[jillybean]

---

IMP, yes you passed 1st round.

[wyman]

0 keycards? I pass.

[rmnka447]

You can't tell what partner's hand is. You only know partner thinks 4 ♥ is makeable or close to it.

IF partner holds the right cards, you might have a couple tricks. But still that doesn't necessarily mean slam is makeable if partner has been a tad aggressive. So I think you sit for 4 ♥.

Change your hand to something like ♠ xx ♥ Jxxx ♦ Axxxx ♣ Axxx which looks like a couple sure tricks and you can make a move toward slam via a 5 ♣ cue.

[wyman]

 rmnka447, on 2012-June-12, 14:04, said:

Change your hand to something like ♠ xx ♥ Jxxx ♦ Axxxx ♣ Axxx which looks like a couple sure tricks and you can make a move toward slam via a 5 ♣ cue.

Yeah, for sure you will win the two once everyone else has run out of cards.

[billw55]

 wyman, on 2012-June-12, 13:52, said:

0 keycards? I pass.

My thought exactly.

Let me guess, partner's only losers were ♦xx and ♣Axxx and slam is there?

[wank]

pass. not close. yes slam might be cold, but that's life.

[cherdano]

I hope not to go down in 4♥.

[lalldonn]

cherdano stole my thoughts

[Phil]

I'm guessing this hand made 6.

Partner has every right to expect 8-9 points across when they bid 4♥. Seems that what I have.

[jillybean]

---

7♥, 7♦ is cold, I guess north has to be more creative.

[mgoetze]

I would rank all of double, 4♠, 4♦ and 4NT above 4♥.

[jillybean]

 mgoetze, on 2012-June-12, 15:33, said:

I would rank all of double, 4♠, 4♦ and 4NT above 4♥.

4♦? I like 4N

[gszes]

I echo the pass brigade---your p bid what was probably the most likely best
spot. The problem with most likely is that sometimes it isn't. I would x 3s with
your p hand imagine how strong their hand is if you bid 4d 4h or 5d? slam will
be impossible to miss (grand who knows). If you bid clubs it seems easy for
p to then convert to hearts even over 5c)

I would not really want to venture beyond 4h (possibly 5d) if p is weak so I don't
really like 4s 4n or 4d (which seems way too speculative)

IMO x=10 4h=8 4s=4 4n=4 4d=1

[Mbodell]

Partner has a clear 4♦ non-leaping Michaels. Oh, what's that, no one really plays that outside problem hand threads? True enough (although I did have one partner try to suggest it for us this past month, but I refused).

I think 4♠ by partner is probably best, but not sure people will know what other bids will mean. If partner prefers diamonds to clubs, but likes hearts equal or near equal to diamonds we may play an inferior diamond strain.

[wank]

north bid game, but bidding game doesn't show a game force.

[aguahombre]

Agree with both of South's passes. If non-leaping Mike were in our bag (It isn't), I would rate it first. If NLM is not an available toy, North must Grit up and bid 4S. No particular reason to use 4N to include hearts as possibly one of the two suits when 4S can guarantee hearts.

[mgoetze]

 Mbodell, on 2012-June-12, 23:13, said:

Partner has a clear 4♦ non-leaping Michaels.

 aguahombre, on 2012-June-12, 23:29, said:

If non-leaping Mike were in our bag (It isn't), I would rate it first.

Even though I rated 4♦ above 4♥, I don't think it is the best bid. It falls short when it comes to describing the strength of this hand. To the two posters quoted above I can only say: when all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail...

[gwnn]

 mgoetze, on 2012-June-13, 01:02, said:

Even though I rated 4♦ above 4♥, I don't think it is the best bid. It falls short when it comes to describing the strength of this hand. To the two posters quoted above I can only say: when all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail...

If you play 4♦ as game-forcing (as most people do), it is unlimited. Furthermore, 4♠ and 4NT are commonly played as the minors if 4♣/♦ are hearts+a minor. How is 4NT going to help us? Partner will bid 5♣ and then we get to bid 5♦, what does that show? When all you have is a hammer and a screwdriver, you shouldn't use the screwdriver to drive in nails...

[billw55]

 gwnn, on 2012-June-13, 01:10, said:

If you play 4♦ as game-forcing (as most people do), it is unlimited. Furthermore, 4♠ and 4NT are commonly played as the minors if 4♣/♦ are hearts+a minor. How is 4NT going to help us? Partner will bid 5♣ and then we get to bid 5♦, what does that show? When all you have is a hammer and a screwdriver, you shouldn't use the screwdriver to drive in nails...

Out of curiosity, if 4♣/♦ = hearts+♣/♦, how would one show a minor one-suiter?

[paulg]

 billw55, on 2012-June-13, 06:22, said:

Out of curiosity, if 4♣/♦ = hearts+♣/♦, how would one show a minor one-suiter?

You bid at the five level. Not ideal, but hands that have some interest in four of a major tend to double (such as 3-6) with intermediate hands, hoping to survive. Of course overcalling with four of a minor is also a wide-ranging bid with no guarantee of finding the best fit/contract, which is why many are happy to give it up.