Tag Archives: Bidding Exercise

Fun Freak Hand

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I saw this on BBO. Put yourself in 4th seat (both sides vulnerable). Your right hand opponent opens with a weak two spades in 3rd seat. What is your thinking holding this nice hand?


Some Considerations:

  • How many tricks can your side take and what is the likely outcome?
  • What do you think is your best tactic in anticpation of a competitive auction?

 

What’s your call? See below for my recommendation and postmortem on the hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You count a probable 11 tricks in hearts and clubs. All partner has to have is one ace. The only ace that might not be helpful is the ace of spades. I recommend bidding 3 spades, a michaels cuebid describing a big hand containing hearts and an unknown minor.

That’s the good bid made by the player I observed on BBO. Unfortunately, it was partner who held the unlikely ace of spades. Misfortune was compounded when opening lead wasn’t a spade. Instead it was the ace of diamonds, and opponents quickly took the other two aces for down one. Sadly it was the only table at which a spade was not led. A future post will discuss the opening lead.

 

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: , , , , ,

Hand Evaluation

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Would you open this 10 HCP hand in 1st or 2nd seat?

Here’s how Bergen would value the hand: Club suit is worth 9 HCP plus additions of one point for the 5th club, one point for the 6th club, and two points for the seventh club. That’s 13 “starting points” in the club suit alone.

Why all those extra points for the small cards? Because the prospect for taking seven club tricks is well over 50 percent since you are only missing the jack. You have an easy opening bid of one club.

I recommend you discuss hand evaluation with partner to make sure you are on same wavelength. Maybe this hand has only 10 HCP, but it’s much better than its face value in HCP.

 

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: ,

Fun Hand from our Restart Yesterday

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Yesterday was the first real face-to-face game Hilo Bridge Club has run since March 2020. It was a joy to see everyone again.

North had fun with a big, freak hand in the red suits on Board 10. NS can easily make five diamonds, but it’s hard to get there when East competes in spades. And the only way for EW to defeat four hearts is if East underleads the ace of spades at trick one and West gives East a diamond ruff (highly unlikely). Here is the hand:

One EW pair was allowed to play three spades doubled, making for plus 730 for a top board.

How would you bid the North hand? Do you open two clubs. Or do you open one diamond, giving yourself room for exploration at the bidding proceeds?

 

 

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Looking Ahead in the Auction

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You are in 2nd seat (vulnerable vs. NV). Right hand opponent opens preemptive three diamonds. You have this gorgeous hand, but bidding is already up to the three level.

It looks like you may have game or possibly slam in hearts. Most of the time that heart suit is going to bring in 8 tricks. How best for you and partner to find the right level in hearts?

You could double, planning to bid hearts later to show your big hand. Or you could bid four hearts immediately. Three hearts looks to be out of the question since you don’t want partner to pass. I chose to double. What would you do?

Decide on your call and I will tell you what happened below.

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It did not go well for me. I failed to consider that left hand opponent might further the preempt. When West bid four diamonds, I suddenly realized that partner was likely to advance with four spades. That’s exactly what happened, and I was stuck trying to figure out what to do at the five level.

I should have bid four hearts at first turn. Preempts put the pressure on us, and I managed to put my partner in a difficult situation.

 

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: , ,

It’s Your Response?

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My partner opened one spade in first seat (favorable vulnerability). My right hand opponent passed. I wondered how to respond with this hand:

I thought splinter (response of 4 hearts showing shortness) is out because of my singleton king of hearts.

The hand is not good enough for a game forcing raise of spades by responding 2NT (Jacoby). I did not want to encouage partner to investigate slam.

And the hand looks to good for a limit raise of 3 spades. I don’t want partner to pass the invitation.

My solution: respond 4 spades. I want to make sure we get to game opposite partner’s opening. I think Bergen would agree with treating my singleton for its shortness feature rather than its high card points.

How would you respond?

 

 

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Competitive Auction

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South opened one diamond in 1st seat (vulnerable vs not) at matchpoints. West overcalled two clubs and South jumped to three diamonds with his rock crusher. West competed to four clubs. Refusing to give up, South bid four diamonds. East doubled for penalty, ending the auction. Here is South’s hand with a summary of the auction.

Do you agree with South’s action? Scroll down to see what happened.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

South was too aggressive, falling in love with his huge hand. Partner understood South’s bids, but remained silent. Moreover, East is likely to have a diamond stack since West has at least seven clubs. When the dust settled South was down four for minus 1100. South should let West play four clubs for minus 130 for NS and an average plus for NS.

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What’s your call?

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You are South in third seat with both sides vulnerable. Partner passes and East opens the bidding one club. It’s not often you get dealt a nine card suit. Here is your hand:

What’s you call and your plan for the remainder of the auction?

It looks like the opponents may have a game, particularly in hearts. You have 9 and 1/2 tricks. My recommendation is for you to jump to five diamonds. Five diamond might even make. Yes, that call might turn into a disaster, but it’s best to put opponents to the guess at the five level.

