[pescetom]

The higher the bidding gets, the more I trust GiB's doubles.
But what is this double about ?

[smerriman]

Just penalty. GIB is expecting North to have a significantly weaker hand given the lack of raise to 2♠ the first time (and West to not have a subminimum), so a lot of the hands it deals have 2♠ going down.

[pescetom]

smerriman, on 2025-July-10, 14:50, said:

Just penalty. GIB is expecting North to have a significantly weaker hand given the lack of raise to 2♠ the first time (and West to not have a subminimum), so a lot of the hands it deals have 2♠ going down.

Yeah, that is my understanding and expectation.
Tends to get it right at higher levels, one of the few redeeming features.
Do you think it was just unlucky here?

[smerriman]

pescetom, on 2025-July-10, 15:06, said:

Do you think it was just unlucky here?

Not really, more that it was incapable of understanding North's bidding, so any logic for how well a double would work is going to be flawed. But unlucky in the sense there's really no way to avoid that. Blame North for lack of disclosure?

[pescetom]

smerriman, on 2025-July-10, 15:39, said:

Not really, more that it was incapable of understanding North's bidding, so any logic for how well a double would work is going to be flawed. But unlucky in the sense there's really no way to avoid that. Blame North for lack of disclosure?

I don't think NS have anything to alert. Pass meaning I have no objection to playing 1S doubled and 2S meaning let's play 2S are about as natural as it gets

I think it could avoid that by making less rigid assumptions about how opponents bid, and reevaluating them in the light of later bids... IOW, by thinking bridge without making unrealistic assumptions.

[msheald]

Personally, I have had a number of experiences where robot doubles (often twice), which my human partner and I would play as penalty. Robot does not play it that way and usually just signifies point count (often a stretch at that). and when the hand comes down, ops get high score.

Unfortunately, such hands typically leave me in a difficult situation of trying to find a rescue bid, which at that point, would likely give a low board in any case.

As has been noted, robots do not play doubles well, so I am leery of any double bid by robots. Best regards.

Mike