Sunday, July 13, 2008

How Much?

You have
AKxx
9xx
JTx
Kxx
Only you are vulnerable and RHO opens 1D in first position. This is passed around to your partner who reopens with a double. What do you bid?

2 comments:

Memphis MOJO said...

I talked to one of the walkers (the third one is already in Las Vegas). He bid 2 spades without much thought. I prefer 1NT. It just doesn't look like a 2S bid to me.

One reason I'm able to do that (even without a diamond stopper) is that I play 1NT shows a fair hand, something like 8 to 10 HCP (but + or - 1 if that looks like the best bid). Also, I am of the Jeff Rubens school in that I don't think you need a diamond stopper if everything else about your hand is ok.

In considering other bids: I don't like 1S or 2NT. I guess I'd always just bid 1NT or 2S.

What do you think?

Becker said...

I bid 2 spades at the table--it looks right on values but obviously the distribution stinks. On the bright side, as one friend pointed out, partner can take the inference that you don't have a decent 5 card suit because you would have overcalled. One no is also right on values, and in a pinch like this looks very reasonable with just the one flaw. One spade looks wimpy, but there are arguments in favor of it as well since partner isn't promising very much with the balancing double. I guess next time I'll bid 1 no, but that may have been influenced by the result on this one hand (we got a little too high).