[dickiegera]

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What is your bid?

[kenberg]

I balance less and less as I age. Partner probably has few hearts and didn't act, that tells me something. I see three tricks in my hand but what do I do for an encore? Cowardly or wise, I don't know, but I pass it out.

[MrAce]

When we ask hands with 11-15 hcp and 5332 shape what to do over weak 2♥, most good players here prefer to pass, which I agree. That is because we rely on partner balancing. Obviously we may have a pd who passed with such a hand but that does not mean we need to balance every hand. I am not worried about my shape but about where my values are. White vs White I totally understand the pass especially at IMPs. Risk/gain ratio is important.

At MP, however, I very rarely get good results leaving them in 2 major. Bidding can also win when it is wrong. Doubling a part score is still one of the taboos for many players, even at MP, so we may get away with it when it is wrong, or it can be right for this hand or they may feel like competing which means that they will play 1 level higher to get the same result (that is an extra ace for defense, for us). So I would definitely make a move at MP.

[SteveMoe]

MrAce, on 2017-February-03, 14:01, said:

When we ask hands with 11-15 hcp and 5332 shape what to do over weak 2♥, most good players here prefer to pass, which I agree. That is because we rely on partner balancing. Obviously we may have a pd who passed with such a hand but that does not mean we need to balance every hand. I am not worried about my shape but about where my values are. White vs White I totally understand the pass especially at IMPs. Risk/gain ratio is important.

At MP, however, I very rarely get good results leaving them in 2 major. Bidding can also win when it is wrong. Doubling a part score is still one of the taboos for many players, even at MP, so we may get away with it when it is wrong, or it can be right for this hand or they may feel like competing which means that they will play 1 level higher to get the same result (that is an extra ace for defense, for us). So I would definitely make a move at MP.

I agree with your matchpoint sentiment. However when we hold AK in their suit, then they will have cards we need in other suits to make a contract viable for us. AK2 is too heavy in their suit for me to act here, IMHO.

[gszes]

If I had a holding in hearts like KQT I would not hesitate to pass but here the AK work well opposite almost any holding p might have. There are far too many instances where p has a 5/6 card minor and a fair hand but has to pass due to suit quality. Whatever p needs we have. It can indeed be wrong but will almost never be spectacularly wrong. Game is certainly not out of the question though it looks sort of far off. I can almost understand a pass at MP but at imps it seems almost criminal.

X marks the spot

[xavierf]

The AK in H are too ugly in imp,
P will often not have enough to make a game, especially if you overcall not too conservative.

In mp i would dbl and hope i can get a plus score or they go to 3H.

[maartenxq]

Think you must act here at any scoring. We may make something, we may have a save, they can bid (wrongly) higher. Some days we will go for a number but that's life. Reasoning like this bidding is 75% on. These are better odds than the 50% you get in any lottery: either you win or you loose.
Maarten Baltussen