[kfay]

Scoring: IMP

(P)-P-(1♥)-X
(P)-1♠-(3♥)-3♠
(4♥)-4♠-(5♥)-X
(P)-?

---

[awm]

I'd pass. I don't think we're making 5♠, and we're red.

Will 5♥ go down? No guarantees but partner has bid strong and easily could have it set in his own hand.

[Fluffy]

Why did I bid vulnerable on nothing?

[kfay]

Fluffy, on Dec 19 2007, 05:36 PM, said:

Why did I bid vulnerable on nothing?

That's kind of the question. I can't say I agree with bidding 4♠ but in the problem you did. Unfortunately now we have absolutely 0 tricks to deliver to partner. Maybe he's not expecting any... but who knows.

[jdonn]

Well write down hands partner can have for the 3♠ bid and you will see that 4♠ often makes, and that when it doesn't 4♥ often makes, and that sometimes both make (AKxx x AKJx xxxx). Also as you can see it lets you push the opponents to 5 when it may well have been wrong of them to do so. In short, 4♠ is automatic as far as I'm concerned.

Partner shouldn't double without a good reason, nor should he be expecting defensive help, nor was this a forcing pass auction. He thinks they are down, so pass.

[whereagles]

11 tricks is a long way, especially with pard's honors after declarer's. Pass

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

Pass, why should I pull?

Because I do regret the raise to 4S?
Maybe the raise was wrong, but you have
a 6-4 fit and partner is not dead.
I would say, the raise is on the border,
and Pass may well be better, but the
raise did not promise any defence.

Regardles, how i feel now about the raise now,
I did it and it is how it is.
And partner will have 3 tricks most of the time,
and we wont take 11 tricks.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[rogerclee]

I think pulling is pretty antipercentage.

[han]

Clear pass.

[Edmunte1]

Pass is normal. And i agree with the biding too

[benlessard]

You didnt promise anything with 1S and neither for 4S. So WTP ? If partner is thinking that is ♠A is cashing there nothing you can do about it. When he will get more experience he will understand.

[Rebound]

Please clarify. I would expect to have to have something for partner to make a free bid over 4H. Granted this may not translate into any defense but I believe any indecision over whether to pull 5Hx stems from the wide variety of hands one could have if bidding 4S shows no more nor less than the 1S response.

[mikeh]

I don't have any problem with the aggressive 4♠ call, but I certainly understand those who would have passed.

But this problem, as framed, illustrates a very important point. When you make an aggressive call, and the auction takes an uncomfortable turn, ALWAYS assume that your call was normal. Whatever you do, don't turn chicken.

If you assume that your call was normal, then you have a comfortable pass of the double, even if it makes. After all, if your bid was normal, partner will have doubled knowing that your hand might look like this. So the outcome of the double is on him, not you. I don't mean that in the sense that you should argue with him afterwards... just in terms of accepting responsibility in the auction. He doubled when you promised no defence: it's not up to you to tell him he's wrong via a pull.

If later, you both agree that the fault was the 4♠ call, then you have agreed on a style issue for later hands. But in the meantime, at the table, stay true to your valuation that 4♠ was correct.

If you pull, then partner, looking at 3 or 4 sure winners, can't ever afford to double again on similar auctions. There you are, bidding aggressively and thereby generating a big pickup, and then all of a sudden, there you are turning the pickup into a big loss!

When you blow hot and cold on a hand FOR NO REASON you become impossible to play with. You have learned nothing, after bidding 4♠, to suggest that partner can't beat 5♥ in his own hand. So don't change your mindset.

If they make 5♥, shrug and move on.

[skjaeran]

I agree with the auction this far.

Now I've got an auto pass. If they make, they make. Just move on to the next board.

[jdonn]

I still agree with my earlier post from months ago in that 4♠ is completely automatic. What I also note is this hand could be a poster child for why these auctions should not create a forcing pass, at any vul. I am happy to pass partner's double that says 'they are down'. I am very sad if partner doubles to say 'I am minimum and don't want to bid 5'.

[kfay]

This thread has new life I see.

I was partner on this hand and they made 5♥X. I'll try to find the hand but basically they had a spade void...
Edit: Here it is

Scoring: IMP

---

(P)-P-(1♥)-X
(P)-1♠-(3♥)-3♠
(4♥)-4♠-(5♥)-X
(P)-?

West (me) led the ♠K and that was it.

Who thinks I should lead a ♣?

[FrancesHinden]

I'd have led a trump.

Sometimes you concede 850.

[ArtK78]

No obvious ♣A lead and continuation?

And you call yourself a bridge player!

[han]

Looking at the EW hands plus the auction only 5HX seems a decent spot.