[Free]

You're at a high level tournament, MP scoring.

The bidding goes:
pass - pass - 1♥ - ???

What do you bid with following hand?

Scoring: MP

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OOPS, forgot 3NT in the options Can a moderator add this plz?

[mr1303]

2C. I expect more bidding, and I think a slow approach looks best

[joker_gib]

2♣

[whereagles]

Hum... 4♣ or 5♣, depending on how the wind blows, followed by double if opps bid over it.

3NT may well be the spot, but I can't see how to reach it sensibly, so I'll just take charge and take unilateral action.

[flytoox]

I cannot see any bid other than 2C. You need pd to have CK and H stopper plus sth in Diamond to make 3N. If he has so much I am sure he will raise to 3C or do sth else.

Forget any game and try to win a partscore at the moment. 2C is the best start.

[MickyB]

Your hand is way too defensive to think that opps should have game if pard doesn't have much for you, so 5♣ is betting we have game pretty much. 2♣ seems obvious

[Gerardo]

2♣. Would bid 3♥ if ♣s were solid.

[scoob]

X with my reg p
2♣ otherwise

[mike777]

5clubs
P is a passed hand and I expect them to have nothing.

[tysen2k]

2♣ for me. 5♣ is a close second.

[mikeh]

5♣. If you bid 2♣, do you really expect that the opps will go wrong, given that much bidding space? LHO rates to raise ♥. Are you going to be comfortable at your next turn if they reach 4♥? Can you ever expect partner to find the good save (or make) when his ♣ holding is Jx or Kx?

No: it is nice to fantasize about reaching 3N (and pray they do not run the OTHER red suit), but in real life the game is about probabilities. Yes, on any given hand 5♣ could be wrong, but even when it is, the opps might still make a mistake.

So 5♣ for me and if they bid over that, double to show unexpected outside strength.

[HeartA]

5♣ with any pd.

[awm]

I'd go with 2♣ here. Sure I will probably bid 5♣ over 4♥, and it would put more pressure on opponents to bid 5♣ now, but I'm not necessarily convinced the opponents are bidding four hearts. I have fifteen high after all, and there's no particular reason partner can't have a big stack of hearts (he may even double four hearts!). Every time I try 5♣ on a hand like this, partner turns up with something like:

♠ xxx
♥ KQxx
♦ Kxxxx
♣ x

Generally my 5♣ drifts two down (sometimes doubled, more often not) and the opponents didn't particularly have anything. I've never been very convinced of the merits of advance sacrifices on GOOD hands.

[luke warm]

5C for me.. make them guess 5H

[Winstonm]

If I were the opponents, which would I rather bid over? 2C or 5C?

Maximum pressure: 5C

[fifee]

5C, 2C a close second. Never 3NT with no stopper in their suit. 3H might ask for pd to bid 3NT with a stopper in their suit, but would prefer discussing that before using it.

Always uppermost in my mind.. no matter how perfectly descriptive your bid is, if partner will not understand it, its not worth a hoot.

[MickyB]

Ok, who voted for 6♣?! Come defend your viewpoint!

[the hog]

2C. Had the opening been 1D I would certainly consider 5C. Over a 1H opening a 5C bid will not stop them bidding on when it is right and doubling you when it is not. Much harder over 1D! These spectacular jumps work far less well than believed.

Incidentally fifee, (1H) 3H would be a stopper ask regardless of with whom I was playing, but it shows a solid suit. I may be old fashioned, but AQ to 8 does not look solid to me.