Yeah I agree with this assesment but if x is pen, no other call seems right. Not bidding 4 spades for sure.

What about bidding 5 ?

Just verified this because I wasn't sure, but I felt like 5C showed more clubs. What I was told was that typically 5C here shows <= 1 card disparity between the suits, whereas 4N shows a 2+ card disparity. One could treat this either way, of course, but this is the standard treatment.

4N from me, but I wouldn't be upset if partner doubled with this hand. I'll obviously smash 5H if it comes to it.

there's a first, we bid a cold GS when i think partner is opening with a weak two as oppsed to a strong two. obviously he nearly blocks himself but just about makes it

People still play strong 2 bids?

that's what i thought

Only people over 80 years old.

As has been explained, double is penalty, 4NT is this minor suit shape, 5C would suggest 6–5 minors (or, weirdly I suppose, something like 0=4=5=5 — in any case a one-card difference).

I don't hate 4S. The real problem with it is that it could miss a slam. If partner has as little as AKJTxx xx xx xxx slam isn't awful, and if you add either the spade queen or the club king it's pretty good. In other words, if partner has his 2S bid you'll often make a slam.

I bid 4NT, then 5S over either minor (or over 5H if opps bid it — yes, I'm turning down 5HX, but I think any time we are making six tricks against 5H I want at least to take the shot at slam). This should describe my hand reasonably well, and presumably partner will pass if he's ashamed of his 2S bid (and we'll still probably make it) and bid on with ace-king-king or better.

No.


Well, they also do in a few books, particularly British books, and perhaps some British websites, hence (I suspect) 64's confusion.

Give us a picture of partner's hand where his 2S bid wasn't awful, opponents' bidding makes sense, and no game is good. And try to come up with one where you hit hearts for 800 but slam has little or no play.

I realize this doesn't prove that double is bad, but it at least suggests that you need seriously to consider bidding on.

hmm interesting to find a bridge thread here.. i've played bridge for about 6 years and represented my country in the youth category before.. but it seems that i've gotten the poker bug heh =P especially since no one my age plays bridge pffft..

im sorry if there's been a significant discussion on this alr, but i wonder what ppl think are the differences between the 2 games?

Bridge is a partnership game while poker you play for yourself. Bridge is a more deeper, complex, involved game, while poker is more psychological, and higher variance. But there is a lot more money to be made from poker than bridge.

My contribution to Sporcle: http://www.sporcle.com/games/atakdog/bermudabowl.

20/112, guess I suck at bridge history

I count eleven that I've played with, so it's a bit easier for me. But many of these I would have zero chance at.