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.

why are we even bidding at all over 2H? We have exactly what p should read us for after the overcall, and he chose not to bid.

you don't X for takeout here white on white?

Edit: Also I would rather defend, here, if the overcaller were to my right. I think I can tolerate 2s or a 3-level minor suit contract if p's hand warrants it, and I expect we'll do better than +50 in whatever contract p sets us in.

I think the opening 1N shows your hand, and your partner (I'm assuming you're not playing Lebensohl) passed, so I'd pass here too. I can see the argument for the takeout double, since you're not vulnerable, but still I don't mind defending with this hand at all.

I don't know why I can't edit posts, for for my above post:

I don't want my partner to play the hand. Then RHO leads a heart through my K. That's another reason for not doubling.

RHO has entries on this auction. You're getting a heart through the king whether it's the opening lead or not (you probably don't have pitches).

I am trying to put together a hand with P where we don't have 5 losers, and most of those hands I'd rather defend against 2h. I stand corrected.

Hi, I'm a long-time bridge player (27 years) who just stumbled on this forum and thread.

On this hand we aer missing some vital pieces of information:
(1) Vulnerability
(2) Form of scoring

If the form of scoring is IMPs, Total points or Butler, I'm passing this at any vulnerability: there is no game for us and partner has a weak hand -- he knows I have 15-17 and yet has not been able to compete over 2H. This indicates he probably has 5 HCP at most. I have no good length and any bid by me now has little upside -- the most I can win is a partscore swing -- and a huge downside: we could get doubled for a fortune.
This downside is extra strong of we're vulnerable.

If the scoring is Matchpoint pairs, there is more of an incentive to bid, since you never get rich in matchpoints from defending a suit contract at the two-level.
There it would be nice to give a re-opening double here indicating shortness in hearts and asking partner to bid his best suit.
I still would probably only do this when non-vulnerable because of the danger of getting doubled for the disastrous -200 score.

OK, What would you do in this situation? Both sides Vulnerable, and you and your partner are playing SAYC on BBO.

RHO deals, and opens 1D.

KQJT65
KT62
7
J4

I doubled, just to see if we had a 4-4 heart fit (I'd rather play with that as the trump suit, and be able to run my spades). But what about overcalling 1S or 2S?

I'd normally just overcall 1s but i'm a donk

I bid 2D. Michaels showing the majors. It is kind of a lie, since you are 1 heart short.

Pleeeeeaase bid 1S

Pretty solid suit, no idea who's going to declare, 6-2 spade fit may be better than 4-4 heart fit, may still find heart fit after 1S
Michaels also may get us to an inferior heart contract.
1d-x-P-1h-P-1s should be stronger than this imo. 1d-x-p-2c-p- icky 2S bid
1d-x-3d-p-p-? 3S now?
If it had gone P-1D I could see a weak 2S with this hand.