidKok]

Cyberyeti, on 2025-May-01, 08:34, said:

Reminds me of a friend playing with a weaker partner who played in a 1-0 fit after a 1♠-4♥ auction, I never play with weak or pickup players.

It is common here for strong players to use 4♥ as an offer to play (the heart splinter bid is 3NT) while weaker players will use it as a splinter, which also happens to be my preference. I assume that's what you meant?

[jillybean]

mw64ahw, on 2025-May-01, 07:52, said:

Dangerous - I've known weak partners to freeze and Pass. I once ended up playing in 4♣ after a splinter bid with a pick-up partner. Still made 3 though. Slam was on in ♠

You are in greater peril if you adjust your bidding to cater for weak partners.

[jillybean]

AL78, on 2025-May-01, 08:55, said:

I started thinking along the lines of hrothgar but eventually decided to bid 4♠. The auction proceeds:

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Now what?

I don't like 4♠, I have 2 suits. Now you're in a bad spot.

[mw64ahw]

AL78, on 2025-May-01, 08:55, said:

I started thinking along the lines of hrothgar but eventually decided to bid 4♠. The auction proceeds:

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Now what?

Your partner with the weak bladder has left the table so you take an average score?

[hrothgar]

jillybean, on 2025-May-01, 09:21, said:

I don't like 4♠, I have 2 suits. Now you're in a bad spot.

I think you have an easy 6♣ bid after 5♥

Personally, I would probably bid an immediate 6!C under the assumption that I will ruff a opening heart lead and then either

1. Claim 6 or 7
2. Start running a whole bunch of clubs and forcing a bunch of discards between folks know what's what.

Parter will have either the Ace of Diamonds or the K of Spades at least 4/9ths of the time.

[AL78]

jillybean, on 2025-May-01, 09:21, said:

I don't like 4♠, I have 2 suits. Now you're in a bad spot.

It is far from ideal but I have no way of showing a two suiter or of bidding both suits at a low level in a forcing manner, so this is what I thought was one of the less bad options. I did consider blasting slam but in a weak field, there is always the chance I might buy the contract in game, and if I do and slam is there, no-one is bidding it.

[Cyberyeti]

DavidKok, on 2025-May-01, 09:03, said:

It is common here for strong players to use 4♥ as an offer to play (the heart splinter bid is 3NT) while weaker players will use it as a splinter, which also happens to be my preference. I assume that's what you meant?

No the strong player opened 1♠, his much weaker partner bid 4♥ and he didn't know whether she knew splinters, looked at his void and decided it was probably a suit.

We play 1♥-3N as 3343/3334 13-15, void splinters, singleton splinter raises thru inv+2N

[AL78]

hrothgar, on 2025-May-01, 09:29, said:

I think you have an easy 6♣ bid after 5♥

Personally, I would probably bid an immediate 6!C under the assumption that I will ruff a opening heart lead and then either

1. Claim 6 or 7
2. Start running a whole bunch of clubs and forcing a bunch of discards between folks know what's what.

Parter will have either the Ace of Diamonds or the K of Spades at least 4/9ths of the time.

I bid 6♣ much to the astonishment of partner who thought I'd pulled out the wrong bid and this was the outcome:

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At the time of bidding the slam I thought it has chances, there is just enough room for partner to hold ♦A or ♠K, or the ♠K could be onside, and even if I go off, they likely have a heart game on.

Unfortunately the 4-0 break, the spade king offside and missing the ♦A meant I went two down for -500 and a 29% board. Two out of nine other EW pairs found the cold 6♥, several were in 4 or 5♥, a couple were in 4 or 5♠ and one went one down in 6♠. If we were in 6♠, West has to find a club lead to take me two down which they are very unlikely to find.

Good to know I wasn't way out with my line of thinking going by the responses here.

[jillybean]

good hand/problem
I'm surprised your partner didn't correct to 6S but if they are used to fielding your misbids, its understandable

[mw64ahw]

jillybean, on 2025-May-01, 10:35, said:

good hand/problem
I'm surprised your partner didn't correct to 6S but if they are used to fielding your misbids, its understandable

Typical freeze from the weak player not correcting to the first bid suit with equal length

[DavidKok]

Cyberyeti, on 2025-May-01, 10:25, said:

No the strong player opened 1♠, his much weaker partner bid 4♥ and he didn't know whether she knew splinters, looked at his void and decided it was probably a suit.

We play 1♥-3N as 3343/3334 13-15, void splinters, singleton splinter raises thru inv+2N

Sorry, I understood that this is what you meant the first. I was jokingly trying to flip the labels between the weaker and the stronger partner. The anecdote about local customs here is true though.