[karlson]

1. r/r mp. ♠Q ♥J ♦KQxx ♣KT9xxxx

lho deals
1♥-p-1♠-2♣ (agree?)
2♥-3N-p-p (agree?)
4♥-x-p-

2. w/w mp. ♠J ♥xxx ♦AQJxx ♣AKJx
you deal
1♦-1♠-3♦(weak)-4♠
?

[pooltuna]

1) partner apparently has significant ♥ values and I have sufficient defense for my pitiful 2♣ overcall, so I pass.

2) Why should I go down when they probably will as well....pass

[wyman]

On 1, I pass.
On 2, I'm a bidder. It may make or it may be a good sac or it may push them to 5S. Too many ways to go right imo.

[655321]

1) Pass, partner could have passed 4♥ with not much (Kx) in hearts and a lot (AQx) in clubs.

2) 5♦, it could work out badly of course, but I don't think this is at all close.

[Free]

1. pass
2. 5♦, there are more ways to win than to lose

[Phil]

1. I would have bid 3♣ the first time. I guess I pass but I am not at all comfortable- maybe there's a spade ruff to be hand.

2. This is very close at MPs. I think this is a brutal problem - I played with some likely shapes pard has with and without a heart card. The biggest reason to bid 5♦ is that you might get a 5♠ call from someone, but that does not seem very likely. I will pass.

[Fluffy]

I like Phil's analysis on both hands, but I lean towards 5♦, maybe they just forget to double us who knows?

[awm]

Pass on the first, 5♦ on the second.

[kfay]

On 1 I guess I agree with the auction up to now. Now I just have to bite the bullet and pass. IDK what LHO's deal is, either he's crafty or dumb. Partner could easily be bonesing a known dog-walker. The ♥J in our hand is a bad sign. Partner probably is staring at ♥Kx and a couple of bullets and thinks we can get a trick (which we may with ♦KQ) but probably doesn't know that we're in danger of taking zero club tricks. But I don't feel confident about our chances in 5♣, we'd probably be the only ones in the room in that contract. This very well may be a FP scenario since the auction is so stupid.

On the 2nd hand I think that 5♦ is poorly judged. Partner is likely 2353, or very close, and we have zero chance of making 5♦ when RHO is probably bidding 4♠ on his void. Well we've got a couple of clubs coming and possibly a misguess on the ♥Q, bidding 5♦ just hands them 300 instead of making them work for a plus. This isn't a situation where I need to decide on double, pass or bid, obviously, just the last 2.

[gwnn]

300 is fine if they had 420 available 50+% of the time. I don't think we'll make any reasonable % of the time but I don't think we'll go for 500 either so it all boils down to whether we think 4S makes more often than not. I think it does so 5♦ it is.

(the first one is an easy pass of course.)

[bucky]

1) With only 2 cards in the majors, "preempting opponents" comes to my mind. I would bid 3♣ and then pass throughout with clear conscience.

2) Tough guess. I'm guessing 5♦ but won't be surprised if it is wrong.

[Cyberyeti]

What do most people play 1♥-P-1♠-2♥ as ?

I know partner and I will bid 2♥ 4-6 (at this vul, 4-5 at some others), 2♠ 6-4 2N 5-5 in the minors, and I'd do this here.

[bucky]

Cyberyeti, on 2010-October-22, 16:44, said:

What do most people play 1♥-P-1♠-2♥ as ?

I know partner and I will bid 2♥ 4-6 (at this vul, 4-5 at some others), 2♠ 6-4 2N 5-5 in the minors, and I'd do this here.

The standard meaning of 2♠ here would be spades. I suppose 2m followed by 2NT could show 4-6/6-4 shape in minors. 2N would be 5-5 or better in the minors. I don't have 2♥ defined, maybe it can be used to show spades + minor.

[Fluffy]

I have no idea what the 2♥ bid shows, spades and a minor makes the most sense, but if my hand suggest its natural it is natural.

[karlson]

Results for those that care.

On the first partner not unreasonably chose to raise diamonds with xxx Axxx T9xxx x. I bid 5♦ and was lucky to get out for -1 when 4♠ obviously had no play. Not sure any particular lesson is there but I caught a lot of flak for bidding.

The second was just a bad 5♣ bid by me which falls into the category of not trusting partner. Partner had AKx Qxx Axx Qxxx. That is probably a pass of 3N even, but doubling was going to work well today when lefty had only 7 hearts and was going for 800.

P.S. 2♥ would have been natural though I agree that's probably not best when they open a 5-card major. On the other hand, even if I could have shown 4-6 in the minors, I don't think I would have; this hand wants to play clubs. I would definitely want to keep my 2♠ showing spades fwiw.

[the hog]

Pass on both. I think 5D on the second is a very poor bid. 4S may well go down.

[mikestar13]

On hand #1, I would have bid 3♣ and then passed with a clear conscience. Pass is my second choice--the suit is poor for red vs. red. But I wouldn't consider a 2♣ bid with so little defense.

Hand #2 i a pure guess. It really depends on partnership standards for 3♦--I would have more shape, in which case bidding 5 is obvious.