[straube]

Playing teams, vul vs nv, Namyats on the card

I have xxx AKJxxxx K xx

first up. What do I bid?

[mikeh]

I think 1♥ is enough. The hand is too strong for 3♥ even tho the 'extra', being the diamond K, is of unknown value offensively or defensively, and I don't like opening 4♥ with a relatively short suit, especially with 3 spades and lacking internal texture.



Since neither pass nor 2♥ have any appeal at all, 1♥ seems foisted on you.

[Phil]

1♥ - No preempt fits.

[S2000magic]

I agree: this looks like a 1♥ opener to me.

[HighLow21]

I would love it if any expert could offer any cogent argument to me as to why anything other than 1♥ is OK.

[nige1]

straube, on 2012-April-04, 12:31, said:

Playing teams, vul vs nv, Namyats on the card, I have xxx AKJxxxx K xx first up. What do I bid?

IMO 3♥ = 10, 1♥ = 9. 4♥ = 7. Assuming that, in 1st/2nd seat at red, a pre-empt is constructive showing a good suit. Without the singleton ♦K, the decision would be easier.

[MrAce]

This is a pure preempt hand for me.

Red vs white, it is ok to have a good preempt hand at these colors.

3♥

[frank0]

1♥ if playing light open/preemptive style
3♥ if playing sound open/preemptive style(I vote this one)
2♥ if I plan to rebid my ♥ suit and try to fool opponents around.
4♥ if I play against weak opps and with a partner never raise my preempt with support
pass with my teacher, he taught me that I need 7 tricks to open 3♥ red vs. white, I'm short by half trick, and this hand is not enough for 1 level open.

[the hog]

straube, on 2012-April-04, 12:31, said:

Playing teams, vul vs nv, Namyats on the card

I have xxx AKJxxxx K xx

first up. What do I bid?

Namyats may well be on my card, but that is irrelevant as this is a 1H opening.

[dake50]

1H.
A preempt might goad opponents into 4S on 4-3 that is splitting 3-3.
So their misbid to 4S after my preempt wins.
What's the hope to win by preempting?
Rebid cheap in hearts. Hope DK is an entry
or partner has/onside HQ if he tries 3NT.

[gnasher]

1♥. This hand has five features that are bad for preempting: the three-card spade-holding, the outside king, the fact that the outside king is a singleton, having the ace of our suit, and the lack of intermediates in our suit.

[mfa1010]

3♥. I like to put on pressure if possible. Too strong? Don't care. If partner can cover enough losers, he will be a big favourite to raise us to game. Three card spades would have been a greater worry if the preempt were in a minor instead of AKJxxxx hearts.

[akhare]

I would go with 1♥, but don't have any reservations about 3♥, with the understanding that the latter is more likely to backfire.

[JLOGIC]

There are many schools of thought on preempting.

For starters, I do not think it is a linear scale of how much a hand is worth to whether you preempt or open 1. I will open 2 with some hands stronger than I would open 1, even if they had 6 hearts, and open 3 with hands stronger than I would open 1, even if they both had 7 hearts. This implies that there are other factors for preempting, obviously suit quality is one that almost everyone shares. Side suits some people share and some do not, and purity/side defense is one that some people share and some do not.

Some people call this hand too strong for 3H, I definitely do not think that at all, however as I said some hands with 7 hearts I will open with 1H even rather than 3 even because of that. Personally, the side stiff K is a big turnoff to me for opening 3. The lack of heart spots is also a turnoff, if my hand was xx AKJxxxx with no spots xx x I would often open 2H at these colors, and I would certainly open 2H with xx AKJxxxx xx xx. Again, this is a style thing, but this hand is not close to too strong for 3 because of the stiff K to me, when if the stiff K was a 2 it would be a 2H opener. If I end up in 3H X, the stiff K will be a negative feature not a positive feature because I will go for a big number and it's more likely they do not make anything.

I also think it's too strong for 2H, if partner has a GOOD hand the king will likely be worth something in 4H and we might miss a game. Thus I would just open 1. I am pretty sure my former teammates (win and jaggy) would open 2, and I would not be shocked at all if my new partner Mr Hamman would open 2 but I don't know his game well enough yet to say for certain whether he'd open 1 2 or 3.

[JLOGIC]

To give an example of what I mean, I would happily open 3H with x AKJT9xx xx xxx as I assume everyone would. Is that a better hand than this hand? Yes if partner has a bad hand and we end up playing it, we have less safety if doubled, and even if undoubled we might just go down in the hundreds when they make nothing. We are also much less likely to get ripped when we have the T9 of hearts. However, having the king will almost always be better if partner raises us to game. It's hard to define "better" but I do not think it is crazy to be opening 2H with xxx AKJxxxx K xx and 3H with x AKJT9xx xx xxx, which implies it's not all about better or worse overall hands when it comes to preempting.

[benlessard]

3H is right on values and H lenght, having 3S and lacking some H spots make 1H ok too.

The only one I really dont like is 4H

[whereagles]

Seems like an easy 4H to me. For two reasons:

1- I can hardly believe the ♦K will ever be the magic card that makes slam a lock.
2- I can hardly believe I can discover the ♦K to be that magic card if I open 1H.