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Author Topic: Surprise!  (Read 2044 times)

kenberg

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Surprise!
« on: April 02, 2020, 05:09:24 PM »
Hands sometimes have a surprise. Two examples, both from plating with the bots.

Matchpoints, nobody vul, lho is the dealer and passes, partner opens 1 !S, the auction is uncontested, you hold

!S Q32
!H Q6
!D AK974
!C K65

This is one of those robot "best hand" tourneys where I am assured that I get the best hand, whatever that means exactly. So it is tempting to just bid 3 !S on the assumption that if I have the best hand then 6 !S seems unlikely. But I decided to play it straight so we begin (uncontested) 1 !S - 2 !D - 2 !H.
Well, 2 !S seems right. What have I done, partner bids 4NT. I show my one key with 5 !D and partner signs off in 5 !S. 

1 !S - 2 !D - 2 !H - 2 !S -  4NT - 5 !D - 5 !S - Pass

The opening lead is the !H 5 from E and the software puts me in the N seat. I will put the N cards at the bottom, as usual for declarer.

!S Q32
!H Q6
!D AK974
!C K65



!S AT97654
!H AK94
!D 83
!C void

I play the Q from the board and lead a small !S. Rho plays the J, I play the A, Lho follows with the 8 and I can claim 12 tricks.

35%

So we should get to 6, but how? Sample hand for 6 !S.

1 !S - 2 !D - 2 !H - 4 !S - 5 !C - 6 !S.

As I interpret this, the 4 !S by others, rather than the 2 !S by me, indicated a hand with not much of value in !C. Partner, the bot, decided that's great to hear, and showed his !C void. Now my hand says "Well, if pard is interested that's enough for me, I bid 6 !S "

I can see the attraction, but I do have the !c K, I am not so sure I would jump t 4 !S next time either.



Ok, here is another, this time good. Very lucky, but good is good.

Matchpoints again, nobody vul, three passes to me:

!S AKQ2
!H K6
!D AJ9
!C KT84

Ok, I had had dinner, I had watched tv, I was tired, I should not have been playing, this is the last of 8 boards on a best hand tourney with the bots.

I decided to open this 1 !C, planning to rebid 2 !S. Not really a good idea, but it's what I did. After my 1 !C opening there were three passes. The opening lead is the !S J:

!S T653
!H A73
!D T63
!C J75

!S AKQ2
!H K6
!D AJ9
!C KT84


Uh oh. Except I made two overtricks. After a 2NT opening the contract was 4 !S which can in fact be made but it is pretty double dummy to take ten tricks.

94%

I am not, repeat not, advising 1 !C opening on this hand. Although I do think it would have been Goren's choice. Either that or 1 !S. Goren was fine with opening a four card major but with strong hands he sometimes would start with the minor.


To quote Fats Waller, one never knows, does one.















« Last Edit: April 02, 2020, 05:11:36 PM by kenberg »
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Ken

wackojack

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Re: Surprise!
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2020, 08:44:02 PM »
How about?

1  !S  -2  !D
2 !H - 3  !S
5  !C - 5  !D (1)
5  !H - 6 !D (K !D +Q  !S)
6 !S - pass
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kenberg

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Re: Surprise!
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2020, 09:22:01 PM »
I am not sure the bots play exclusion, I gather the 5 !C was that. But yes, it could be right. I usually don't play excl either so this did not occur to me.

I need to check and see just how 3 !S would be taken by the bots.

Added: I tried the bots using 3 !S over 2 !H. The bot cued the !H A, for some reason skipping over the club void. So I gave him another chance by bidding 5 !D and then he did indeed bid 6 !S.

I like the 3 !S bid.
« Last Edit: April 03, 2020, 09:44:44 PM by kenberg »
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Ken

Masse24

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Re: Surprise!
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2020, 01:24:02 AM »
I don't play with bots, so I assume there is a certain degree of manipulation of bots in the auctions.

Opposite a human, I can see several possibilities. Like this:

1 !S  — 2 !D
2 !H  — 2 !S1
3 !S2 — 3NT3
4 !C4 — 4 !D5
4 !H6 — 4NT7
5NT8 — 6 !S

1. Three card support. Not 17+ support points with "good" trumps.
2. Shape showing. 6+ !S. A splinter is also possible, but I slightly prefer this.
3. Non-Serious.
4. !C control.
5. !D control.
6. !H control.
7. RKCB
8. Two keys, !C void.

