[awm]

Here's the hand:

Scoring: IMP

---

2♦ (weak natural) - 2♠ - 3♦ - 3♥
Pass - ???

[JLOL]

Could not imagine anything but 3N. I also would always overcall.

[whereagles]

Yeah, 3NT stands out. What else?

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

4H.

I would have passed over 2D, but this wont answer your question.
If I bid, it would have been 2S.

As it is, I am in a terrible position, I will raise to 4H, since

Pass - I would say, 3H is forcing, i.e. Pass it not an option
3S - should show a 6 carder, and transmits a better suit quality
3NT - would show a different hand type
4C - should be cue for hearts

4H is what is left.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[jdonn]

Anything but 3NT is a beginner bid IMO. I don't expect 3NT to work out particularly well either, but this was simply a bad auction for our overcall.

[mtvesuvius]

3NT, anything else is asking for disaster. 3NT will only be a catastrophe. So I guess pass could work, but passing forcing bids ruins partnership trust... So 3NT it is.

[awm]

I bid 3NT at the table. This was not a success when partner passed and put down:

♠AQ
♥AT9xxx
♦x
♣Qxxx

Of course, partner could have responsive doubled 3♦ (and that might have been a better call) but he does have six hearts.

In any case, 3NT was two down, either of 5♣ or 4♠ makes pretty easily.

Thinking about this further, it seems quite unlikely to me that 3NT is the right contract. We have only one diamond stop (and no control of tempo) and no aces (so we need a lot of help in order to run nine tricks). It seems extremely likely that one of 4♥, 4♠, or 5♣ will be substantially better than 3NT, even when we eliminate the hands where partner will remove 3NT himself. So I'm not convinced that the "obvious" 3NT is actually a better call than the "beginner" 4♣. Perhaps a simulation or two might help, although hands like partner's actual cards might make it difficult to decide exactly which are the relevant partner hands to sim.

[jdonn]

awm, on Apr 1 2009, 05:39 PM, said:

It seems extremely likely that one of 4♥, 4♠, or 5♣ will be substantially better than 3NT, even when we eliminate the hands where partner will remove 3NT himself.

Such as the actual one!?

[Echognome]

Agree with Josh. Maybe you should have polled the other hand, but partner passing 3NT seems like he's taking a view. From partner's persective, 4♥, 4♠, and 5♣ might all be better contracts. Of course, the only chance he can play in 3NT when it's right is by passing now, but it seems a narrow target.

[JLOL]

yeah partner definitely had a 4D bid over 3N.

[whereagles]

Well, I certainly wouldn't have pulled pard's 3NT. I think you guys are resulting

[Echognome]

whereagles, on Apr 2 2009, 01:08 AM, said:

Well, I certainly wouldn't have pulled pard's 3NT. I think you guys are resulting

Perhaps that was the better polling hand than the original one. The people I asked all pulled, so I don't think it is resulting. Your polls may vary.

[jdonn]

whereagles, on Apr 2 2009, 04:08 AM, said:

Well, I certainly wouldn't have pulled pard's 3NT. I think you guys are resulting

I definitely believe passing 3NT is beyond bad, it's hopeless. It is not resulting to say so. Besides since I disagree with almost all your answers, if you would pass then you know I'm not resulting to bid!