[twcho]

Your LHO opens 3♠. Your partner passes and RHO raised to 4♠ and followed by two passes. Your partner reopens with a double. What is the meaning of this double? Does vulnerability affect the meaning?

[gwnn]

Some people play it as an initial penalty pass (well, could just be a balanced hand not quite good enough for an initial 3NT), but nowadays I think it's most common for this x to be takeout. Maybe something like - Axxx Axxxx xxxx or what not. Not quite enough for a first round double but catering to a double game swing or a nice penalty if partner has spade values. It might be playable to make it "takeout OR penalty, loot at your hand partner", but I don't think so - their fit can be anywhere between 8 and 12 cards, so partner can't tell what we have just by looking at his hand.

[bluecalm]

I had long discussion about this with one internet pd and we agreed that it's penalty if they are bidding spades and t/o if they are bidding hearts. At 3 level, say:
1/2S - p - 3S - p
p - d

We agreed to play it as t/o.
I am not convinced either way. My first instinct was "always penalty" but I have my doubts now and I am quite happy with our agreement as it surely has to be very rare scenario that we are happy to play on 5 level but weren't happy to double 3 level preempt. (or 2 level, or 1 level opening).

[Zelandakh]

bluecalm, on 2012-May-01, 02:26, said:

I had long discussion about this with one internet pd and we agreed that it's penalty if they are bidding spades and t/o if they are bidding hearts.

Takeout doubles up to 4♥ is often a good stand-by. You can use 4NT for general takeout over 4♠ if you are willing to give up on it being 2 places.

[EricK]

Zelandakh, on 2012-May-02, 01:23, said:

Takeout doubles up to 4♥ is often a good stand-by. You can use 4NT for general takeout over 4♠ if you are willing to give up on it being 2 places.

You also give up on partner being able to pass for penalties - and that might be way too high a price.

[Zelandakh]

EricK, on 2012-May-02, 01:56, said:

You also give up on partner being able to pass for penalties - and that might be way too high a price.

Partner had a chance to act over 4♠. If you were playing this as stated they would probably have doubled for values then instead of passing. If you only play it in the passout seat then yes, you lose that possibility. If you have different defences for different seats you are probably well beyond using a simple stand-by rule though.

[Statto]

twcho, on 2012-May-01, 01:38, said:

Your LHO opens 3♠. Your partner passes and RHO raised to 4♠ and followed by two passes. Your partner reopens with a double. What is the meaning of this double? Does vulnerability affect the meaning?

Penalty. No.

Partner presumably has a decent hand that was unsuitable for direct action over 3♠.

[tolvyrj]

Just out of curiosity, what kind of a hand is unsuitable to take any action over 3♠, but is suitable to take action over 4 ♠?
I play it as a penalty dbl, if we got robbed blind by 4♠ bid so be it. If prd couldnt act T/O over 3 ♠ he shld not try it over 4♠.