[Huibertus]

Cyberyeti, on 2025-May-31, 02:15, said:

Swap the 8/Q of spades and I was in 5

Right ok, in that case a bit of advice on bidding. Preempts are there to make the opponents guess wrong in bidding. When you have taken out their game and they continue on the 5 level, generally let them play there, hoping they guessed wrong and are too low, guessed wrong and are too high or guessed wrong and are playing the wrong suit. If it turns out they guessed everything right, then call yourself unlucky. Take out 5 only when it is obvious they make and you are not down more then 1/2/3 depending vulnerabilities. You are not taking out a slam they haven't bid yet. On these two hands East NOR West has any reason to sell their hand twice, and I'd question East supporting once.

If it is your partnership style to open 3♠ with ATXXXXX, -, XX, XXX (I have ZERO issue with that, do it myself) then make sure partner doesn't raise unless he has distributional a mega fit. The idea of this style is to make opponent's life as difficult as possible as frequently as possible early on by having wide ranging preempts after a passed partner, the drawback is you lose precision in your own take out decisions due to the possibility of the preempt being garbage. If bidding space allows, for minors use 3NT (alertable obviously) by the passed hand as a proposal to take out IF opening hand had a normal non-garbage preempt and let opening hand decide if he bids 5 of a minor on not (passing 3NT or bidding 4 minor if doubled), that won't work for ♠.

[Cyberyeti]

Huibertus, on 2025-May-31, 04:32, said:

Right ok, in that case a bit of advice on bidding. Preempts are there to make the opponents guess wrong in bidding. When you have taken out their game and they continue on the 5 level, generally let them play there, hoping they guessed wrong and are too low, guessed wrong and are too high or guessed wrong and are playing the wrong suit. If it turns out they guessed everything right, then call yourself unlucky. Take out 5 only when it is obvious they make and you are not down more then 1/2/3 depending vulnerabilities. You are not taking out a slam they haven't bid yet. On these two hands East NOR West has any reason to sell their hand twice, and I'd question East supporting once.

If it is your partnership style to open 3♠ with ATXXXXX, -, XX, XXX (I have ZERO issue with that, do it myself) then make sure partner doesn't raise unless he has distributional a mega fit. The idea of this style is to make opponent's life as difficult as possible as frequently as possible early on by having wide ranging preempts after a passed partner, the drawback is you lose precision in your own take out decisions due to the possibility of the preempt being garbage. If bidding space allows, for minors use 3NT (alertable obviously) by the passed hand as a proposal to take out IF opening hand had a normal non-garbage preempt and let opening hand decide if he bids 5 of a minor on not (passing 3NT or bidding 4 minor if doubled), that won't work for ♠.

If partner has the more likely 3 diamonds and one club on this auction with spades 2-1 5 may be a decent save if they start as they did by cashing winners.