LHO deal
1D-pass-1S

my bid with

S-A6
H-Q
D-AQJ9853
C-A53

no ****in clue.

I think you have to pass; I'm not positive, but I think 2S is natural here, and not sure about 2D. (you have 2NT and double to show hearts and clubs, but I'm still not sure what is standard.)

Generally 2S is natural. X shows both hearts and clubs (4/4 +); however, most partnerships would use that as a strong bid here. Therefore there should be another 'unbid suits' bid that you can make when weaker. In many cases, that's 2N (5/5 +). But, I know some partnerships who play 2N here to show the minors -- not unreasonably -- and 2D as a sort of Michaels showing 5/5 in H/C.

I pass with this hand, and I'm probably bidding 3D if they try to pass it out at the 2 level (this should be unambiguously natural). This all depends on the colors, of course. As is, though, I rate to pick up 8 tricks playing diamonds and 3 tricks when defending.

w/r, N deals, sitting S with:
T7
AK8652
J7
A95

SAYC, no special agreements, P opens.
1C-[1D]-1H-[4D]
4H-[P]-6H

Thoughts?

Should have stopped in 5.

Your hand is nowhere near a 6H bid, IMO. Pass out 4H.

Well, the vulnerable opponents should have at least 10 diamonds, so partner should be a singleton at the most. Your partner is willing to go to game when you could have as little as 5 hearts and 7 or 8 points. You have an extra ace and an extra heart. And a possible 2nd fit in clubs. That should equal two additional tricks.

This is a subminimum hand (although a perfect one) and slam is cold.

Axx
Qxxxx
x
KQJx

I think it's close between an invite and a slam bid. And, since you had a lady partner to impress, slam bid is the winner imo.

6 seems over the top, especially since the defense won't be difficult if it's too high. Partner rates to have a better than minimum hand, but is also acting under huge pressure, so something like AQxx/QJxx/x/KQxx is quite possible.
I do think a slam try is warranted, since it looks like the honors are fitting really well. I'd try 5C to show slam interest and my A, and leave it to partner to judge whether we play 4 or 5.

If P has AQxx QJxx x KQxx, slam should make ~65% of the time, right?

My thinking was this. P should always have a singleton (or void) in diamonds. We have at least a 9-card trump fit, plus she raised me to 4, so there shouldn't be a heart loser. She shouldn't have any diamond honors, and max 3 points in hearts. The worst case scenario is something like KQJx QJxx x KQJx, which doesn't have any play. But if she has the SA, then there have to be chances, either spade finesses or long clubs to set up, and usually both.

EDIT:

Does your partner usually open 1 with a 5 card major?

Actually, I am liking the 5 bid more and more. Your partner only knows that you have 4 hearts (not 5, since the sequence 1C-(1D)-X should show 4/4). If partner has 5 hearts, (s)he has >= 6 clubs, and slam should be in the bag. If partner only has 4 hearts, (s)he's got extras. Ok, ok. 5C > 6H > P, probably.

Edit: But what do I know... just saw spoiler. Berate partner for opening 1C, imo.

Not always. RHO could have AKxx and LHO could have exactly five.

I agree with the 5C bidders. You're right that opps will usually have 10 diamonds, but your bidding 5C rather than 4S or 5D implies problems in those suits (clearer re spades than diamonds), and (assuming pard is thoughtful) you can stop in 5H with two quick losers in either suit; he should also probably bid just 5H with an aceless hand. Partner may even be able to choose 6C with a holding like A Qxxx Kx KQTxxx (or, more likely, with the pointed suits reversed); if he does, trust him and pass.

If partner is the sort who might pass 5C, bank on opps' likely ten-card fit and try 4NT just in case. You just might find a grand, though this is actually more likely after a 5C bid, because partner can properly evaluate club strength, e.g., with A Qxxx A KQJxxx he should try seven.

Some would play that 5H now asks for control of opponents' suit, but even if it does here it's the wrong bid, as you need more of a general strength evaluation.

Incidentally, clubs weren't offside, as the finesse is two-way. It's just a guess, unless you can get a count (unlikely to be better than a one-card inference, unless the play in diamonds tells you who has to have the missing honors) or opps are bad enough to signal it.

With me, and many others who've thought about it, 2D and 2S are each natural -- see Mike Lawrence's book (I think that's the one) for the best explanation of why this should be, though really this hand should prove it. All those strong and weak takeout subtleties are rarely needed, while being able to show one's suit is a big deal.

