[phoenixmj]

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North opens 1 heart and east overcalls with a preemptive 3 spade bid. This is south's hand. What is the best/correct bid?

Please explain why the bid is correct or the risks involved in the bid. I will post north's hand tomorrow and perhaps we can then find out how north should respond to south's bid.

Thanks in advance.

[kuhchung]

3NT because they pay a game bonus and I have a comfortable game force and I have spades stopped and I don't see a better option

[HardVector]

I'd bid 3n. You have game values and a pretty good club suit, 3n should have some play. That being said, it's not a sure thing. The 3s bid was probably made on 7 lousy spades and some values outside of the suit, i.e. entries. I forget what player said that if 3n looks like the right contract, bid 3n. If you don't like bidding 3n on these, then you are going to have to pass and hope partner balances in with a double and you will sit for it. The worst bid is 4c. That takes you past 3n and should cater to hands that are mildly interested in getting to 6c.

The problem with preempts is that they force you to guess, so you guess and make the best of it. If you are looking for "right and wrong", you are going to be very frustrated.

[Stephen Tu]

To me 3nt is the normal action here.
Why -- because it's the most likely making game. Aiming for 4h, it might be 5-2 heart fit only and with the trumps not breaking, might be susceptible to clubs being ruffed. Aiming for 5c, it would be easy to lose say one trick in each non-spade suit, or say 2 diamonds 1 heart, or 2 diamonds 1 club.
Risks - partner may pass 3nt when 4h/5c is better. Mainly when LHO has a good long diamond suit and an entry. A good 6c contract might be missed.

[Stephen Tu]

HardVector, on 2019-March-20, 11:29, said:

I forget what player said that if 3n looks like the right contract, bid 3n.

It's Bob Hamman's rule, but you didn't quite formulate it precisely. Of course everyone would bid 3nt if it clearly looked like the right contract. His actual rule is if you aren't sure what the right bid is, but 3nt is plausible, then choose 3nt. So more like "when unsure, if 3nt is plausibly the right contract, choose 3nt"

[mikeh]

Preempts work.

At mps, getting to 5C is often going to be losing bridge, even if one makes 12 tricks...those playing 3N will almost surely make at least 10 tricks.

At imps, playing 5C rather than 3N is no sin, so long as 5C makes, but 5C might not make when 3N is cold: xx AKJxx xx Axxx: they run 5 or 6 diamonds against 3N.

Obviously, getting to a making slam, usually 6C or 6N but possibly 6H, would be wonderful at either scoring, but how does 4C get us there on most hands?

We can hardly bid 4C and then bid 4S over 4H...such would be a huge overstatement of values (tho on some layouts it would work).

And if partner fits clubs, how can he tell you about it? 5C leaves you with no information about diamonds.....and you may already be going minus: x AKQxx xxx Axxx...sure, 3N might fail on this layout, but usually won't. And partner could have x AKxxx QJx Axxx and they score a ruff to beat 5C when 3N is frigid.

Hence in my view 95% of good players would bid 3N, and I suspect I am underestimating that number.

One point to bear in mind is that, contrary to a popular aphorism attributed, I believe, to Hamman, 3N does not end ALL auctions. It ends most, but partner is allowed to bid again with an unusual hand, so that slam may still be reached once in a while after 3N, while 3N cannot ever be reached after 4C.

[phoenixmj]

mikeh, on 2019-March-20, 11:41, said:

Preempts work.

At mps, getting to 5C is often going to be losing bridge, even if one makes 12 tricks...those playing 3N will almost surely make at least 10 tricks.

At imps, playing 5C rather than 3N is no sin, so long as 5C makes, but 5C might not make when 3N is cold: xx AKJxx xx Axxx: they run 5 or 6 diamonds against 3N.

Obviously, getting to a making slam, usually 6C or 6N but possibly 6H, would be wonderful at either scoring, but how does 4C get us there on most hands?

We can hardly bid 4C and then bid 4S over 4H...such would be a huge overstatement of values (tho on some layouts it would work).

And if partner fits clubs, how can he tell you about it? 5C leaves you with no information about diamonds.....and you may already be going minus: x AKQxx xxx Axxx...sure, 3N might fail on this layout, but usually won't. And partner could have x AKxxx QJx Axxx and they score a ruff to beat 5C when 3N is frigid.

Hence in my view 95% of good players would bid 3N, and I suspect I am underestimating that number.

One point to bear in mind is that, contrary to a popular aphorism attributed, I believe, to Hamman, 3N does not end ALL auctions. It ends most, but partner is allowed to bid again with an unusual hand, so that slam may still be reached once in a while after 3N, while 3N cannot ever be reached after 4C.

OK - I posted a part 2 that has north's hand. Curious as to what north would do.

I agree - preempts do work - especially a preempt to 3 level. No room to explore anything.