[gqc6]

In a fairly strong field, MP, All White

You hold ♠Jxx ♥KJxx ♦xx ♣Axxx
Partner opens 1♣, RHO preempts 3♦

1. Will you double with your hand?
2. If you choose to pass, and P reopens the auction with a double, what's your bid?

Any advice will be appreciated in similar auctions.

[BillPatch]

1. pass, not enough beef.
2. 4 ♥

[nige1]

gqc6, on 2015-July-30, 11:49, said:

In a fairly strong field, MP, All White You hold
♠ J x x ♥ K J x x ♦ x x ♣ A x x x
Partner opens 1♣, RHO preempts 3♦
1. Will you double with your hand?
2. If you choose to pass, and P reopens the auction with a double, what's your bid?
Any advice will be appreciated in similar auctions.

IMO. Over RHO's 3♣, you have a close decision but might prefer double to pass, hoping to win the partscore.
After partner's reopening double, you have another close decision, I rank your calls:

• 3♥ = NAT. Timorous but probably enough, at MPs.
• 4♦ = ART. More than one place to play. Pushy but limited by your earlier pass. Hope that partner bids 4♥ with equal M-length.
• 4♥ = NAT. Commital -- but might be OK depending on partner's style of protection.
• Pass = PEN. A wild gamble.

[MrAce]

gqc6, on 2015-July-30, 11:49, said:

In a fairly strong field, MP, All White

You hold ♠Jxx ♥KJxx ♦xx ♣Axxx
Partner opens 1♣, RHO preempts 3♦

1. Will you double with your hand?
2. If you choose to pass, and P reopens the auction with a double, what's your bid?

Any advice will be appreciated in similar auctions.

1- Better to consider the continuation of the auction. With the hand you gave, it is a close decision between pass and double imo.
Personally I prefer double because I can easily pass when pd bids 3M. And I am more than happy if he rebids his clubs. If he cuebids I will bid 5♣.

Make the hand Jx KJxx xxxx Axx and I would pass. Even a simple 3♠ response by pd puts me in awkward position.

2- If I passed with this hand and pd reopened via double: Double by pd only promises shortness in diamond suit. Most of the hands with short diamonds, regardless of strength, will reopen. in this context and considering this is MP, I would bid only 3♥ over the reopening double with this balanced 9 hcp.

This actually shows how preempts at 3 level, can screw opponents. We may have 13 vs 9 and probably both balanced and both holding xx in ♦ suit, and probably our only 8 card fit is in clubs. Or totally a different hand. Some people give up on their 3m preempts for some bicolor conventions thinking 3m preempts are not effective anyway. In fact they offer opponents much more ropes to hang themselves.

[SteveMoe]

1) Pass
2) 3♥ - see Timo's post.

Change to ♠Kxx ♥KJxx ♦xx ♣Axxx and I double.
The original hand would be a negative double over a 2-level bid.

You might want to look into Thrump Doubles.

[BillPatch]

MrAce, on 2015-July-30, 15:11, said:

1-. . . .If he cuebids I will bid 4♣. . . .

I see. Saves space for slam exploration, when the opponents condone the insufficient bid.

[gwnn]

I don't know whether or not I like X the first round (I suspect I'd double at the table feeling a bit sick with myself) but if I pass I'd definitely force to game by bidding 4D upon partner's reopening double. It's better to overbid to game if you know you're doing so in the right strain. Of course this is a rule of thumb with obvious limits but I think it applies here. I don't think partner promises a lot of extras with short diamonds but I also don't think it's healthy to agree that it is an automatic double on any hand with a stiff. I guess on 90+% of the hands MrAce and I would agree on P vs X so no big deal.

[WesleyC]

Very tough decision on the first round at MPs. At NIL vul, I would stretch to find a double because -110 in 3D could be a complete disaster, and if our side does have game available, double is the only way to bid it sensibly.

If you choose to pass and partner reopens with a double, I think you need to respect the MPs and take the low road with 3H. Partner is just as terrified of defending 3D undoubled, so we should punish them for an aggressive balance. Obviously at IMPs you would have an automatic 4D bid.

[mr1303]

I think the first one is close - dbl is a slight overbid but reasonable. I bid 4D if I pass first up. Do you correct 4S to 5C?

[MrAce]

BillPatch, on 2015-July-30, 19:35, said:

I see. Saves space for slam exploration, when the opponents condone the insufficient bid.

obv typo, corrected.

[jallerton]

gqc6, on 2015-July-30, 11:49, said:

In a fairly strong field, MP, All White

You hold ♠Jxx ♥KJxx ♦xx ♣Axxx
Partner opens 1♣, RHO preempts 3♦

1. Will you double with your hand?
2. If you choose to pass, and P reopens the auction with a double, what's your bid?

Any advice will be appreciated in similar auctions.

1. What's your basic system? I might double anyway at this vulnerability, but it's a lot more clear to double if playing weak NT openings, as then partner will either have real clubs or 15+HCP.

2. 4♦, showing 2 places to play. There's a case for bidding 4♥; the question you should ask yourself is: do I want to play a 4-3 heart fit on this hand?

[MrAce]

jallerton, on 2015-July-31, 08:52, said:

the question you should ask yourself is: do I want to play a 4-3 heart fit on this hand?

Wrong question imo.

The question is "Do i want to play game at all, force to game with this balanced hand in 4-3 ♥ at 4 level, 4-4 fit at 5 level? Did the diamond shortness by pd improved or devalued my hand, since this is only and only what pd promised? Answer is obvious. Only thing that comes to mind, a hand that will pass and then will improve drastically after pd's double is something like x Kxxx xxxx Axxx.

Unless of course you are one of those who believes 4414, 4315, 3415 minimum hands should not double unless they have extras. Which is pretty much at best an awful agreement which caters for the OP type of hands and will end up with disaster frequently in other hands.

Even a non minimum hand, in fact a decent hand compared to everyday doubles of 3♦ reopening, you have slim chance to make any game.

AKxx
AQxx
x
Jxxx

I am not even gonna bother the hands that you do not have 8 card ♥ fit and will have to pay at 5 level, or end up playing a 4-3 fit. Tbh, I am surprised that a very good player like you chose to force to game, non-vulnerable and at MP!

By my own experience, I chose dbl at the first place and said it is close. The more I think about the continuation after I pass and pd reopens, the more I start to believe maybe it was not that close and pass was probably a bad idea at the first place. But had I passed, I will definitely not bid like a runaway unstoppable truck. Yea, pd will know I passed 3♦ but what good will it do, since I already forced him to game by 4♦? Otoh, I 100% agree with you that 4♦ is sort of choice of game now, showing 2 places to play.