[whereagles]

MPs, national sim

V vs NV you hold:

♠ 105
♥ K7643
♦ AK7
♣ 752

Pard RHO you
pass 1♣ ...??

[mr1303]

This one I pass. 3 small clubs and a suit headed by the K7 is not enough V vs NV

[cherdano]

If it's right to pass with a 5-card major and 10 nice hcp just because partner is a passed hand, then bridge is too difficult a game for me.
There is a good chance we belong in 2♥ or 3♥, and bidding 1♥ is the way to find out.

[eagles123]

I would pass in a flash our hearts are rubbish

[the hog]

Obvious 1h overcall. Passing is poor.

[ggwhiz]

So after you pass it goes 1nt back to you and? You can come in at the 2 level at much greater risk or pass again to the ♠2 lead.

[eagles123]

I am so confused by this, it seems by the responses/vote count that it's a 1H overcall but I just don't get it and wanting to learn as always:

- We don't particularly want a H lead against their contract
- we're at the risk of being done for pens
- P might expect more at this vulnerability

where am I going wrong in my thinking

Eagles

[Jinksy]

I'm also a passer, and to add to eagles' list, we have the death holding in clubs. Switch them with my spades, and I'd venture it.

[mgoetze]

eagles123, on 2015-January-17, 09:28, said:

I am so confused by this, it seems by the responses/vote count that it's a 1H overcall but I just don't get it and wanting to learn as always:

- We don't particularly want a H lead against their contract
- we're at the risk of being done for pens
- P might expect more at this vulnerability

where am I going wrong in my thinking

Eagles

- Actually we do want a heart lead against many potential enemy contracts, especially 1NT.
- There are times to worry about getting doubled for penalties at the 1 level ... they are exceedingly rare and this is not one of them.
- Partner might need to adjust his expectations.

[ggwhiz]

eagles123, on 2015-January-17, 09:28, said:

- We don't particularly want a H lead against their contract
- we're at the risk of being done for pens
- P might expect more at this vulnerability

- a heart lead is strongly preferred to a low spade, has positive potential with a little help from pard and is often at worst neutral when the king was always onside
- very slight chance. Selling out quietly to the partscore of the opponents choice is asking for a long string of -110 results and -1100 can be the same zero as -110
- might be a learning curve but the ability of your partner to put them under pressure and bump them up to something you can defeat is a balancing act that pays big dividends

I found the Mike Lawrence book on Overcalls to be very good and if the opponent had opened 1♠ on your actual hand I would pass and then be faced with what to do after 1nt or 2♠ passed back to me. Lawrence also has a good book on Balancing, when/why and how to pressure the opponents while minimizing (not eliminating) the risk. The two go hand in glove for matchpoint strategy.

[Jinksy]

I'm not worried about getting penalised at the one-level nearly as much as encouraging P to overcompete, or giving the opps info when they (likely) win the hand. At MPs especially, 2♥ or 3♥ -2 both look worryingly likely. The last thing I want is for P to 'put them under pressure' - there's too high a chance they'll succumb to it.

[jogs]

1♥. Have no idea which bid works best.
Just know I wouldn't like to see

pass - 1♦ - pass - 1♠
pass - 2♠

Jinksy, on 2015-January-17, 11:20, said:

I'm not worried about getting penalised at the one-level nearly as much as encouraging P to overcompete, or giving the opps info when they (likely) win the hand.

Passed hands should stop punishing pd for being aggressive. To go to the 3 level pd should hold 4 card support and a singleton.

[Phil]

1♥. Not even a minimum.

[PhantomSac]

Passing this hand would be playing a different game than I am used to. I can't even comment on the relative merits of it as I have never done it.

[akwoo]

I couldn't imagine forming a regular partnership with someone who thought this was a pass, because they'll overcompete to the 3 level when I bid, and I'll wrongly sell out to 2♣ or 2♠ when they don't.

[quiddity]

Feels very close to me. I'd probably overcall because "5-card major and 10 nice hcp" but I'd be scared. Obviously it is not just partner being a passed hand, we're vulnerable with no trick source, no spot cards, and the two-little spades take away some of the upside. When we have a fit we're likely to be outbid. When we don't we're left praying for the opponents to rescue us. It's not the risk of getting doubled in 1♥ (though that could happen), we could easily end up with a terrible result on a normal continuation like when LHO passes and partner bids 1NT.

[mike777]

whereagles, on 2015-January-17, 03:18, said:

MPs, national sim

V vs NV you hold:

♠ 105
♥ K7643
♦ AK7
♣ 752

Pard RHO you
pass 1♣ ...??

Good post and thread, I learned something from the posters, thanks.

[the hog]

akwoo, on 2015-January-17, 16:13, said:

I couldn't imagine forming a regular partnership with someone who thought this was a pass, because they'll overcompete to the 3 level when I bid, and I'll wrongly sell out to 2♣ or 2♠ when they don't.

I agree with this. A passer is not a partner I would eve rcontemplate playing with. Perhaps the passers have never heard of cue raises?

[madhu1955]

cherdano, on 2015-January-17, 04:59, said:

If it's right to pass with a 5-card major and 10 nice hcp just because partner is a passed hand, then bridge is too difficult a game for me.
There is a good chance we belong in 2♥ or 3♥, and bidding 1♥ is the way to find out.

Recently we won the Kakinada Tournament because I declined to overcall an almost Identical hand (A8xxx H, 10 HCP). Opps played in 3NT for 430. At the other table, bidding went 1C-1H-Dbl-all pass for 1100

[Mbodell]

I'd have thought 2♥ is almost as "good" a bid as pass here. Surprised this isn't a WTP 1♥.