[SimonFa]

MP. R v W. N dealt.

♠ KJ
♥ QJT54
♦ Q53
♣ 763


♠ Q5
♥ K876
♦ T7
♣ AKQ43

P (3♦) ?

Much as I like bidding I coudn't bring myself to bid on this hand at these colours and was surprised to find that 3D= 40%. Those that doubled ended up in 3H= for a top or 4H-1 for 70%. 4C was a bottom.

Most of the time I would just shrug my shoulders and think "marginal call, good luck to them" and move on. But is this really a marginal call at these colours? I would would have thought brave verging on madness is a better description?


As always, thanks in advance,

Simon

[aguahombre]

40 percent is fine. Good players will get a lot of 40 percent boards during their 60 percent session. And, they find that the opponents in contention with them got a lot of the same 40 percent boards.

Unlucky would be if the E/W pair who beat you out for the overall was the one who got +200 vs. 4C. Defending 3S= would not have been a good thing, either.

[the hog]

Aren't the opps very close to 4S on this?

[SteveMoe]

With my luck, I double and North holds:
♠KJT54
♥QJ
♦Q53
♣763
We won't recover unless we can play Equal Level Conversion here.
(If not, partner will not believe I do not have 3+♠).
So I guess I double and rebid 4♣ if partner bids 3♠

Sometimes preempts work.

[han]

I like your pass, would have done the same.

[Quantumcat]

Pass is fine, if you double, your partner will bid 4♠ and then the universe punishes you. Just cause you would have landed on your feet in THIS hand doesn't mean you will on others :-) By the way the stronger you get, the more off-shape your takeout double is allowed to be - you want to be sure of slam somewhere if pard bids game in one of your short suits (he would rate to have a balanced 11-15, or maybe 8 or 9 HCP with a good 5 or 6 card suit and a singleton and no HCP in opponent's suit - use this to determine if you can make a double off-shape, to see if you can bid slam opposite both of these hands)