If I'm playing with a partner who thinks 2D is natural, or who might think so (I once had a disaster with a pickup partner in the Blue Ribbon Pairs on a similar deal), then pass is the right bid, though I might try a natural albeit creative 1NT if nonvulnerable. With the diamond ten, and the heart king instead of the queen, I think seriously about 3NT. But after thinking about it I probably don't do it, as the most likely lead against that auction is the heart ace.

I think it's worse than that, unfortunately. 1D overcalls are so ineffective that intervenor (RHO) almost has to have the spade king if he's decent; thus a finesse won't work, and you lack the entries for the obvious squeeze. You'll probably need 3-3 clubs, or RHO holding the club guard plus the spade KJ, in which case you do have an automatic squeeze with the spade T as a menace (pitching the queen on the last heart). It also won't work except with 3-3 clubs if you face a (pretty unlikely) spade opening lead, as there's no squeeze without the count.

If the defense starts with two rounds of diamonds you can play it differently, but probably not do a lot better unless RHO shows you AKQ of diamonds (in which case you play off the clubs and make on 3-3 clubs or the spade king on side, basically, though on a bizarre layout you'd have a showup squeeze). Of course, if RHO does show me the AKQ he either isn't an expert, or wants me to think he doesn't have the spade king...

I just sat down, and this is where the bidding was at (white on red)

7 5 2
9 3

A K Q T 9 7 6 4

P deals and open 1, I respond 2. P then bids 4.

Do I let it go, or push to a slam? If so, in which suit?

Bleah. Now I remember why I stopped playing with the sort of partner who would perpetrate such a bid. (In fairness, it could be right, but there's no particular reason to believe that on BBO, which I think you said is where you play.)

4H should show self-sufficient hearts, no side four-card suit, and no slam interest -- certainly no first-round control in either pointed suit. The problem, of course, is that it doesn't necessarily show that this time, and in any case that still doesn't answer the question. All you need for 6C is KQ AKxxxxx xxx x, which is consistent with the auction, and in general if a perfect minimum makes it cold you need at least to look for it. So yes, you need at least to look for slam.

I suppose 5D's being key card for hearts excluding diamonds (RKCHxD in all my notes...) is too much to hope for...

Clubs will be trump, unless partner corrects, which he should do only with solid trumps and a doubleton club, though he probably will with a solid suit and a single club (and you're not getting a club lead unless RHO is Zia, anyway). The likelihood of a club void, or imperfect hearts (no queen) that don't break, is too great to risk it. (The latter risk alone would be insufficient at MPs.)

Plan 1, the practical but theoretically wrong one: 4NT, whatever flavor of ace-asking you're using. If missing two key cards, try 5H. Yuck. Bleah. Awful. But still probably making, and only missing a good slam about 40% of the time.

Plan 2, the theoretically correct one: 5D, and let partner decide.

Plan 3, the practical plan at IMPs anyway: direct 6C, then glower at partner when he corrects to 6H with KQx AKQJT98 xxx --, or to a grand with KQ AKQxxxx ATxx --.

Plan 4, the creative one, which I think I would try: 4S, then 6C over almost any response. You're pretty well forced to slam, you're probably not finding a good grand anyway, and this minimizes the probability of being dead by trick two. Bad if partner corrects to 6H, bad if he bids a grand without the spade ace, but even then you're only dead if they lead spades, and it would be very normal to try to cash the diamond ace here. (If LHO doubles, I'd try correcting to 6H, putting his partner on lead, unless playing against really good opps in which case I'd just take my lumps. And if RHO doubles, 6C is going down on a club ruff so I correct again...)

Hmm, from your description I take it this is a random pick-up partner at BBO or so.
Opposite myself I would pass this, since I'll have something along the lones of Kx/AKJTxxx/Qxx/x (that is, a hand that has the shape for a 4 pre-empt, but too much HCP for it; also one that isn't overly enthusiastic about the 2 bid.)

Opposite an unknown? You basically have 5-6 losers in your hand in a club contract. For slam (H or C) to be good, partner needs to have:
(1) Running hearts (likely)
(2) A or at least 2nd round control.
(3) At least 1 club, but preferably 2 to ensure communication to your hand. A club slam is actually playable opposite a void.

Also, a 2nd round speade control is less valuable if you are playing the hand, since the spade lead is likely and will go thru dummy's (assumed) strength.

I generally don't push for marginal slams, so I'd pass now. Second choice is 6 if it's IMPs, 5 if matchpoints.

Sounds ugly! I'd trust partner on this one. Perhaps he has
a club void or an aceless wonder like

QxKQJTxxxKQxx

Fab and pooch, y'all are right opposite a good partner, but I was thinking an Internet random is more likely to be showing you his 19 count than aceless crap. And if that aceless crap includes the spade king, you still have chances if the hearts are solid.

