[phil_20686]

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I was east here.

I didnt want to bid 2C vul vcs not with such a powerful hand, and I didnt want to double and have partner bid 4H over 3S. Partner was a passed hand so slam was out of the picture realistically. I thought aswell that 3N here would usually show a reasonable hand based around a long minor and a spade suit.

Would you have bid 3N? After the 3N bid, do you think that you should west should bid? 5c would be p/c here on the grounds that it cannot realistically be anything else.

South led a heart, and that was -1.

[Cyberyeti]

Partner can't remove 3N, if he does, he'll find you have Axx, Ax, xx, AKQxxx and 3N was cold but 5♣ has almost no play.

I would overcall 2♣ or X intending to bid it as a balanced 19-20, but that's a matter of style and agreements, I don't like 3N with 2 suits open.

[rhm]

What do you really want to know?
Do you want us to condone your cleverness?
You gambled and you lost your gamble. That's in the nature of gambling.

Do you want to know whether I frown upon gambling in Bridge?
Personally I do not but the conditions matter.
And you should be prepared to accept the consequences.

Rainer Herrmann

[whereagles]

I don't think there was any need to gamble. Hand is easy to bid otherwise.

Still, not sure you would escape the doomed 3NT on a more normal auction.

[mcphee]

Bidding 3N on the strenght of your partners red suit stops seems a bit rich when you cam bid 2C and easily reach game. Unless you start doing it with no spade stop and have a shot at a lucky lead. Bidding 3N was making a decision that was not yours to make.

[neilkaz]

You took a shot with 3NT and it didn't work. Why was this posted as an ATB? Of course west is supposed to pass 3NT!!

[MrAce]

I think I am the only one who has sympathy for 3 NT. Perhaps you should have given only E hand and ask what to bid, then use spoiler for expected choices. 2 Cl for example will receive a cue (2 sp) and give the ball back to readers. I just can't see the point of ATB when W had an obvious pass which he did.

[PhantomSac]

I doubt anyone is going to not play 3N whatever the auction (unless the opps bids hearts), but it still strikes me as a bad bid. I don't think the alternative is to overcall 2C, our hand is way too strong for that, it is to double and bid clubs (or NT) showing a hand too strong to overcall directly.

[MrAce]

PhantomSac, on 2014-August-08, 11:37, said:

I doubt anyone is going to not play 3N whatever the auction (unless the opps bids hearts), but it still strikes me as a bad bid. I don't think the alternative is to overcall 2C, our hand is way too strong for that, it is to double and bid clubs (or NT) showing a hand too strong to overcall directly.

Exactly, most auctions will end up in 3 NT. If so direct 3 NT on this hand w/o too much info seems OK to me. It's at least better than 2 clubs IMHO. I would show this hand probably dbl then NT which would end up in same failing 3 NT

[dake50]

Unfortunate opponents fail in 4H. Otherwise a big gain.

[phil_20686]

mcphee, on 2014-August-08, 09:02, said:

Bidding 3N on the strenght of your partners red suit stops seems a bit rich when you cam bid 2C and easily reach game. Unless you start doing it with no spade stop and have a shot at a lucky lead. Bidding 3N was making a decision that was not yours to make.

I really don't think that 2C is an option. You can dble or bid 3N I think.

[helene_t]

Assuming that 3NT denies a red suit stopper I think W needs to pull. There are not many hands which E can have that make 3NT better than 5♣. I think I would be in 4♣+1.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

the only problem I have with 3NT is, that even with a spade attack,
you dont have 9 sure tricks, even when clubs do break, I can only
count 8.
So I think 3NT is an overbid, not a huge one, but an overbid, X
followed by bidding 2NT will also lead to -1 in 3NT, but at least you
got partner involved to show some life.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[gszes]

It is hardly a horrible call when all I need is something like
xx Axxx xxxx xxx in order to have a superb shot at 3N. There is
nothing we can bid that will allow us to get to 3n opposite a
hand like that. The particular hand given should arrive at 5c
(if one chooses to take a slower x or 2c bid) but your p has way
more power than they need for 3n to be successful and 3N is going
for the big payout.

Granted that a 3n bid might cause us to miss a slam but that is
very unlikely. Also note that 3n down 1 is better than the opps
making 3 hearts so it isn't all bad anyway.

[WellSpyder]

I would probably double at the table. Then when 3NT proved to be an easy make I would wonder why I didn't just bid it directly over the opening bid....

[the hog]

This is a x, not a 3NT bid. The blame? 100 percent to East.