[AL78]

♠AT
♥KJ632
♦A94
♣K93

MPs

Green against red. Partner is dealer and opens 3♣, RHO passes. What do you do?

[mikeh]

Playing with one partner, this is an auto-pass, up he might have Q10xxxxx and out or even QJxxxx and out. Only at fav in 1st or 3rd.

Otherwise, auto 3N. May not make, maybe cold for 9 or 10 tricks, depending on the lead and his hand. Besides, unless you play that kamikaze style, you know everyone in the room is bidding game. I don’t often care about ‘the field’ but this is an example of when I do

[LBengtsson]

If I were looking for a top specifically I would not. If I wanted to 'play with the field' I would bid 3NT. There is not much else you can do imo.

Edit: Mikeh got there first again

[TylerE]

Maybe the real giga-brain way to try for a top is show your H, and hope that 4H scores better than 3N.

[jillybean]

3NT WTP?

[AL78]

jillybean, on 2023-March-23, 13:43, said:

3NT WTP?

The problem is how good is partner's club suit? If she hasn't got the ace then 3NT has next to no chance.

I ended up passing and got into a mess. Should have gone with my initial gut feeling and just punted 3NT. LHO overcalled 3♠ and I bid 4♣ when it came round to me, which went one off.

---

This was worth 25% when one of the four other EW pairs played in 3♠=.

[Cyberyeti]

AL78, on 2023-March-23, 14:13, said:

The problem is how good is partner's club suit? If she hasn't got the ace then 3NT has next to no chance.

I ended up passing and got into a mess. Should have gone with my initial gut feeling and just punted 3NT. LHO overcalled 3♠ and I bid 4♣ when it came round to me, which went one off.

---

This was worth 25% when one of the four other EW pairs played in 3♠=.

Well partner could have Jxx, 10, J10, QJ10xxxx where you might make 3N, but yes basically the question is what is partner's club suit

Does partner open AQJ10xx and out ? that probably doesn't make 3N either, but I think you have to bid it, 3N-1 could easily be a decent save against 3♠

[jillybean]

AL78, on 2023-March-23, 14:13, said:

The problem is how good is partner's club suit? If she hasn't got the ace then 3NT has next to no chance.

I ended up passing and got into a mess. Should have gone with my initial gut feeling and just punted 3NT. LHO overcalled 3♠ and I bid 4♣ when it came round to me, which went one off.

---

This was worth 25% when one of the four other EW pairs played in 3♠=.

I play disciplined weak 2's so I know partner has 2 of the top 3 honors and this is exactly the type of hand I picture.
I agree that without this agreement, 3NT could be a little squeaky.

[mycroft]

The question - as well pointed out by the OP in his response - is "how strong is partner's club suit?"

And the answer to that is "as strong as you've agreed it to be".

As I have frequently said, an exception to the agreement with my regular partner that preempts are aggressive (with an eye on seat (2nd) and vulnerability, but still more aggressive than standard) is "3m opening in 1st and 2nd would be happy to put dummy down in 3NT." So it's an auto-3NT.

I know people here for whom 3♣ is more likely to look like QJ-sixth (or even J-sixth, or even JT-fifth, first seat favourable!) than Axxxxxx or AQxxxxx, or even QJ-seventh and an entry. For them, autopass and hope to go plus.

For those for whom the agreement is "7 cards and less than an opener", then, well, guess. You'll be wrong some time, no matter how you guess. Preempts Work™, and 2-1 odds on it working against the opponents. This time the die came up 1. Note: that's a common response between my partner and I when our non-3m preempts catch the strong hand. It's the downside of our agreement. There are several upsides.

[DavidKok]

I would have passed as North and would not have opened 3♣ as South. I think the South hand is close between 1♣ and pass.

[sfi]

I'm bidding game opposite most people. The third club means we'll often have chances even when partner doesn't have the CA.

Of course, you have to know your partner. For some people (including some very good players), Jxxxx of clubs is in range here and AJTxxxx isn't. You wind up passing or doubling with a lot of hands playing with someone like that.

[the hog]

It depends on the style on which you and your partner have agreed.

[P_Marlowe]

In my reg. partnership, at MP I pass.

Seeing the actual hand, the hand would be too strong for us to make a preempt at
the given colors / position.
The real take-away is to discuss preempting style.
What cards can be taken away from the hand, withouth changing the opening bid.
Where does partner draw the line.

The good quality and the 7th club.
Without the 7th club you are down in 3NT after a spade attack.
And the Queen of diamonds is a defensive value.

Given your stength, you are not really worried about defending against a partial,
..., the 65 makes 3S less stupid, but given the colors I still think 3S is garbage.

Finnally: 4C makes, how did it go -1?

[AL78]

P_Marlowe, on 2023-March-24, 02:52, said:

Finnally: 4C makes, how did it go -1?

According to double dummy 5♣ makes. Partner slipped up in the play at trick two, she meant to call for a club but called for a spade instead. East won, switched to his singleton heart to the ace, heart return, partner called for the king which was ruffed. She then had an unavoidable diamond loser.

[pescetom]

DavidKok, on 2023-March-23, 16:55, said:

I would have passed as North and would not have opened 3♣ as South. I think the South hand is close between 1♣ and pass.

What should your partner expect 3♣ to be?

[the hog]

"Seeing the actual hand, the hand would be too strong for us to make a preempt at
the given colors / position." So would you pass or open 1C? The hand is too weak for 1C and passing this is really losing bridge.

[DavidKok]

pescetom, on 2023-March-25, 16:43, said:

What should your partner expect 3♣ to be?

At this vulnerability and seating anything from ♣QTxxxx to ♣AQJxxxx, though the second hand will not have outside values. 4=5 in the minors with concentrated club values is allowed as well, something like ♠x, ♥Jxx, ♦JTxx, ♣KQTxx.