There are random players anywhere you go. On BBO, Look for a partner (and opponents) that have their profiles filled out, including player level. Also, as a general rule on BBO for some reason, people tend to put themselves at a level one higher than they really are.

Shoot me a PM if you want to play sometime.

Didn't have time to check the level of one player who, after I double RHO's 1 opening with a balanced 17hcp hand (none of them in diamonds), partner decides to pass, and when told it was for takeout, said "I know, but I only had three points"

Any recommended books for bidding strategies? I've just been taught some basic bidding and I have no idea what my bidding strategy is known as:

13+ points and a strong 5 card suit bid 1 of that suit
15-20 points strong in every suit 1NT or 1C
7 card suit 13 points or under 3 bid of that suit
~15-20ish points with a strong suit 2 bid of that suit
~25ish points 2NT
13 of one suit I bid 7 of that suit

If you are looking for book recommendations, you came to the right place. Siegmund will be checking the thread at some point. He has a vast knowledge of bridge books and can certainly steer you in the right direction!

www.rpbridge.net has an excellent basic bidding strategy (as well as a slightly more advanced) outline; with great explanations and examples.

I'm on BBO right now, my name on there is "ironyuppie" if anyone wants to play. AIM = ironyuppie57

I am currently playing in our local sectional. First event, my partner and I finished 3rd in A.



WooHoo.

Somebody forgot to tell bobman that I'm the one whose supposed to get dealt the 8 card spade suits.

I often see it mentioned that 4-4 fits usually play better than 5-3 fits. Why is this? More ruffing values?

Pretty much; a lot of the time you will be able to establish your 5 card side suit for discards. Take the following hand:

AKxx
AKxxx
Axx
x

QJxx
QJx
xxx
xxx

If you play in the 4-4, you can establish your 5 card suit and discard 2 diamonds, allowing you possibly 2 more extra tricks (although risky with a danger of an overruff; safer for one extra).

This hand would get you 10 tricks in hearts, and likely 11 (or a risky 12) in spades.

Aside:

I'm on Michigan #1 in the blue division for Saturday's collegiates. Who else is playing?

I wish I could. I can't believe that nobody else at UT-Austin wants to play bridge for the college championships!

One thing I'm never sure of is how best to bid when there's been interference from opponents... one hand I played just now saw me with:

KQJ9
K7
AT4
A963

Three passes to me and I open 1nt and LHO overcalls 2h, how would you respond if passed back to? I ask as I then rightly or wrongly bid 2s, with the intention of giving partner the option of leaving it there if he has a fit or correcting to 2nt otherwise, instead he passes with xx in spades, but Kxxxx in clubs which would allow 2nt to make, instead of 2s being down one

I think most experts would play that a double here is for takeout, and not penalty since you're "under" the 2h bidder. On this hand your partner would then bid 3c.

2s by you is almost unambiguously a good 4c spade suit, since you wouldn't open 1n with 5 (unless you play puppet or have some other partnership agreement). On the other hand, I don't think your p will ever correct to 2n without a heart stopper, and I think you have a lot of problems if p shows up with something like Ax / xxxx / 9xxx / xxx. He can't bid 2n with, say, 4 hearts to the 8. He could bid his diamonds, bypassing clubs, but your shape could easily be 4-3-2-4, and you're no better off than in the 2s contract; in fact now you're at the 3 level.

Moral of the story is that your double is, in an overwhelming number of partnerships, for takeout, and your p should bid 3c, after which neither of you will bid again.

By the way, I don't know why you want to be in NT unless P has a heart honor. If lefty holds AQJxx of hearts (very reasonable -- even AQTxx with righty having the J), 2n is down unless p holds As (or Kd and lefty has As) and you get a 2/2 club split.