Chew the Fat! > Sleight of Hand

iac v acol hand 7 1st set: opinions please

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wackojack:
All vul I was the dealer and passed
 !S K9542
 !H Q72
 !D K
 !C J862

Then:
1 !D - (1 !H) - 3 !D - (?)
I was tempted to compete to 3 !H. Then I decided that this could easily go 2 off if partner has made the 1 level overcall on no more than  !H AKxxx and an outsde ace.
So I passed. Then it went:
1 !D - (1 !H) - 3 !D - (pass)
pass - (3 !H) - pass - (?)
I think that I should have bitten the bullet and raised to 4 !H.  Instead I passed because I was obsessed by partner's failure to double. 

First of all what would a double here be showing?  To my mind a double here is a "power double)  It is saying:  Partner I have maximum strength for my overcall and if you do not have support for my hearts we could have a good penalty.  And if you do have support for my hearts then if you have  just a few points we are likley to have game in hearts. 

Partner's hand was:
!S  A86
 !H K98643
 !D A84
 !C A
As can be seen 4 !H is an excellent contract and is made easily.  I apologised to partner for being chicken.  Nevertheless, is partner's rebid of 3 !H the best bid?  Had the heart suit been only a 5 carder I think that there is no question that the power double is better.  Partner's broken 6 card suit is very risky to overcall at the 3 level vulnerable and maybe double would still have been a better bid as it gives me more options.

Of course had partner doubled, then with 3 card support I would obviously raise to 4 !H.

Opinions please?

jcreech:
Jack - sometimes I believe you overthink the situation, but then I also believe that I underthink similar situations.  In this case, I would knee-jerk a courtesy raise, based partly on the feeling that the opponent's jump raise was jerking my chain (successfully, at that).

Given your passing the first go-round, I would raise to four because I have a much better hand and fit than partner expects, and I also tend to overcall rather than double with a singleton or void in an unbid suit if I also hold a 5 or 6 bagger.  Just my tuppence for the morning.

Masse24:
I think your actions were reasonable . . . though close.

Also, you had the misfortune of running into an opening bid of 1 !D. At our table, I sat west and passed this: !S QT7 !H AT5 !D QJT92 !C Q9. (I do not open quacky, flat 11 HCP hands.) This gave the opps an unimpeded auction and they bid game. So give me a piece of the blame. ;)

FWIW, I agree with Pat's overcall. That hand is not worth a double.

Also, it's hard to know the !D K is carrying any weight at all, so I understand the first pass. But after your partner rebids 3 !H, showing roughly what she had--a max overcall with six-plus hearts--now the raise becomes a bit more clear. 

kenberg:
As you folks were toughing out the hands I was watching grandchildren, ages 2, almost 4 and almost 7 playing in the park. But I will comment.

There are always two questions. What means what, and what should one do?

1D-(1H)-3D is, I suppose, preemptive.
1D-(1H)-3D-X is responsive? Let's assume so, although I suppose ti could be a version of maximal, and then 3H would be to play.

1D-(1H)-3D-Pass
Pass -X

The X by pvercaller means what? Sometimes it is called "Do something intelligent". I prefer "Do your best". Asking for intelligence is too risky.
Mostly I think that if the auction goes

1D-(1H)-3D-Pass
Pass -X

then the doubler had better be prepared for partner to choose 4C as his best, aka his intelligent, choice. I'm not up for 4C with my stiff club, even if it is an A.

So those are my understandings of "What means what?"

As to "Who should do what?" that's a bit tough.
The heart overall on the first round seems clear. No way I would double and then bid hearts on that.
The pass over 3D is close, for reasons already mentioned. I might pass, I might bid 3H. I would not blame myself or a partner for doing either.

After
1D-(1H)-3D-Pass
Pass -(3H)-Pass
would I bid 4H?
I think so, or at least maybe. It's often a bad idea to punish pard for competing and that's an argument for passing. As the cards lie, it appears that 11 tricks can be made in hearts, which suggests that we should somehow get to 4H. But it's a hand where we should accept pard's choices. Nothing is clear-cut.

For amusement, I will now post a hand I played in an acbl game earlier today.

S: J5
H: KQT
D: J963
C: KJ72

Mps, red against white, righty opens 3D,  I pass, lefty passes, pard jumps to 4H. Righty passes, coward that I am I pass, lefty, bless him, bids 5D and pard doubles.

So:
3D-Pass -Pass-4H
Pass -Pass-5D-X
Pass-?

Ok, pard is not doubling on his D holding, he must have outside aces, I bid 6H. They can hold it to 12 tricks on a D lead but pard got a club lead and brought in 13 tricks.

Is passing first and then bidding 6H crazy? Maybe so but it worked out.

The situation is a bit like the current posting. Not clear what's right, or at least not clear to me.

Ok, more company on its way. The grandkids were a kick. Exhausting but a kick.

wackojack:
Thanks all for your thoughts.  OK forget the actual hands. 

Question:
1 !D - (1 !H) - 3 !D - (pass)
pass - (?)
What type of hand bids 3 !H?
What type of hand doubles?  I assume all believe it to be a take-out double.   

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