[ahydra]

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EW vul, MPs, both sides playing weak NT 4cM. Do you agree with pass on the first round? Now do you take the penalty or try to find a vul game of some sort?

ahydra

[nullve]

pass (LoTT)

[eagles123]

pass we could be caning this

[steve2005]

Is not a clear pass. You may have big heart fit, possibly even game.
This may make or hearts scoring better.

[NickRW]

 ahydra, on 2017-June-20, 05:29, said:

Do you agree with pass on the first round?
Now do you take the penalty or try to find a vul game of some sort?

Yes and take the money

[MrAce]

 ahydra, on 2017-June-20, 05:29, said:

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EW vul, MPs, both sides playing weak NT 4cM. Do you agree with pass on the first round? Now do you take the penalty or try to find a vul game of some sort?

ahydra

If you are not going to pass now, you should not have passed first round. Because if you bid now, depending on your choice it will either be overbid or underbid.

 steve2005, on 2017-June-20, 06:34, said:

Is not a clear pass. You may have big heart fit, <snip>

Since when 4-4 fits are called "big fit"? And this is assuming that pd has 4 hearts. which is not guaranteed.

[rmnka447]

I'd pass in a flash.

You look to have at least 2 tricks in ♣ and have an additional QT besides.

If partner has the 15-17 balanced hand, you could be looking at a phone number set.

Yeah, it's possible that you might have game, but it's also possible that no game exists and a +300 takes all the marbles. This is one of those
"bird in hand" situations. Take the fairly assured positive.

The first pass is right, you need a little more 11-12 for a negative double on a flat hand at the 3 level.

[The_Badger]

At rubber bridge or teams it is a cinch to pass. At MP pairs I might take into account how bold the opps are/aren't, and whether their pre-empts are solid, semi-solid or flaky. Though personally I wouldn't relish playing this hand in 3NT - no guarantee partner has 4♥s - if ♣s are 7-4-1-1 around the table, as everything else is unlikely to break, so I come down that passing at MP pairs is the best option too, and what most other players in the room will be doing with this holding.

[Kaitlyn S]

Agree with first pass.

I suspect 3NT is going to play quite well, with spade and diamond finesses expected to win and the clubs double-stopped (not that North has much in the way of entries anyway.)

That being said, with the garbage that people preempt on, the score for 3Cx might be better than the score for 3NT. So I pass unless my opponents are known to be sound preemptors; for if partner has little enough to make 3NT a struggle, we're not getting rich against a sound 3C bid.

[Winstonm]

First pass at the 3-level is automatic IMO.

If you don't pass the reopening double you are making life in the future too difficult for your partner who may be pushing his own bid a bit. Preempts work. Don't make it worse by forcing partner to have a hand he may not have.

[ggwhiz]

I also suspect 3nt will play well but 4♥ could be much better or much worse on bad splits or if partner has only 3 of them.

Since I can't tell or offer the choice I'll take the plus score right here and depending on the personality/style of north it may be a rather large number or if west is my regular partner they may just have short clubs with modest values and I can't tell that either.

I don't mind the occasional 40%ish score on tough hands to keep the zeros out of play.

Also I pass the first time as I need a 2nd reasonable landing spot for a negative double and this hand doesn't have one.

[ahydra]

Looks like there's plenty of support for pass, which is what I did at the table and picked up +300. When partner showed up with four hearts I was disappointed, but it turns out he had a measly ♠AJ64 ♥A986 ♦J10865 ♣- and there just aren't ten winners in 4H (and in fact only 7 tricks in NT). 300 was worth 90% or so.

ahydra

[nige1]

 ahydra, on 2017-June-20, 05:29, said:

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EW vul, MPs, both sides playing weak NT 4cM. Do you agree with pass on the first round? Now do you take the penalty or try to find a vul game of some sort?

IMO, Ahydra's penalty pass deserved to succeed.

[neilkaz]

 nige1, on 2017-June-21, 20:32, said:

IMO, Ahydra's penalty pass deserved to succeed.

Agreed as far too many preempts go unpunished. Of course, trying for such does risk the occasional disaster.