[Mbodell]

Scoring: MP

P - 1♥ - P - 1♠
P - 2♦ - P - 2♠
P - 3♦ - P - 3♥
All pass

3♥S-2 for -200 and 2/15 MP
(down 1 would have been 4/15 and +110 5.5/15)

---

Playing 2/1 with weak nt.
2♠ over 1♥ would have been natural and weak.
3♣ over 1♥ would have been invitational and natural and usually single suited (usually no fit for ♥)
3♣ over 2♦ would have been artificial and forcing to game.

[hanp]

So what was 3D over 2S, and how do I vote for "entirely south".

[rogerclee]

South's decision not to pass 2S is really illogical to me. Partner usually has a constructive hand with 6 spades, so he decided to

1) Show extra values when he had a nonfitting minimum
2) Raise the level with no expectation of a fit
3) Change it from 2M to 3m at matchpoints

North's decision also seems very strange to me. With a great side trick source and 5 bad spades it is not surprising at all that NT will actually outplay spades. 2S will work a little better when partner is 2-1 in the blacks but this is a narrow target. 2N is better because

1) It shows values
2) 2S is a dumb spot every time partner has a stiff spade
3) If partner is 6-4 we will at least play in hearts, which is going to be a more sane spot than spades on average
4) If partner has 2+C we're a big favorite to be able to run clubs

Also assuming south's bidding showed extras, north should have just bid 3N over 3D.

In terms of blame this really adds up to being north's fault, though I think south's decision to bid 3D was more terrible in general.

[Jlall]

Not bidding 3N is retarded, sorry. Partner usually has like 5-5 16-17 or something and we are 1-1 with 9 and opt to play 3H instead of 3N... ROFL?!?!?!

Who knows where your tricks are coming from but partner usually has 2 clubs since with 2551 he would raise spades, so it's not like you have no source of tricks, but why try and play a 5-1 fit? Yes partner might be 6-1, but then how awesome is 3H going to be.

3H is just really really really really really really bad.

3D is an overbid by at least a queen (a concentrated primed out 15 is def a min for 3D), and overbidding by a queen in a normal auction is pretty dumb. That being said, south made the winning bid! 3N was cold. I'm not trying to result, 3D is a bad bid, but I would literally lol when i saw my dummy in 3H. Wtf.

Basically I think 3D at least can get lucky and has some upside and is just a super aggressive/retardedly aggressive view. Bidding 3H is completely absurd.

I cannot get over it... YOU HAVE A SINGLETON HEART AND 9 POINTS! LOL.

[Jlall]

Even if I was 5116 with like a 6-7 count I would probably bid 3N and just hope something good happened because 5-1 fits are pretty bad, especially when you're stiff in partners other 5 card suit!

[Jlall]

So say someone told you that your partner was either:

5-5 16-17 or
6-5 13-16

with less than 2 spades.

And your hand was QT8xx x x AKT9xx. Your options are to bid 3H or 3N (and if you bid 3N you get to 4H opposite the latter hand type). Whats your bid? lol

[Codo]

I think that Justin had a big point:
3 ♥ was so bad that it really outscores any other bid. Where is the hand where I can make more tricks in hearts then in NT? So why not try 3 NT. Who knows, after a quite normal club lead, I may even make it.
And the lay out is so surprisingly good that 3 NT always make....

[jdonn]

I was thinking exactly what jlall wrote except I wasn't having a hernia about it. But what the heck, 3♥? North might even bid 2NT the round before.

Han I understand 3♦ is bad but you can't vote entirely south when north made the worst bid we will see in a month!

[Mbodell]

Ok, so lots of people think each person made at least one really bad bid. So the 3♥ should have been 3nt and the 3♦ should have been pass. Was the rest of the auction how you would bid? Was 2♠ the correct final contract given these methods and hands?

[CSGibson]

I played 2♠ making at my table, but we play a system where shapely openings can be light, so I, as the north hand, have to really have my bid for 2N. We also rarely raise with 3 spades, so partner can have 0-3 spades on the auction. After a 3 diamond rebid, 3N is clear.

[MarkDean]

I would bid 2NT on the second round with North. It is a bit of an overbid, but 2♠ might play really badly. The club spots are really good, so if parnter has 2, we should be ok.

I agree with others that the rest of the auction was not best.

[Jlall]

Mbodell, on May 6 2010, 08:30 PM, said:

Ok, so lots of people think each person made at least one really bad bid. So the 3♥ should have been 3nt and the 3♦ should have been pass. Was the rest of the auction how you would bid? Was 2♠ the correct final contract given these methods and hands?

2S and 2N are both reasonable to me and frankly compared to the quality of the errors other than that it is irrelevant since both are fine and NS have other things to work on. I think I would go with 2S but I don't know, 2N could be better.

[mcphee]

The C suit quality and soft S convince me the 2N rebid from N at least has the chance of hitting a home run. S could be 1-5-4-3 even or 3N might prove easy opposite Jx of C. S made a common error thinking it was safe to rebid his D for shape when the values were not there. This would be the same player that j/s's to 3D with 16 when 5/5 I suppose.

S made an overbid which really should have pushed N to the lucky 3N landing spot . N thought he was to take preference with this best singleton?