[rhm]

JLOGIC, on 2012-July-06, 21:25, said:

"Good distribution." Oh yeah, we have a stiff in partners suit when he has shown a heart hand, and we have a doubleton in the opps suit. Is any distribution bad? Surely 3334 would be great, we have a fit! 2254, awesome, a fit and 54 in the minors! There really must be no such thing to you as bad distribution. As far as I'm concerned a stiff heart is bad distribution, I will not get any points for ruffing hearts if we play in hearts.

Since there is no such thing as bad shape to you, I guess we must bid with an ace because partner has shown about 18 points and 6 hearts. Sounds awesome.

LOL.
The deal would hardly be contentious if we had our stiff outside of partner's suit.
The distribution is good even though we have our stiff in partner's suit; what is less certain is whether we have a good fit after 3♥.
If not, no shape is helpful, but we have an unbid 5 card suit opposite a strong hand having made a takeout double.
The fact that we have only a doubleton in spades when partner made a takeout double, makes it almost impossible that the deal is a total misfit.
I respect your accomplishments, but I am surprised that you want to argue this point.
"Awesome" is passing 3♥, when 6♣ could be close to lay-down opposite many suitable "18 points and 6 hearts". (♠Ax,♥AKxxxx,♦x,♣KQxx)

Fluffy, on 2012-July-05, 12:29, said:

OMG north passed with that?, I'd rate slam bids over pass.

An exaggeration of course, but it does have my sympathy.
By now it is apparent that the contention is about what the lower and upper limit of a hand, which doubles first before overcalling, should be.
I would not double over 1♠ with an average 16-17 HCP, six hearts, unless I have a self sufficient suit, but I know a lot of people, who do.
I would simply overcall 2♥ if I need support in hearts, intending to double next, if given the chance. And I expect to have plenty of expert support, in particular in your country.
That way, the chance that you may get in trouble is far less. Just think about spade raises over a takeout double, in particular at these colors.
Holding a strong but not very strong hand, people often underrate this risk, while the fear of missing 4♥ by overcalling 2♥ immediately is exaggerated.
The latter risk requires far more specific circumstances in the remaining hands, which is unlikely unless the hand is really strong in HCP.

There is a significant difference between doubling 1♥ with a six card spade suit and doubling 1♠ with a six card heart suit.
For the latter you need a better hand and I consider the South hand, missing three bullets, not particularly strong for doubling first and then overcalling.
But most people are too lazy to make such simple distinctions.

Rainer Herrmann

[gszes]

JLOGIC, on 2012-July-06, 21:17, said:

Passing 3H seems reasonable to me. North has 1 trick and one heart. Partner has not suggested 9 tricks.

ditto

I do not understand why people are calling passing 3H a beginner bid, from my understanding of partners bidding we are not likely to have enough HCP for game nor do we have a fit for his suit. What is so great about our hand?

ditto

xx AKJxxx Kx AQx would certainly double and bid hearts at his next turn, that is not a game. And on the bidding partner will often have 3 spades which is even worse for our hand.

over 1s this hand originally x intending to bid 2h (over either 2c or 2d) now that e has bid 2s are we now supposed to be quiet?? we have to now bid 3h to show the kind of hand that was originally
intending to bid 2h over our p 2c/2d bid. Thats why 3h is wrong here our hand is too strong and not heart oriented enough.

[rhm]

JLOGIC, on 2012-July-06, 21:17, said:

xx AKJxxx Kx AQx would certainly double and bid hearts at his next turn, that is not a game. And on the bidding partner will often have 3 spades which is even worse for our hand.

I doubt this statement.
♠xx ♥AKJxxx ♦Kx ♣AQx over 1♠ would be a good hand for the MSC panel in the Bridge World, except that the Bridge World tries to avoid hands where there are only 2 options.
But I am pretty sure that not everybody would double.

I wonder what you do red on white after

(1♠)--DBL--(3♠--pass
Pass --- ?

or

1♠---DBL --4♠-pass
Pass---?

I would certainly not double and expect plenty of company

Rainer Herrmann