[akwoo]

At IMPs, with a forced guess, given partner could easily have a red doubleton covering one of my losers and a card to cover a second, at least assuming 3♣ is 4-9 (or 0-9) preemptive (and I would ask), I'm not stopping short of game.

I said as much on a weaker hand: https://www.bridgeba...o-are-my-peers/

[jillybean]

I tink I'm getting better, but I'm the only one reading forums. (this is not from the regular TG)

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[mike777]

South's bidding not too bad, tolerable

Can't say anything about the other except inscrutable

[jillybean]

perhaps I'm not getting any better

[WasWinM]

jillybean, on 2026-May-28, 09:07, said:

I tink I'm getting better, but I'm the only one reading forums. (this is not from the regular TG)

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In this auction, with the double and 2S bid, I can't imagine not bidding 4S with the east hand.

[akwoo]

I say this frequently:

The mental model of scoring that most beginners and intermediates have is roughly the following:

+1 for a making a part score
+2 for a making a game
+4 for a making a slam
-10 for going down
0 if the opponents declare

Needless to say, this is not how actual bridge scoring works.

Half the time it's the opponents' hand, and when it is, it's your job to make it as hard as possible for them to find the right contract.

[mikeh]

jillybean, on 2026-May-28, 09:07, said:

I tink I'm getting better, but I'm the only one reading forums. (this is not from the regular TG)

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That’s a 1S overcall for me. The hand is way too soft for me to double. And a 1S overcall should easily lead to game.

It helps to play transfer advances of overcalls. It’s surprising to me that even some quite experienced partnerships don’t play them. East has 2 aces and 3 spades so has a clear, if minimum, 2H bid, showing a sound raise to 2S and west will bid game not matter what south bids. If not playing transfer advances, east raises to 2S and west, if given room, makes a club game try and east is delighted to accept.

[akwoo]

Surely, if West makes any noise, North has a 2♥ raise (if not a 3♥ raise) at their first turn.

I can understand a pass if opponents pass, particularly when LHO is a passed hand. Passing when West has made a bid is assuming the opponents are likely to get themselves into trouble without your help.

[mikeh]

akwoo, on 2026-May-28, 12:07, said:

Surely, if West makes any noise, North has a 2♥ raise (if not a 3♥ raise) at their first turn.

I can understand a pass if opponents pass, particularly when LHO is a passed hand. Passing when West has made a bid is assuming the opponents are likely to get themselves into trouble without your help.

Many top pairs play mixed raises as opposed to the formerly popular weak raise, and since I prefer mixed, I couldn’t bid 3H as north over 1S. Over double, I’d bid 2H, a courtesy raise denying any constructive values. If that’s not available (as with transfer advances of overcalls, I really think transfers by responder after a takeout double are extremely useful), I think I’d pass. I surely do NOT want partner to get excited. Of course, a 2H bid probably gets EW to 4S anyway…(1H) 1S (2H) 2S (4H) 4S.

Or, my preference: (1H) 1S (2H) 2S (4D) 4S

4D shows a marked 2 suiter and is intended to inform responder that south is interested in saving against the likely 4S bid.

I think north has just enough to save. But I may be being influenced by seeing the hands

[jillybean]

mikeh, on 2026-May-28, 11:48, said:

That’s a 1S overcall for me. The hand is way too soft for me to double. And a 1S overcall should easily lead to game.

It helps to play transfer advances of overcalls. It’s surprising to me that even some quite experienced partnerships don’t play them. East has 2 aces and 3 spades so has a clear, if minimum, 2H bid, showing a sound raise to 2S and west will bid game not matter what south bids. If not playing transfer advances, east raises to 2S and west, if given room, makes a club game try and east is delighted to accept.

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vs.

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[apollo1201]

 mike777, on 2026-May-28, 09:13, said:

South's bidding not too bad, tolerable

Can't say anything about the other except inscrutable

A doctor should be summoned. At least to check E s pulse.

[akwoo]

jillybean - an exercise for you:

For each of those two hands, what are the minimum hand(s) partner could have opposite which game is odds on?