Re: You wait hours for a bus...

In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
          Mike Vaughn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Eric Leong) wrote:

[snip - auction has started 1D (P) 1S (P)]

> > Here are some more minimum hands partner could have for his 2S bid
> > where your side would prefer to be in game:
> > 
> > S AQxx H Axx  D Kxxxx  C x
> > 
> > S AQJx  H xx  D Kxxxx  C Ax
> 
> With these good 6-loser hands, partner should be bidding 3S, not 2S.
>  
> > Here is a minimum balanced hand that you would want to be in game:
> > 
> > S AQJx  H xxx  D A109x  C Ax
> 
> In ACOL, partner might bid 1NT here, though with good 4 card support
> 2S might be bid. 3S is not bad, even here, though.
>  
> > Here is a 17 hcp hand where partner might not bid 3S but you would
> > want to be in game:
> > 
> > S QJxx  H AQx  D Kxxx  C KQ
> 
> Again, partner should bid 3S.
>  
> > These examples should suggest a game invitation is warranted.
> 
> These examples suggest that you have a lot of underbidding partners,
> who should be taught to use the LTC.

Playing Acol, you have already taken many of your 7 loser hands out of
your 1 of a suit openings - you opened them 1NT. Assuming you keep
your 1m openings fairly sound (admittedly many Acol players do not!)
the weakest hand you could have for the auction 1D:1S, 2S would be a
4-2-5-2 12 count, e.g. AQxx xx AQxxx xx which is 6 losers. If you
routinely raise to 3S on 6 losers here then you will very, very rarely
use the auction 1D:1S, 2S, which is a waste - you are turning what is
IMO the biggest advantage of playing a weak NT into a slight
disadvantage.

Personally, I dislike LTC - read Neil Cohen's critique here to see
why.

http://groups.google.co.uk/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=neil+cohen+LTC&btnG=Google+Search&meta=group%3Drec.games.bridge.

My guideline is that 1m:1M, 2M should show 14-17 points in support,
using a 5-3-1 shortage count. All of Eric's hands are clear 2S bids.

Mike