[mtvesuvius]

W/W at IMPs:

What do you balance with and what is your plan?

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You play Lebensohl here, and partner is a junior.

[MrAce]

Choices available are 2♠ or DBL or 2NT

2♠: would be an easy call if not in balancing seat, i still wanna bid it badly.

DBL : Definetely not my taste, will i bid 3♠ over pd's lebensol 2 NT ? No. So what will i do over 2 NT if i start DBL ? Probably bid 3♣ and hope for best, or bid 3 NT and hope again.

2 NT : Correct range ( a little too good but still) and correct shape imo, may miss 5-3 ♠ fit but this bid cooperates with partner the most among others imo. That one is my choice

[OleBerg]

2NT.

The real problem is whether to show 5♠ when partner checks for it, but I guess I will.

[Cascade]

I would only bid 2NT if our methods including being able to show a five card spade suit later.

Otherwise 2♠ looks normal to me. I don't shade my values much at all when balancing over a preempt.

[mcphee]

I choose 2N, 2S is not going to be so wonderful opposite 2 pups when I need to ruff H, and my rho is waiting to over ruff. Double is beyond my understanding.

[jschafer]

Would never bid 2♠ with this hand in balancing seat, it could be way weaker too. 2NT for me, I'm really liking ♥AT7x for NT.

[Fluffy]

there is a lot of potential in spades, I'd try 2♠, partner will stretch to raise with fit and heart shortness.

[rogerclee]

I hate 2N. You miss all your light games with a spade fit, go down in 2N when partner is weak when 2S would probably have been easier, get to the wrong game a lot, etc.

2N gains when partner has 8-9 and no spade fit, but then we might not make 3N anyway due to the poor fit, and when we are NV I don't think it's that bad to just stop in 2S opposite this kind of hand. At the same time when partner has 3-4 spades and/or a stiff heart, it is probably critical for us to play in spades, whether he is weak or strong.

[dake50]

2S.
But I have methods to catch-up my strength
when/if I get to rebid.
..
I guess if I thought I couldn't get cooperation
on my max-hcp 5xS suit,
I'D try 2NT: on 18 with Qx questionable working.

[Phil]

2N. A 5-3 spade fit will play awkwardly unless partner's spades are strong enough to avoid overruff(s) in hearts. Spades might be better if partner has a surprise source of tricks in a minor, and we are open in the other minor. I do play puppet stayman here, so I'm not sure what I'm giving up with 2N.

Great problem for the A/E Adam - WD.

[pooltuna]

If partner will always raise 2♠ with what would normally be a constructive raise in an uncontested auction then I will try 2♠ otherwise I will call 2NT.

[nigel_k]

I guess I'm going to be the only one who chooses double then 3♠. I agree with Roger's criticisms of 2NT, plus it is almost as much an underbid as 2♠. It will be hard to reach 3NT, but not much harder than if I start with 2♠. This is a hand that I would like to play in spades if possible, with other strains playable if partner actively prefers them. That's what double and 3♠ means to me. Kaplan/Rubens rates this a 19.3 not counting the ♥10.

[Cascade]

nigel_k, on 2011-January-16, 13:41, said:

I guess I'm going to be the only one who chooses double then 3♠. I agree with Roger's criticisms of 2NT, plus it is almost as much an underbid as 2♠. It will be hard to reach 3NT, but not much harder than if I start with 2♠. This is a hand that I would like to play in spades if possible, with other strains playable if partner actively prefers them. That's what double and 3♠ means to me. Kaplan/Rubens rates this a 19.3 not counting the ♥10.

Kaplan/Rubens will be overrating the ♥A as well. It may also be overrating the ♦A as we now know it is sitting over a weak hand.

[655321]

2♠ for me.

I don't like 2NT, overweight, offshape, 5 card spades. Double then spades will get us to some games missed by 2♠, but it will get us too high when partner is around 6/7 with no spade fit.

[Siegmund]

Put me down for X-then-spades. I would bid 2S on a a bunch of hands a LOT weaker than this, some of them 2 full tricks weaker than this. 2NT is a fair second choice but loses the spade suit. I am a little surprised to be in such a minority.

[MrAce]

Siegmund, on 2011-January-16, 19:51, said:

Put me down for X-then-spades. I would bid 2S on a a bunch of hands a LOT weaker than this, some of them 2 full tricks weaker than this. 2NT is a fair second choice but loses the spade suit. I am a little surprised to be in such a minority.

Length in RHO's suit is a good thing as opposed to common belief (except xxx )However length in LHO suit is usually a very bad sign for suit contracts, especially a 5-3 ♠ fit in this example. When you double and bid 3♠, you almost completely take out the 3 NT possibility, and u dont have the trick strength to offer 3♠ or 4♠ vs a lot of hands that pd will either pass or raise to 4.

Also i believe , when off shape for double and lack of a decent suit to introduce after double, there is almost never a hand which is too good to overcall. So i think if you are too much into finding your ♠ fit, 2♠ is way much better than starting with DBL. But i prefer 2 NT, which shows a strong NT hand and thats what i have. Everyone would open this 1NT if we didnt have 4 cards ♥, now that we know ♥ suit belongs to LHO, i don't have to worry about it.

[Phil]

MrAce, on 2011-January-16, 20:56, said:

Everyone would open this 1NT if we didnt have 4 cards ♥, now that we know ♥ suit belongs to LHO, i don't have to worry about it.

I wouldn't open this 1N (w/o 4♥) because its too good. But I would have no qualms overcalling in NT, which allows a marginally better hand than a 1N opening.

[gszeszycki]

W/W at IMPs:

What do you balance with and what is your plan?

AKTxx
ATxx
Ax
Qx

You play Lebensohl here, and partner is a junior.

imo this hand is too good for a mere 2n I am happy trying 3n if p has as little as say Qx xxx xxxx KJxx and they wont raise 2n to 3n. This hand is too strong for a mere 2s and 2s also misses the point since we really should
not be happy in a 53 spade fit where our possible heart ruffs are in easy overruff position. X gets us the best of
all worlds. spades when we have at least a 9 card fit and nt when we dont. There is little difference btn ending up in 2n vs 3n when both go down but a huge difference when 3n makes (there is some ouch factor when it makes precisely 2). My plan is to x then if p bids
2s raise to 3s
2n raise to 3n
3c/d bid 3n
3h bid 3s (I play this as stayman w/o a heart stopper and game forcing but not everyone does)
3s bid 4h
3n pass
4c/d raise to 5
4h bid 6s
4s biggest headache i would trot out 4n bidding 6s if p shows 1 and being happy in 5 if p shows none
5c/5d raise to 6

[mtvesuvius]

At the table I chose to double, a call that I am not particularly proud of. Partner held:

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She bid 3♠ over the double, and we finished in 5♠ making 5 (don't ask lol).

I think 2N is probably the call I'd make with this hand if it came up again, but it's realllly close. Given partner's actual hand, not much will matter, although if you bid 2♠, she'll probably try 4♥... Would you move over that?

Anyway, it has been a while since I've come across a hand that falls through the cracks and is really in-between any reasonable call. Fortunately all is well that ends well.

[cherdano]

I really dislike 2NT for the reasons Roger gave and would just overcall 2♠.