[karlson]

♠AJ ♥Axxxx ♦Kx ♣A9xx

r/r imps. p-p-1♠-

[manudude03]

1NT>2H>X>Pass

[hanp]

Yes it is similar but also way different. This is a much better hand, I would overcall 2H to take the quickest route to 4H. Although no bid is very attractive, I suspect that there will be no passers this time.

[Fluffy]

not even me woudl pass, and I don't like 1NT at all wich gambles on partner having something he rates not to.

leaves double and 2♥. I'd rather bid double when I am 100% sure to raise partner's 2♥ response to 4, here I am not close to that, so to focus on game I'll bid 2♥ and hope partner raises me.

[helene_t]

dbl, I suppose 1NT and 2♥ are OK but it's not close for me.

[Pict]

Still looks like 1NT to me. 5422 counterbalanced by so much in the short suits. If I'd agreed not to bid NT on this type of hand, it would be 2H.

[MFA]

I would try 2♥.

[Jlall]

1N, no second choice.

[jdonn]

Can I cop out, I don't think any of the 3 bids are that bad. I bid 2♥, awful if we don't have a fit, probably best if we do have one since we look suit oriented.

[andy_h]

1NT. Shape and suit are two big flaws I can't handle with a 2♥ overcall.

[karlson]

hanp, on Feb 15 2010, 11:23 PM, said:

Yes it is similar but also way different. This is a much better hand, I would overcall 2H to take the quickest route to 4H. Although no bid is very attractive, I suspect that there will be no passers this time.

That's funny, because I gave the hand to a very good (world class) player yesterday, who passed.

[Jlall]

karlson, on Feb 16 2010, 03:21 PM, said:

hanp, on Feb 15 2010, 11:23 PM, said:

Yes it is similar but also way different. This is a much better hand, I would overcall 2H to take the quickest route to 4H. Although no bid is very attractive, I suspect that there will be no passers this time.

That's funny, because I gave the hand to a very good (world class) player yesterday, who passed.

Bet he was old!

But seriously I think I would pass rather than bid 2H, bidding 2H on this suit is foreign to me, so maybe I'm old. I would usually double unless I was good enough and had a stopper for 1N (which I do here).

[jdonn]

andy_h, on Feb 16 2010, 11:25 AM, said:

1NT. Shape and suit are two big flaws I can't handle with a 2♥ overcall.

Isn't the shape a flaw for 1NT but not much of a flaw for 2♥?

[karlson]

I doubled at the table. The auction proceeded

p-p-1♠-x
2♠-p-p-x
p-3♥-p-

Agree with the second double? Would you kick it in now?

At the table I was playing with a somewhat less experienced partner, and I wasn't sure she would bid 2n with 4-4 always, so I thought she could easily have only 4 hearts, feel free to answer both in that context and in a more normal context.

[Pict]

I think some hands are part scores.

[Fluffy]

partner would had bid 2NT the round before if we were to play game I think. Partner is broke, and despite the controls, we rate to lose many some queens in a heart contract.

I'd prefer 1NT if I had ♠Kx, last time I tried it with ♠AJ I had 5 HCP worth 1 trick not even able to cut down the comunications.

[andy_h]

jdonn, on Feb 17 2010, 07:34 AM, said:

andy_h, on Feb 16 2010, 11:25 AM, said:

1NT. Shape and suit are two big flaws I can't handle with a 2♥ overcall.

Isn't the shape a flaw for 1NT but not much of a flaw for 2♥?

5422 is a flaw for 1NT I agree but I don't see it as much of a flaw when we have AJ as a stopper (or stoppers if partner provides 10xx or alike) as well as a negating factor of our dreaded suit. If I were to make a 2level overcall with an Axxxx suit (can't remember the last time I have) I'd prefer to have a better shape than a 5422. I understand that you sometimes have to make some adjustments when the overcall is a major, but with this hand 1NT just seems to be a better alternative.