[yunling]

Suppose you opened 2♠,showing ♠ and a minor

2♠-(3♣)-X

Is this double
1)Penalty?
2)Ask you to pass with 4+♣ and bid on with 4+♦?

And will your answer differ if 2♠ promises 54 or 55? What if opponent's overcall is 3♦?

Thanks.

[helene_t]

Without having discussed it I would assume penalty but I am not sure if that is optimal.

[shevek]

Good question
Muiderberg 2M not vul is more like a weak 2 with a cursory 4-card minor on the side.
AJTxx, xx, Jxxx, xx
is fine. Now responder wants double of 3♣ to be penalty.
It might be different vul, when the TNT rates to be higher but can't chop and change like that.
Or when their bid is 3♦ and a P/C double sends you to 4♣.
If the overcall is 3♥, normal is 4♣ p/c.
So I vote for all penalty.

The other issue with double as p/c is finding partner with Jxxx and forced to pass opposite your 2 small, when you were hoping for KJTxx.

If this means defending 3♣x with 5-3-5-0 opposite 1-4-4-4, so be it. Ugly post mortem coming up.

[Free]

I've always played it as Pass or Correct and feel quite happy about it. Not sure if it's optimal though.

It does give you some extra opportunities, for example to invite in ♠s (especially after 3♦ interventions). Some examples:
2♠-(3♣)-Dbl
3♦-3♠ = INV

2♠-(3♣)-3♦/♥ = natural

2♠-(3♦)-Dbl
?
Pass = ♦
3♥ = ♣ with a ♥ fragment
3♠ = ♣ and minimum
3NT = ♣, max, ♦ stopper
4♣ = ♣, max, no ♦ stopper

[benlessard]

I think I slightly prefer my opps play P/C so i would slightly suggest penalties.

Its one of the reason why I prefer that the 5-4 preempts are done by my opponents and not by my teamates. One of the strenght of a preemptive action is that it force your opponents to overbid a little wich eventually lead to a good wack on the head from time to time. Losing the penalty X remove a lot of pressure on the overcaller especially when he is vul.

I guess it would be sensible to play they are vul X = penalties otherwise pass or correct.

[Vampyr]

I am another who is not sure what is best, but around here P/C is most common.