As responder, I don't jump to 3 !S with this hand. You can agree to any meaning you like, but regardless of which method you choose, it must show some serious slam interest. With this hand, I just do not see it. Mike Lawrence, in his book and 2/1 DVD, says this jump show "three good trumps and good points and starts at about seventeen support points."

Also, if you jump to 3 !S with this hand, what do you bid 2 !S with?

The splinter method would be my second choice, jumping to 4 !C after responder's 2 !S rebid. As with all splinters, it consumes a lot of space. And it usually hands over control to partner--asking his opinion about the viability of further slam exploration. It is for that reason that I prefer the slower method for opener. I want to know more.

The Exclusion jump requires a bit of faith. Faith that partner has what he has in the !D suit. A fair gamble based on partner's initial response. 

Like I said, lots of possible auctions.  :D
« Last Edit: April 04, 2020, 01:29:59 AM by Masse24 »
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kenberg

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Re: Surprise!
« Reply #4 on: April 04, 2020, 11:13:30 AM »
I like it.

The bots agree with ML on 3 !S or at least somewhat. I forget exactly what it says it shows.

I did not even consider 3 !S.  Probably it's right that I need more. Most of my points are working, the major suit queens for example, but the !C K is of unknown value at this point in the auction and we see later that it is useless. Well, it has a hypothetical use if, when I lead that spade from the board, Rho shows out. I can hold the trump losers to 1, that much I had figured out, by going up with the A and leading small toward the board. But then Lho takes the K and leads a third trump. I am now a trick short but there are squeeze possibilities thanks to the !C K. Anyway, the !C K is of marginal use.

So yea, I don't want to be claiming I have either a great hand or great trumps. Opposite a seven card suit headed by the AT, Qxx looks pretty decent. But Kxx or MQx, would be a lot better.

As to manipulations with the bots, I have often come to regret them. Usually it seems best to play it straight. There is one exception. 1M -1NT is played as forcing. But if I have a 12 count and a hand that seems reasonable for NT, I will sometimes pass. Even that I sometimes regret.

The bots can be odd, no doubt about it, I think it shows up particularly in slam bidding.  That jump to 4NT after I bid 2 !S, on the hand he had, seems weird.

Here is one from yesterday.


https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?lin=st||pn|kenberg,~Mwest,~Mnorth,~Meast|md|2SAQ52HAQ9DQT5C542,SJ9H62DAK87CAJ763,SKT86HKJT83D632CT,S743H754DJ94CKQ98|sv|o|rh||ah|Board 8|mb|1C|an|Minor suit opening -- 3+ !C; 11-21 HCP; 12-22 total points|mb|P|mb|1N|an|2-4 !C; 2-4 !D; 2-3 !H; 2-3 !S; 6-10 HCP; 7+ total points|mb|P|mb|2C|an|5+ !C; 11+ HCP; 12-16 total points|mb|P|mb|P|mb|2S|an|4+ !S; 10-20 total points|mb|3C|an|6+ !C; 16 total points|mb|3S|an|4+ !S; 11-14 total points|mb|P|mb|P|mb|P|pc|DK|pc|D2|pc|D4|pc|D5|pc|CA|pc|CT|pc|C9|pc|C2|pc|DA|pc|D3|pc|D9|pc|DT|pc|D7|pc|D6|pc|DJ|pc|DQ|pc|SA|pc|S9|pc|S6|pc|S7|pc|SQ|pc|SJ|pc|S8|pc|S4|pc|S2|pc|C7|pc|SK|pc|S3|pc|H3|pc|H7|pc|HA|pc|H2|pc|HQ|pc|H6|pc|H8|pc|H5|pc|H9|pc|C3|pc|HK|pc|H4|pc|HJ|pc|C8|pc|C4|pc|D8|pc|HT|pc|CK|pc|C5|pc|CJ|pc|ST|pc|CQ|pc|S5|pc|C6|


It might be an open question as to whether i was me or the bot that was the weird one.

After 2 !C got passed back to me I figured that on the auction partner most likely had at least three spades and short clubs so 2 !S should be safe. I agree with bots 2 !C rebid on a five card suit, he can be pretty confident that partner bot has clubs, but his 3 !C seems extreme. But then I was the one who bid 2 !S on a four card suit. Well, it worked. 98% .

The bots and I get along pretty well. Each of us weird in our own way.


« Last Edit: April 04, 2020, 08:37:48 PM by kenberg »
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Ken
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