 

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Think like a bridge player

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 What would Mike Lawrence do?

You are South on lead against 2NT. What clues does the auction give you?

MikeL5

Here is what Mike Lawrence might be thinking:

  • It looks like East has two heart stoppers and fewer than four spades. His shape is probably something like 3-4-3-3.
  • After my rebid of two hearts, West is still inviting game. He probably has about 17 HCP with shortness in hearts.
  • East has nothing extra, probably no more than six HCP.
  • Leading a heart does not look like a good idea. How best for me to go passive with this holding?
  • It looks like the opponents have a maximum of 7 spades between them – four with West and 3 with East. Partner should have at least five spades. The unusual lead of a singleton spade should not hurt the defense.
  • I lead the six of spades.
Category: Exercises: Defensive Play | Tags: , , , , ,

Captain of the Hand

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Your partner opens 1NT in second seat (15-17 HCP). You correctly respond two hearts, transfering partner to spades. Here is your hand:

super accept

Your partner accepts the transfer by jumping to three spades. What do you do now?

Partner has shown four plus spades and top value for her opening bid. You are captain of the hand when partner opens 1NT. Your hand is to good to stop at game. I recommend you jump to six spades. No point in giving opponents and clues about what is going on.

 

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Cue Bidding to Slam?

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Update 2/1/2020: Thanks to Robin. She alerted me in the comments that the 2NT response on this hand should be a game forcing raise in hearts rather than spades.

qbid1

qbid2

 

qbid3

 

More on Jacoby 2NT here. More on Splinters here.

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: , , , , , ,

Opening Bid?

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You are in 1st seat with nobody vulnerable holding this hand? What’s your call?

one or twoa

I recommend you open the bidding with one heart. This hand is too good for a preemptive two hearts. It values at 13 points (4 in spades, 5 in hearts, 4 in clubs). Length in hearts gives you the two points in addition to the king.  Those who opened two hearts missed game in hearts.

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Your call?

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You are sitting North (not vul vs vul) and partner opens one notrump (15-17) in 1st seat. What do you say with this hand?

bad hand2

Most players have a mechanism for getting to three of a minor to play after partner has opened 1NT. The usual way is to respond two spades. It’s a relay to clubs (announced as “relay to clubs”) directing partner to bid three clubs. If responder has diamonds responder corrects. I recommend you discuss this with partner when filling out your convention card. This is a hand that should play better in three clubs than 1NT. Don’t you agree?

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Opening Bid?

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I recommend you follow Marty Bergen’s recent articles on hand evaluation in the Bulletin. What would Marty recommend on this one?

openthismess

 

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call, Interesting Hands | Tags: , ,

Bidding the Big, Unbalanced Hand

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reverse1

fast arrival

 

You will find more on reverses here.

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Counting During the Auction

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Be aware of implications uncovered during the auction. That awareness may suggest the need for an unusual action during the bidding. Here is an example.

unusual2

unusual3

Declarer made five clubs without breaking a sweat. The unusual use of unusual notrump resulted in a top board.

 

 

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call, Interesting Hands | Tags: , ,

When partner opens the bidding in 3rd seat

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 It’s often difficult to determine if your partner has opened a bit light in 3rd seat. Here is a useful way to find out.

1st seat pass

reverse drury

 Much more on Reverse Drury here.

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: , ,

One Spade or Two Spades?

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One or Two

Two spades

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: , , ,

Takeout Double, Overcall or Pass?

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You are in 4th seat and the bidding goes pass, pass, one club to you. This hand looks too good to pass:

TO double

What’s your call?

Two clubs is not possible, since it would be Michaels promising 5-5 in the majors. Possibilities are a 1NT overcall, a 1 heart overcall, or a takeout double. Which choice do you think is best and why?

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Your planned rebid?

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Here is another hand I observed recently. Two passes to you. What is your opening bid?

1diamond opening

It’s a nice hand, and you should open it. But when considering your opening bid, be sure to plan your rebid. If you open one club, what will your rebid be when partner responds one spade? Two clubs would promise at least six clubs. One notrump would promise two or three spades. Two diamonds (a reverse) would show an unbalanced hand of 18 points or more. The smallest lie of those possibilities is probably two clubs.

But if you instead open one diamond, you now have an easy rebid of two clubs. You would like to have equal or greater length in the diamond suit. But it’s a smaller lie, conveying the shape and limited strength of your hand.

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: , ,

Your opening bid?

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You hold this hand in 4th seat after three passes:

1NT opening

Is it good enough to open 1NT? Yes, you have 15 high card points in a balanced hand and, its bolstered by four 10s. Open it 1NT.

When I observed the hand in play recently, it was opened one diamond. The bidding ended in 1NT, making three for a bottom board. All other pairs got to 3NT, making three or four.

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: ,
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