[jillybean]

I wasn't playing last night but holding cards for an fine A/X player who has no arms and plays with his feet. The pair are playing strong club which is something
I want to try sometime so I get to learn a little as we go.

This auction left me speechless.

---

[ArtK78]

I agree with the first two calls. The 3♥ and 4♥ calls seem reasonable. And South's passes after opening the bidding seem reasonable.

Other than that, there are some highly irregular actions. Not irregular in the unethical sense. But very unusual.

You didn't mention whether the strong club pair was sitting NS or EW. If they were sitting NS, and South's 1♠ opening is limited to 15 HCP (or so), North should seriously consider passing out 2♣.

[Vampyr]

I never get upset when I have balanced them into game. Normally if they belonged in game they would have bid/explored it already.

It's annoying when they get there this way, though.

[beatrix45]

I don't think these four are much worth learning from. N has an easy 4♠ bid. Failing that, given at least a rational option to walk the dog, E has to show some strength. 3♣ is the recommended bid. After that, W holding the absolute hammer will see to the rest.

[mikeh]

Playing inthe Lille Rosenblum in 1998, we were playing an Australian team in the round-robin. RHO opened a strong 1N, passed to my partner in 4th seat. He balanced with 2D, showing spades and a lower. dealer bid 2H, and over my 2S, responder bid 3H, which opener raised to game!

I doubled, more out of annoyance than anything else, although I did have defence, so I thought. LHO redoubled!! They made a vulnerable overtrick.

So I think I have a more rued balancing story:)

[GreenMan]

Agree with ArtK: If the strong-clubbers are sitting NS then North should know right away that the opps are close to game values, so when 2♣ gets passed around to him he should be more than happy to let them sit there.

[nige1]

jillybean, on 2015-January-04, 10:53, said:

I wasn't playing last night but holding cards for an fine A/X player who has no arms and plays with his feet. The pair are playing strong club which is something I want to try sometime so I get to learn a little as we go. This auction left me speechless.

---

North's belated ♠ raise is a Biltcliffe gambit, which EW accepted. Once, when I protected at the 1-level, the opponents took advantage, to reach a cold slam. Just as here, they could have bid a lucky grand-slam, Hence NS can be grateful for small mercies.

[aguahombre]

The dog-walk could have worked out well if North had followed through and let them play 2C...a product of serious errors by both East and West.

Of course, they would probably have done better at my table, starting off at the 5-level and bidding the slam over my 4S.

[ggwhiz]

Vampyr, on 2015-January-04, 11:34, said:

I never get upset when I have balanced them into game.

How about slam?

I once held ♠Ax ♥Axxxxxxx ♦AKQx ♣ void

rho opened e weak 1nt, I bid 2♦, transfer to hearts and it was paased to rho who bid 3♣

I chickened out and bid only 6♦ and caught partner with 7 of them and a heart void

[manudude03]

Well, hands with 14 cards do tend to play well. In the 2013 Junior Camrose, we perpetrated the following auction (RHO dealing):

1H-2H-P-2S
P-P-3D-P
P-3S-P-P
4D-P-P-4S-AP.

I can't remember if it was making or +1, but it was cold either way.

edit: I just checked the hand records from the vugraph archives, it must have been just making.

---

[the hog]

There are 3 very bad actions here. Nth's pass - should bid 4, East's 2C bid - I would bid 3H, 2 at the VERY least, West's failure to raise C, and Nth's belated 2S bid. This is really poor bridge by all except South.

[jillybean]

beatrix45, on 2015-January-04, 12:21, said:

I don't think these four are much worth learning from.

I was interested in their big cub system, not their bidding judgement

[aguahombre]

jillybean, on 2015-January-04, 21:35, said:

I was interested in their big cub system, not their bidding judgement

Then, perhaps a hand which is relevant to their big club system would be worthy of a post. If their bidding judgement here is any reflection on their overall prowess, I might try a different foursome's big club system to kibitz.

[gszes]

I am assuming the strong club were N/S if I am wrong this comment is
nonsense because opener can be quite a bit stronger.

If we look at the N hand and realize the south hand is limited to 15
and that any spade honors are likely worthless in defense-----it would
start to seem pretty obvious the opps can probably make game or even
slam.... I utterly disagree with anything n does except to bid 4s at
their first turn to bid.

Bidding after getting lucky and the opps stopping in 2c was particularly
short sighted.

[billw55]

So, EW both underbid so badly that they tried to leave their slam in a partscore. N helped them out, but they still reached only game. Should be a good result for NS right?