[hijumper]

You hold a hand: none vs Vul (opps)
S AQxxx
H 9876
D xxx
C x

Assume you play 2/1 and you hear an auction:
p(you)-p-1H(your pd)-1S(RHO)
? (you)

Please choose your answer and give a short comment.

Why I can't post the poll? I list them here:
1.Pass
2.1nt
3.2h
4.2s
5,3h
4,4h

[wank]

i'm in a minority of 1 currently, but in terms of playing strength i think this is about a limit raise so i'll bid 2S.

i've got an extra trump, a singleton and 2 likely spade tricks.

hopefully, by not pre-empting partner we'll see if my singleton is actually good or not.

[nigel_k]

This is not a limit raise for me. Opposite an unpassed partner and opponents not having bid my long suit it would be a minimum limit raise. But I have to allow for partner opening light and, though my AQ of spades are two tricks, they won't fit with anything partner has and we won't be able to establish a long spade. If the hand is too good for a jump to 3♥ in our methods and we don't have any other way to show a distributional raise I would just bid 2♥.

[the hog]

2H looks obvious to me.

[Venom]

wank, on 2010-October-31, 16:15, said:

i'm in a minority of 1 currently, but in terms of playing strength i think this is about a limit raise so i'll bid 2S.

i've got an extra trump, a singleton and 2 likely spade tricks.

hopefully, by not pre-empting partner we'll see if my singleton is actually good or not.

you are now a minority of two 2!

This is a 7-loser hand with 4 trumps, and a stiff club. Conservatively, this is worth at least a mixed raise: in terms of playing/ support strength it feels like a G.I. raise to me.

Please don't be a "point-counter" and tell me that you only have X number of points: less relevent as the hand becomes more distributional. The hand might very well cross-ruff itself to 10 tricks before the opps can inhale.


DHL/ DON aka Double !

[Fluffy]

2 tricks... is that good?, with 2 aces it would be close, because aces are wortho more than 1 trick, but AQxxx is 2 tricks at most. A 2♥ raise normally offers 2 to 3 covers this hand is just as good.

BTW if LHO bid 1♠ you are playing anticlockwise bridge

[hijumper]

Fluffy, on 2010-November-01, 15:54, said:

2 tricks... is that good?, with 2 aces it would be close, because aces are wortho more than 1 trick, but AQxxx is 2 tricks at most. A 2♥ raise normally offers 2 to 3 covers this hand is just as good.

BTW if LHO bid 1♠ you are playing anticlockwise bridge

Thank you for pointing out the mistake. I correct the LHO to RHO.

[mike777]

the hog, on 2010-October-31, 19:00, said:

2H looks obvious to me.

ditto

[mtvesuvius]

2♥ for me as well.

[Gerben42]

Also put me in for a limit raise. ♠AQ are great cards, singleton ♣, 9th trump... What would 2NT be by the way? As my hand is really a mixed raise.

[P_Marlowe]

3H - assuming this to be a preemptive raise with 4 trumps.

You are certainly supermax for the bid, but you are

#1 too strong for 2H, depending on agreement set, I would do this
with out any of your honours, just with the shape
#2 too weak for an inv. raise

There are raise structures in competition, which would allow you,
to sell this hand as a "in-between" hand / a mixed raise, which
would be a good description of the hand, but absent this agreement
set, I would go with 3H, that showes 4 trumps, some shape, and some
offensive power.

With kind regards
Marlowe

PS: The decison, what to bid is also strongly influenced by partnership
style, if your partnership tends to raise conservative, and would pass
with the same hand without all the spade honors / without the Ace, than
this would strengthen the single and the jump raise, and this would than
maybe favor 2H over 3H, or make a 3H bid clear cut.
Lots of those problems are all about the question - How partner is "ticking",
and does he know, how I am "ticking".

[gszeszycki]

xxx Kxxx Axx xxx
is a fair and reasonable 2h bid

AQxxx (with spades on right) xxxx xxx x is way so much better that not bidding 4h should be considered almost a criminal offense.

Most partners will not open light in 3rd chair completely lacking spades (which is obviously the case here) so opener will generally
have a decent hand for 3rd chair 1h bid.

This hand has not just 2 spade tricks but easily 4 tricks (2 club ruffs) and maybe even 5 tricks. It is also somewhat weak on overall power making the more
nebulous cue bid a poor choice as it gives opener the wrong impression of our defensive abilities should the opponents drift to a
minor suit.

[bucky]

Venom, on 2010-November-01, 14:58, said:

you are now a minority of two 2!

This is a 7-loser hand with 4 trumps, and a stiff club. Conservatively, this is worth at least a mixed raise: in terms of playing/ support strength it feels like a G.I. raise to me.

Please don't be a "point-counter" and tell me that you only have X number of points: less relevent as the hand becomes more distributional. The hand might very well cross-ruff itself to 10 tricks before the opps can inhale.


DHL/ DON aka Double !

Standard loser count shows 8 losers, this hand is slightly worse than average 8-loser though, since 4th and 5th spades won't be winners. But the singleton is nice.