I like trusting partner, too -- but here, I don't what to trust him about. I suppose maybe it's better to assume he does know what he's doing, and tehrefore is playing fast arrival. That way, at least you know that if you miss a good slam, you win the post mortem.

Both sides white

Your sitting south, and east deals.

A Q T 5

K T 8 5 2
A K Q 9

East opens 3.

How do we go from here, and what do we plan to rebid?

Are we playing matchpoints or IMPs? It makes a difference.

Anyway, this is awkward. Where are all the hearts: with west, north, or both?
Let's weigh the options:
(1) pass. We'll be playing for 50 points per trick, and will score between 100 and 200. Certainly the surest way to go plus.
(2) dbl. And see partner bid some large number of hearts. No thanks.
(3) 3NT. Could work out like opposite something like x/Kxxxx/AQx/xxxx, but we're gonna need some support n the right places. Also, we could look very silly if west starts with the first 7 tricks in hearts. Still, if we are playing matchpoints, I think this is my choice.
(4) 4NT, for the minors. We may end up playing in a 4-3 fit, but I think it's pretty likely partner has a fit in one of the minors. I think I'd choose this in IMPs.

Conclusion: in matchpoints, it's close between pass and 3NT, but I prefer 3NT.
In IMPs, it's close between lots of bids, but I expect chances are best in a 5-level game in a minor.

I actually *really* like pass here (in MPs and IMPs), with a close second given to 4N (pick-a-minor-suit-game) in IMPs only. The reason is that it's almost impossible for LHO to take a bid here, even with long hearts. Partner probably doesn't have the values for 4H direct -- since you didn't double -- unless he has a monster heart suit.

I think that the most likely scenario is that partner balances with a double, which I'm more than happy to leave in. When you don't bid and (your) LHO doesn't bid, he should guess that you have a decent hand with spades; in fact, he should probably suspect that you will pass his double. Now your 100-200 becomes 300-800. I'm happy with that at matchpoints or IMPs.

If partner bids 4H, ::sigh::, well, I still expect it to make. After all, my 19 point dummy surely means that we have around 30 points here.

If he bids 5m, then I'm raising and expecting to make. Hopefully we're not missing 7, but a spade ruff on the opening lead is not unlikely.

I suppose 4N - 5; 6 is not so unlikely either, and that's my concern about not bidding 4N. I hope we don't miss out on a minor suit slam, but if we do, I'll chalk it up to "well, the preempt worked", and I'll expect that our partners preempted at the other table.

I ended up passing, figuring that I'd get another shot to bid. RHO passes, and my partner responded 4, to which I went with RKC. He showed 2 key cards, and I drove on to 6NT (because pussies never win at this game).

The dummy comes down as:

K 9
A K J 9 7 3

J 8 7 6 4

I'm pretty sure we can make 6 all the time, but I'm not entirely sure on how to get there. Maybe I should throw in a 4N after the pre-empt?

My opponent lead the 6, so I could have been a douche and played the 7 to win the trick, but just in case, I played the J, and I ran away with 12 tricks. Apparently, the only way for him to set the contract was to lead away from his 10-high 4 card club suit across partner's void, since was was void in spades. Who'da thunk, right?

What an awful hand. I wouldn't risk pass, but can sympathize with it. Partner's average hand is a 1=5=3=4 nine count (with no HCP in spades), so I don't see counting on a double here. I it works, of course, you have the added virtue of rightsiding the contract (if it's in a minor). Otherwise, six (or seven) of a minor is too likely to go down on a spade ruff.

I think 4NT should be quantitative, so it's not too far off except that in this case it gets you to an unmakeable 6H... (Note: put diamonds in with your hearts.) 4S is takeout with any two-suiter, so in this case partner should bid 6C (he's strong enough for that), and you'll go down on that spade ruff. But it's the right contract.

If I were in a masterminding mood I'd have considered 6C at my first bid, for this reason (and yes, I thought of that before you revealed the hand), but in practice I'd probably have settled for 4NT. If we are doubled in 6H I am pulling to 6NT.

Incidentally, maybe I'm thick but I'm not seeing making 6C from partner's side after the spade ruff at trick 1 and the likely club return. Can't see a trump squeeze there without better transportation. (On the other hand, I think you make seven on non-trump lead when it's played from your side?) And 6N by you on a club lead is fun, but I agree that that beats it -- again, no fancy play gets there. Bummer.