[jonottawa]

4♠

If you criticized your beginner/intermediate partner for 6♣, shame on you. That's a perfectly reasonable beginner/intermediate call that might work on a good day, (either making or as a good sac or to scare the opps from doubling or pushing them to 6) and is the kind of bid I made all the time back when I actually had fun playing this game.

If you think the fact that 4♥ goes down is of any relevance whatsoever when it is 100% clear for partner to bid SOMETHING, then shame on you for resulting.

[Quantumcat]

alright, 5C then? You can't argue that the more you preempt the harder your opponents have it. And the larger the variety of hands you include the harder it is for your opponents to declare. I just went down in a 4H contract because I played the 2S opener to have short hearts ... she had 4 (I would have made had I kept all my options open... but you just assume, dont you).

[Cascade]

Normally with an eight card suit and a weakish (less than 10 HCP) I would prefer a pre-empt.

With three spades and singletons in both unbid suits 2♣ and two aces 2♣ looks better.

After partner invites game I have extra distribution so I bid 5♣. I am still hoping for some good cards though.

[655321]

Quantumcat, on May 19 2009, 09:33 PM, said:

If you have a 2C bid to start with, it can't become a 5C bid.  2C vul is already a good hand, by bidding only 2 then more aren't you showing an actual power hand. Much easier to just bid 4C on the 1st go, and be consistent.

I prefer the 2♣ overcall here (see this thread for a different hand with 8 clubs), but that is not so important, you could start with more clubs if you like.

What is very wrong though is to think that you cannot bid 5♣ having started with 2♣. Partner has made a cue raise, showing a good hand with club support. This is new information we didn't have before. With our eight card suit and 2 Aces, it seems very clear to bid on. Equally, it seems clear not to look for slam, with the opponents both bidding, our relatively few HCP, and a 3 card holding in the suit opened but not supported. So... 5♣.

[the hog]

655321, on May 20 2009, 11:49 AM, said:

Quantumcat, on May 19 2009, 09:33 PM, said:

If you have a 2C bid to start with, it can't become a 5C bid.  2C vul is already a good hand, by bidding only 2 then more aren't you showing an actual power hand. Much easier to just bid 4C on the 1st go, and be consistent.

I prefer the 2♣ overcall here (see this thread for a different hand with 8 clubs), but that is not so important, you could start with more clubs if you like.

What is very wrong though is to think that you cannot bid 5♣ having started with 2♣. Partner has made a cue raise, showing a good hand with club support. This is new information we didn't have before. With our eight card suit and 2 Aces, it seems very clear to bid on. Equally, it seems clear not to look for slam, with the opponents both bidding, our relatively few HCP, and a 3 card holding in the suit opened but not supported. So... 5♣.

Agree with the numeric one. (Boy my thinking must be out of whack today).
Cat, I think you misunderstood the cue raise.