[1eyedjack]

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MP, best hand South

I struggled to make 4S on the nose. Before dummy hit I was worried about missing 6, and I feel that I might have bid 4S on something a bit less than what I had. I certainly thought that 4S would be a shoe-in and fully expected an overtrick. A few pairs with my hand did get too high.

I personally feel that as South gets another bid, North should initially pass, but I don't have a strong opinion and would be interested in how others feel. Accordingly, this is more for personal interest than a suggestion that GIB needs reprogramming (certainly not a priority fix, if so).

[steve2005]

sure not the best 1♠ bid ever but you have all those ♠ honors so it cant. with 4 lousy ♠ would pass

but with 5♠ and 6 pts (5 hcp +1 for doubleton) is a min bid and it has 3♣ so is unlikely to get into trouble f you don't like ♠

[ArtK78]

If North doesn't show its spades now it may not get another chance. I don't have any problem with the 1♠ bid.

By the way - struggled to make 4♠ on the nose? Doesn't look too difficult to me. Once spades are 2-2 it is just a question of whether you are making 4 or 5. Just play hearts before spades so you can avoid the diamond tap.

[1eyedjack]

ArtK78, on 2014-April-27, 08:39, said:

By the way - struggled to make 4♠ on the nose? Doesn't look too difficult to me. Once spades are 2-2 it is just a question of whether you are making 4 or 5. Just play hearts before spades so you can avoid the diamond tap.

Yes you are right. I was unaware of the trump break at the time when I had to commit between losing Club finesse to Q or losing H finesse to K. Sweating unnecessarily as it turns out. If it goes C:J round to Q followed by C:Ace, C ruff and H through I still make due to 2-2 trumps

[1eyedjack]

Thanks for the responses and votes, all. I confess to some surprise at the unanimity of opinion, but clearly that is down to me.

It is not just the thin 4S games we can get into. There is also a risk of getting one too high if I jump raise to 3S (clearly on a weaker hand than the one held). Or if I don't have a Spade fit and jump to 2N with 18+

[ArtK78]

Life is tough. And then you die.

Too much worrying.

In the long run, aggressive bidding works better than passive bidding. It is best if you raise the level of your play to match your bidding.

Sheinwold said something about learning how to play bad contracts due to his and his partner's rotten bidding. I don't remember the quote.

[1eyedjack]

And yet, there has to be a limit. Taking your argument to its logical conclusion, to respond 1S on a 4 count is more aggressive than to do so on a 5 count. So that must be a good thing, right? And if so, then to do so on a 3 count must therefore be an improvement yet again. And so ad infinitum.

There are a lot of 2N contracts that no amount of magical declarer play is going to bring home the bacon.

All that I am suggesting is that the opponents have provided an opportunity to divide up responder's ranges, by reason of giving opener a rebid without placing on responder an obligation to take action purely for the purpose of keeping the bidding open. I am not suggesting that we should give up on the auction entirely.

Of course I take the point that unless responder bids 1S immediately, the opportunity (with safety) may be lost forever. I am not saying that passing is risk free. But a 5 card suit headed by the 10 often behaves like a 4 card suit. Maybe I am just trying to be too precise.

[Bbradley62]

1eyedjack, on 2014-April-27, 13:20, said:

And yet, there has to be a limit.

GIB does have a stated minimum: 6 total points. I expect that if he had a low club instead of the J, he would pass.

[1eyedjack]

Bbradley62, on 2014-April-27, 14:06, said:

GIB does have a stated minimum: 6 total points. I expect that if he had a low club instead of the J, he would pass.

Yeah I am not suggesting that GIB is behaving irrationally, or outside of the parameters of its own published system. I only question whether it is behaving optimally. And as it seems to be the way a lot of humans bid anyway, it is probably a question not proper to the robot forum anyway. And as I said in the opening post, I have no violent objection; just a mere suspicion that it is not optimal, or at least does not take advantage of opportunities available.

But I see that I am in a minority. If, that is, 4 votes (to date) is significant.