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Balancing decision yea or nay?

Poll: Balancing decision (27 member(s) have cast votes)

With the given hand I would...

  1. Never balance (3 votes [11.11%])

    Percentage of vote: 11.11%

  2. Always balance (13 votes [48.15%])

    Percentage of vote: 48.15%

  3. Balance at matchpoints, but not at IMPs (5 votes [18.52%])

    Percentage of vote: 18.52%

  4. Balance at IMPs, but not at matchpoints (0 votes [0.00%])

    Percentage of vote: 0.00%

  5. Balance under different vulnerability conditions (6 votes [22.22%])

    Percentage of vote: 22.22%

  6. Make a decision based on other factors (0 votes [0.00%])

    Percentage of vote: 0.00%

  7. I wouldn't have passed the first time around (0 votes [0.00%])

    Percentage of vote: 0.00%

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#1 User is offline   daveharty 

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Posted 2012-March-29, 07:35


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#2 User is offline   gnasher 

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Posted 2012-March-29, 09:02

I'd balance with 2♠ if that shows exactly four with a longer minor. I wouldn't risk a takeout double.
... that would still not be conclusive proof, before someone wants to explain that to me as well as if I was a 5 year-old. - gwnn
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#3 User is offline   han 

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Posted 2012-March-29, 09:34

I would always balance. If 2S shows this, then I would bid 2S. If not then I'd bid 3C.
Please note: I am interested in boring, bog standard, 2/1.

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#4 User is offline   MrAce 

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Posted 2012-March-30, 01:09

2♠ and i dont even need a longer minor for that bid in my pdship agreements, Dbl would be 3♠
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#5 User is offline   jdeegan 

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Posted 2012-March-30, 05:48

:P I would have to bid a cheerful 2♠ playing MP's. At IMP's I can't see getting killed.
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#6 User is offline   mgoetze 

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Posted 2012-March-30, 11:12

View Postgnasher, on 2012-March-29, 09:02, said:

I'd balance with 2♠ if that shows exactly four with a longer minor.

Should it?
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#7 User is offline   Phil 

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Posted 2012-March-30, 11:36

This is similar to MSC - Problem A this month. Same auction but the hand is JT8x x Kx Axxxxx. Its also MPs which makes bidding more attractive.

3♣ was the majority choice - with the stronger clubs and weaker spades, getting tapped could be a problem.

Agree with 2♠ here.

What is the scoring BTW?
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#8 User is offline   gnasher 

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Posted 2012-March-30, 11:39

View Postmgoetze, on 2012-March-30, 11:12, said:

Should it?

Yes, if you believe that any hand with five spades would either have bid already or wouldn't want to bid now.

Or no, if you don't.
... that would still not be conclusive proof, before someone wants to explain that to me as well as if I was a 5 year-old. - gwnn
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#9 User is offline   daveharty 

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Posted 2012-March-30, 11:58

View PostPhil, on 2012-March-30, 11:36, said:

What is the scoring BTW?

At the table it was IMPs.
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#10 User is offline   JLOGIC 

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Posted 2012-March-30, 12:05

I would always balance, I prefer any of the reasonable balancing actions (2S, 3C, X) to pass. Passing is just awful. I would bid 2S.
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#11 User is offline   JLOGIC 

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Posted 2012-March-30, 15:51

View Postgnasher, on 2012-March-30, 11:39, said:

Yes, if you believe that any hand with five spades would either have bid already or wouldn't want to bid now.

Or no, if you don't.


This is interesting. I assume that red/white even you would pass with like T8xxxx A xxx xxx and then want to balance with 2S (this is a hand from real life recently, though it didnt go 1H p 2H p p).

Perhaps it is possible for us to bid 2S with both hand types, and partner to be able to read which it is. For instance, if we dont have enough HCP to overcall immediately, and we have some heart length, we can probably assume it would never go 1H p 2H p p, since partner would have both a lot of HCP and heart shortness. So maybe if partner has many HCP as well as heart length, he can figure out we likely have long spades and a yarb for 2S, esp if he has spade shortness. If partner has relative heart shortness and/or not that many HCP, he can assume we have 4 spades and a longer minor and no tolerance for the other minor. eg if partner had xx Qx Kxxxx Kxxx he should easily be able to pull 2S just based on bridge logic, but if he has A QJxx AKxx Kxxx he should pass 2S.

It is not perfect by any means but at least it allows partner to pull 2S sometimes when it's right, and we can somewhat predict when he will know it's right. There are bad combinations but the hand types are different enough that partner will often get it right. This hand might be a problem, but if we had heart length + HCP eg AKxx xxx x KQxxx partner should "always" know what our hand type is for the 2S balance. Note that our actual hand would be a good case for partner not knowing what kind of hand type we had as we have short hearts and very few HCP.

I still like balancing with 2S since I think the opps compete to 3H more over 2S, and will be able to double it less often (and if they do, I can run to 3C, so it's safer). I really don't care much between 2S, 3C, and X though.
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