[jillybean]

First time in the club for a while, playing with a fellow Kiwi, we had a top 59% game.
No matter where I come, there are always hands to review.

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MP

[mw64ahw]

I'd Pass

[mikeh]

Close. I’d bid with the diamond 10. Without it, I pass

[Huibertus]

If you can be sure partner will always describe his hand accurately before making a quantitative invite with non 4333 hands without a 4 card major, so you know how to evaluate your own hand, then he is 4333 without a 4 card major and this is a pass.

If you aren't sure it is impossible to decide as he might well have a source of tricks like a 5 card minor that makes 6 cold, in which case pass and 6NT are equally bad gambles.

[Cyberyeti]

Huibertus, on 2025-August-05, 04:22, said:

If you can be sure partner will always describe his hand accurately before making a quantitative invite with non 4333 hands without a 4 card major, so you know how to evaluate your own hand, then he is 4333 without a 4 card major and this is a pass.

If you aren't sure it is impossible to decide as he might well have a source of tricks like a 5 card minor that makes 6 cold, in which case pass and 6NT are equally bad gambles.

I have the ability to put the cube back to partner so I bid 5N to show a decent but not stellar 16 and let partner look at his shape and intermediates and decide (yes he can have 5m).

If you put a gun to my head and said 4 or 6, I'd bid 6.

[eagles123]

I think it's a clear accept. We have 16, which already puts our hand at above average, with most 15-17 NT's being 15. 3 Aces can hardly be a bad thing. Sure, Qx clubs isn't ideal, but may well fill in partners suit. Not saying it's guaranteed to make, but I do think it's pretty clear to bid 6N here.

[pescetom]

I would Pass, I'm only barely tempted. Yes, the Aces and 4432 make it a good 16, but the red suits without intermediates and the clubs Qx are negatives.

[jillybean]

I like the 5N pass the decision back to partner treatment. Is a cue bid/4N probing for the grand?

[fred]

I think this is a clear accept. Being 4432 instead of 4333 is a massive plus.

It would be nice to cater to the possibility of 6D on a 4-4 fit rather than just blasting 6NT. How exactly to do that is a matter of partnership. For example, you could try this over 4NT:

- 5x is an accept with a strong 4-card suit (in x)
- 6x is an accept with at least a reasonable 5-card suit (in x)
- 5NT is an accept that allows partner to suggest a trump suit. You could do this with the actual hand and, if partner bids 6C, bid 6D next.

(not suggesting this is "optimal", but for me at least it is intuitive and easy to remember, partly because I like to play that 5NT is almost always a choice-of-slams in non-Blackwood auctions)

With a non-expert partner I would be unwilling to bid anything other than 6NT without prior discussion.

[WasWinM]

Absent decent spot cards and with a lame duck doubleton I’m downgrading to pass.
Edit: Just read Fred’s post and admit I hadn’t even considered this hand in light of a suited slam. Quite an eye opener.