Monday, January 31, 2005 12:47 AM

Bidding vrs Gambling

PITBULLS:

One of the very basics of Bridge bidding is that it involves a partnership. Once you have described your hand adequately to partner , she is “captain of the ship” . The two most obvious situations are a strong NT opener and a pre-emptive bid. You have described your hand within a tightly defined range to partner. Once you have done so , partner calls the shots.

What is less obvious to some Bridge players is all bidding follows the same principle. Once you have described your hand to partner you are “all in” and partner is captain of the ship. Partner has heard you and she decides to pass . You have a beautiful hand which you have already described by bidding twice previously. Bidding again is insulting partners judgment.

I was playing with a tormentee and this auction actually occurred. The opponents were vul and we were not. 1NT opened by the opponents

1NT- P -2♦-2NT What is wrong with this auction ? Partner bid 2NT which shows the minors.

Dbl- 3♦-P–P The 2NT bidder bid 5♦ showing that he had the minors. After 5♥ he described

Dbl -P-4♥- 5♦ his hand the 3^rd time that he has the minors. The 2NT hand had nothing more

Dbl -P-5♥-6♦ than he described initially so partner was captain of the ship. I could have held

Dbl -P-P -P 100 honours in hearts . I did not , but I did hold this contract to –800 for a zero.

Same tormentee who held AJxxx x K Kxxxxx was vul against not and decided to open 1♠ . I doubled and his partner bid 2♦ with my partner bidding 2♥. The tormentee now took a chance and crawled in 3♣ vul. I had a huge hand but short in clubs so I leapt to 4♥. Passed around to the tormentee who had already described his two suiter to his partner at the 3 level vul so she is captain of the ship. Vulnerable it would be sheer suicide to bid 5♣ . Out comes a 5♣ bid which gets doubled . Dummy comes down with

x Qxxx QJ10xxxx x so the tormentee loses 3 spade tricks , 1 heart , 1 diamond and 4 clubs for down 7 and –2000 against our +450 . That what should have happened . The board hit with x xx Q109xxx AJxx and 5♣ x made for +750 with KQx of spades coming down after two trump leads . Opposite a vul 3♣ bid , this hand has a clear cut 5♣ bid but failed to do so. So the tormentee bid the AJxx of trump and stiff spade for her !!

I was playing with an experienced player who should have known better. The auction goes 1NT and I doubled for penalty. This double shows two types of hands generally. An equivalent in HCP’s to the NT opener or a single suited hand too strong to overcall. This auction actually occurred.

1NT-X-P-2♥ O.K. who is captain of the ship in this auction. In other words who knows more about

P - 2♠-P-3♥ partners hand ? I doubled 1NT and heard partner pull it to 2♥. Partner did not scramble

P - 3♠-P-4♣ to 2♣ which he would without a suit of his own. I heard that he has a long heart suit

P - 4♠-X-P and still bid 2♠ .I can not have the balanced NT hand or I would have passed 2♥.

Partner now bids 3♥ and I bid 3♠. Now I know that he has long hearts and hates spades. I should be captain of the ship now and I place the contract in 3♠ which should end the auction. Unbelievably partner bids 4♣ with void QJ10xxx x Jxxxx and I go for –300 in 4♠ doubled with 16 HCP and a 7 card spade suit ! 3♠ down 1 was an average and –300 was of course a well deserved zero.

Bidding is a language which you pass information for the partnership to make a decision. Once you have done so your obligation is over and partner assumes responsibility. Otherwise Bridge would be just a crap shoot and bidding would not be necessary. In rubber bridge the gambling is more than just having money involved. The partnership element of the game takes a beating and you shoot to what you think you can make without partner contributing much to the auction. Single handed bidding is the real gambling element in rubber Bridge. In other forms of Bridge , partnership bidding should remove a great deal of the gambling.

There is a bid that allows partner to “bid her hand again” after making a descriptive bid. You can circumvent the rule of captaincy with only one bid , a double . These bids are called “action doubles” . They usually come from a partner who is normally not expected to bid again. Two tormentees were playing together and in 3^rd seat one of them decided to make a “tactical bid” of 4♥ with x AKQJxxx Ax K10x . Since partner is a passed hand , you can get away with these type of bids as slam is more remote. You may cause the opponents to make a competitive error and bring them into the auction at a dangerously high level. This is exactly what happened. A 4♠ overcall and partner had spades but nothing else so he can not double. He expects a 4♥ pre-empt over there so now what ? You can not bid 5♥ as that it totally single handed as partner has already heard you open 4♥. However you can double saying you want to bid 5♥ but you have outside cards. This allows the decision to be made from the correct side of the table. Partner passes and +500 instead of going down two doubled in 5♥. Bridge is a partnership game J