Friday, June 6, 2008

Act or No?

I've been debating this hand and situation with a few friends--you hold, white v red at matchpoints:
QTxxx
x
Ax
KTxxx

The dealer opens 1 Heart on your left, partner passes and your RHO bids 4 Hearts. Do you bid? If so, what do you bid? What do you do at different vulnerabilities? Change the scoring to IMPs or rubber bridge and does your agenda differ? Similar situation--what if you held this hand and your RHO opened 4 Hearts in from of you? Tough problems, I doubt there is a clearcut right answer but I am interested in opinions!

4 comments:

Memphis MOJO said...

At matchpoints, I would bid 4 spades. The opps rate to be in a good contract or at least a "lawful" contract, i.e. four level with (a combined) 10 trumps.

Memphis MOJO said...

I have two bridge playing friends that I walk with each day at work on our breaks. One bid 4S but was nervous doing it. The other chose what he called a "reluctant pass."

There is no right or wrong answer, obviously, only one that would work on a particular deal. You can lose IMPs by going for a number, and you can lose IMPs by being too passive.

In the long run, my bet is that 4S would be better than passing. The aggressive (but not insane) action seems to work more often.

What do you think?

Becker said...

I tend to agree with bidding rather than passing if i consider it close and did bid 4 spades with this one (it turned out well, not that one deal proves anything). Part of it may just be what you feel comfortable with--if you're ok with the occasional telephone number, go ahead. It's certainly a situation where you should be nervous bidding, which makes it all the more important that, if you do bid, you do so confidently. It doesn't rate to be easy for your opps to judge what's going on so it could put them to a difficult decision. At the least if you consistently bid on hands like this one you will become known as a dangerous opponent. I like that reputation.

Kenny Z said...

Call me an old fashioned fuddy duddy, but I cannot imagine bidding with this hand. IF the opponents are in a lawful contract, I'll probably get no worse than an average minus. If I defend better than the field, I'll do better than that. Even if ift is our hand, what possible reason do I have to think spades is the right trump suit? There's nothing stopping partner from having a stiff or even a void in the suit. Is he supposed to know to rescue me with A KX QJXX XXXXXX?