[jillybean]

MP

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[Tramticket]

Double

[jillybean]

Tramticket, on 2026-February-10, 09:58, said:

Double

What will you do if your partner bids 3M and it comes back to you?

[P_Marlowe]

jillybean, on 2026-February-10, 10:05, said:

What will you do if your partner bids 3M and it comes back to you?

If he bids 3S raise, if he bids 3H ... throw a dice, although I would
most likely raise as well.

[Tramticket]

Partner will usually have a five-card major for the 3M bid, so 4M might make. But partner heard us show extras and made a minimum reply. I pass at pairs, but wouldn't quarrel with 4S if partner bid 3M.

[P_Marlowe]

Tramticket, on 2026-February-10, 12:44, said:

Partner will usually have a five-card major for the 3M bid, so 4M might make. But partner heard us show extras and made a minimum reply. I pass at pairs, but wouldn't quarrel with 4S if partner bid 3M.

I agree, ..., pass is most likely the percentage bid playing MP.

[pescetom]

P_Marlowe, on 2026-February-10, 12:49, said:

I agree, ..., pass is most likely the percentage bid playing MP.

I prefer your first reply: spades is a no brainer, the moysian hearts take courage but I suspect it is good bridge even at MP.

[P_Marlowe]

pescetom, on 2026-February-10, 13:21, said:

I prefer your first reply: spades is a no brainer, the moysian hearts take courage but I suspect it is good bridge even at MP.

I would do, what I wrote first, ..., I can get behind it, that pass is better at MP,
... this does not mean, I am doing it.

[jillybean]

MP

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[mikeh]

At any form of scoring, you pretty much have to raise partner’s major. Preempts work and we could well be playing in the wrong suit at the wrong level. I’d like to fantasize that bidding 3S over 3H shows this hand, since we’d presumably bid 3S over 3D with long spades and a hand too strong for a 1S overcall, but my experience, even when playing with a world class partner, is that partners rarely see things the way I’d want them to when I do something weird.

As for why I’m raising even 3H: yes, my second double shows extras, but I’d double with a good 4=4=1=4 15 count. So partner, looking at say xxx J10xxx xxx Kx isn’t about to bid 4H over my double.

I do get that matchpoints is about plus scores but sometimes you just have to play bridge…and scared bridge is, in the long run, losing bridge.

[DavidKok]

Could I get the explanations of 1♦ and 3♦ please?
I think it is likely winning in the long run to pass 3♥ at MP, but this is a situation where it pays to know your customers. If RHO is a solid citizen and needs 12 to open, and LHO needs 6 to raise, mikeh's example hand is impossible. In fact, it's impossible even if we lower the requiremens to 11 and 5 respectively.

[mikeh]

DavidKok, on 2026-February-10, 15:07, said:

Could I get the explanations of 1♦ and 3♦ please?
I think it is likely winning in the long run to pass 3♥ at MP, but this is a situation where it pays to know your customers. If RHO is a solid citizen and needs 12 to open, and LHO needs 6 to raise, mikeh's example hand is impossible.

It’s pretty standard in NA for 3D to be weak. Obviously, if it’s not, then your point is well taken. But even intermediates these days don’t need 12 hcp to open with shape and definitely don’t need 6 hcp for a preemptive raise

[DavidKok]

mikeh, on 2026-February-10, 15:11, said:

It’s pretty standard in NA for 3D to be weak. Obviously, if it’s not, then your point is well taken. But even intermediates these days don’t need 12 hcp to open with shape and definitely don’t need 6 hcp for a preemptive raise

I'd love the explanation first. Personally I play that 2NT is the 0-5 raise and 3♦ is the 6-9 raise, which is common here. Also you may have missed the remark on 11 and 5 hcp. People mean all kinds of things when they say 'weak', could I get a range on that (or, better yet, the alternatives available in the form of the full raise structure)?

[jillybean]

DavidKok, on 2026-February-10, 15:07, said:

Could I get the explanations of 1♦ and 3♦ please?
I think it is likely winning in the long run to pass 3♥ at MP, but this is a situation where it pays to know your customers. If RHO is a solid citizen and needs 12 to open, and LHO needs 6 to raise, mikeh's example hand is impossible. In fact, it's impossible even if we lower the requiremens to 11 and 5 respectively.

This is NA, alerts are few and far between. It's 1D 3D is usually played as weak. If you ask you are not likely to get a useful answer, range? shrug.
We are not used to your level of disclosure, you'll be labelled as a PITA

[DavidKok]

jillybean, on 2026-February-10, 15:31, said:

This is NA, alerts are few and far between. It's 1D 3D is usually played as weak. If you ask you are not likely to get a useful answer, range? shrug

Director, please.

If this is all the explanation I'm getting I will bid 4♦ COG. Partner should bid 3♠ with 4=4 in the majors rather than 3♥, but I'm getting the vibe that we should cut all three opponents a bit of slack. If partner is likely to think 4♦ is a slam try maybe 4♥ is better.

[mikeh]

DavidKok, on 2026-February-10, 15:15, said:

I'd love the explanation first. Personally I play that 2NT is the 0-5 raise and 3♦ is the 6-9 raise, which is common here. Also you may have missed the remark on 11 and 5 hcp. People mean all kinds of things when they say 'weak', could I get a range on that (or, better yet, the alternatives available in the form of the full raise structure)?

I think playing 2N as the weak raise is a bad idea.

One problem is that 4th seat may have a borderline action. When 2N is very weak, he has a free pass, knowing that the auction won’t end in 2N. He can wait and bid later with the borderline hand.

And with a good hand, you’ve given him a 3D bid otherwise unavailable.

I used to play 2N as weak after 1m (x) but Alan Graves, one of Canada’s strongest players for decades, convinced me to change.

[johnu]

Tramticket, on 2026-February-10, 12:44, said:

But partner heard us show extras and made a minimum reply.

Partner heard you have extras, but he doesn't know you have "EXTRAS"!

[akwoo]

mikeh, on 2026-February-10, 16:17, said:

I think playing 2N as the weak raise is a bad idea.

One problem is that 4th seat may have a borderline action. When 2N is very weak, he has a free pass, knowing that the auction won’t end in 2N. He can wait and bid later with the borderline hand.

And with a good hand, you’ve given him a 3D bid otherwise unavailable.

I used to play 2N as weak after 1m (x) but Alan Graves, one of Canada’s strongest players for decades, convinced me to change.

For some reason I've never heard this argument before. Thank you!

[jillybean]

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Knowing that I would raise any bid, this seemed like the ideal hand for 4D
We had company, others were left to play 3D

[mw64ahw]

Hm - not sure what more West expects from partner given standard minimum point counts; opener 12, doubler a given 21 and responder 6. Or perhaps a lucky Jack will have some value!

The other observation that I can make is that playing a modified version of the overcall structure I have replaced 2N with X and cue which is effectively what we have here. (2N is now some preempt) This shows the non-touching suit and another so Spades+either of the other suits. As East I'd look to bid opposite a known 4+♠ especially with that lucky Jack.