[Double !]

casual, late night friendly game, everyone is sleepy, some more than others.

scoring is imp pairs
you are red, opps are white

lho deals and passes, partner passes, rho bids 1 heart,
you hold the following

♠ J
♥ A Q J 3
♦ A 5 3
♣ K J 6 5 3

your call:

tyia

DHL

[mikeh]

2♣, I guess. The ♠ suit is too sick for me to overcall 1NT and I don't like passing with this strong a hand since we may miss a game.

[iggygork]

Jlall, on Jan 22 2007, 04:47 PM, said:

1N I guess. The club suit is too sick for me to overcall and I don't like passing with this strong a hand since we may miss a game.

To paraphrase a well known expert or two, I pass as the club suit is too sick for me to overcall and the spade suit is too sick for me to overcall 1NT. There was an exhortation in bridge books a while back to pass with length in opponent's suit(s) unless one had overwhelming strength, but the other comments seem to indicate that that has gone the way of the horse cart and snail mail. I will just hope that I can do something intelligent on the later rounds of the auction.

[mike777]

2clubs. taking a risk and bidding my longest suit with only 16 hcp in my hand.

[gwnn]

conservative passer here... 3NT seems far from probable (not cause of their opening, but cause our pd's pass). our future plus scores rate to come from defending maybe?

[iggygork]

Jlall, on Jan 22 2007, 05:27 PM, said:

iggygork, on Jan 22 2007, 05:09 PM, said:

[pass]... I will just hope that I can do something intelligent on the later rounds of the auction.

There lies the problem...

Indeed therein lies the problem. I think this hand will partition the responders into the expected three camps: 2C, pass and 1NT (in descending order of popularity). The question is which of these actions will result in a positive IMP expectation (2C and 1NT reaching some game making, possibly through the misdescriptions of suit quality (2C) or hand type (1NT) leading to misdefense in 3NT versus pass and then defending something doubled with no game our way). Of course, there is always the hideous possibility of (1♥)-1NT-(X)....

I really do not like the idea of playing some number of spades in our 5-1 or 6-1 fit after 1NT and a transfer and my gut feeling is that pard will look at the colors and bid 3NT with some subminimum hands expecting the clubs to come in. I have nowhere near the experience Justin has, so, absent a simulation, I am passing but am willing to be convinced that action is warranted.

[mike777]

I must admit I am surprised by the passers, sure my suit is not great but i would overcall 2clubs with less than this. I just get stolen blind if I pass.

[Winstonm]

2C. I wish the club suit were better but I do have compensating values and the hand does not look No-trumpy to me. Passing this much hand is a pretty deep position to take IMO, and nothing is risk free, including pass.

[han]

These don't seem the right colors to pass, at favorable I would go for it. I tell my partners I don't overcall 2C with such a suit so I'd better stick with it: 1NT. I don't like it, but it seems the least of evils.

[pclayton]

Put me in the 2♣ grouping, but just barely.

I'm not that paranoid about 1N; the 5-1 probably plays pretty nicely anyway. If my pard bid 1N I wouldn't mind either.

[civill]

2♣ is valuable at this position,I think.

[Winstonm]

Jlall, on Jan 22 2007, 04:47 PM, said:

1N I guess. The club suit is too sick for me to overcall and I don't like passing with this strong a hand since we may miss a game.

If you hold the hand upside down the 6 of clubs turns into the 9 - or you can always claim lysdexia - I mean, dyslexia.

[helene_t]

1NT, wtp.

[the hog]

1NT. I really don't think the C suit is worth bidding and if I pass this makes the auction too hard later.

[gwnn]

No, but really, who can construct a hand that shan't reopen with X or 1♠ and 3NT is a good 40% game?

[SteelWheel]

Pass. What huddle?

[whereagles]

I'm ok with passing, though with a weak pard I might try 2♣.