2007-08-29 02:10
Hand Evaluation - Evaluation vrs HCP's
PITBULLS:
Once
in a while , a hand comes up that brings everything together.
The biggest weakness we have identified with the Tormentees
is hand evaluation & Bridge judgment. They rely way too much on HCP’s as opposed to hand evaluation
concepts. We are writing hundreds of articles on Hand Evaluation concepts so that the
less experienced players will get a sense
of what it is all about. Last Thursday nite , a hand came up where dozens
of Hand Evaluation articles were applicable.
You
are vul & they are not ,
so you hear a 1♦ opener in 3rd seat. You overcall 1NT with ♠KJxx ♥Axx ♦Axx ♣Kxx , they bid 2♦ with partner freely
bidding 2♠. So what has the hand evaluation articles taught you ? One article I wrote says put HCP’s near the bottom of
hand evaluation indicators. Quoting Rita “ I
only had 15 HCP’s Gerald “.
OK , let’s use our newly acquired Hand Evaluation skills to evaluate your 1NT overcall in support
of spades. Your HCP’s are all controls . Of the possible 12 HCP available in
queens & jacks you could have you have only 1 “bad” HCP & it is in
trump !. Controls bring out the aspect of “location ,
location & location “ as you controls are behind
the opener. Partners’ queen & jacks grow up as kings are onside.
If partners HCP’s are controls , they mesh with your
controls for timing & suit establishment purposes. The 4321 HCP scale undervalues Aces & Kings &
over evaluates queens & jacks. This has been proven
for decades. If partner has weak spades , your ♠KJxx
behind the opener will do nicely. Hand evaluation is dynamic i.e. the bidding
allows you to re-evaluate your hand during the auction.
What
about applying patterns &
using the opponents as stepping
stones which has been the subject of many articles. There is a
very high probability that the opponents have indicated a stiff diamond in partner’s hand for you. With their diamond bidding ,
it sounds like the diamonds are 5-4-3-1
around the table , so partner has a stiff diamond. This means there are no wastage in diamonds so all of your HCP’s
& partners are pulling
full weight ( many many
articles ) .
There
have been many articles on the “virtual
value” of a 4th
trump. Your hand has to be evaluated
upward because you have a 4th
trump. This hand is obviously better than a hand with 2 or 3 trump. Raising a level with the 4th trump brings
in the law of total tricks
( still another article ) so a 9 trick contract should
be easy .
There
have been many articles on the sins of not inviting
with invitational hands.
This lack
of inviting is
a single handed
& obviously final action that
leaves partner out of the decision making process. When partner bids freely vulnerable ,
do you really think that that 3♠ is going down ? Why are you making the final decision for
the partnership ? Pass the decision back to partner for her say. Bridge is a partnership game ( many articles )
Playing the vulnerability
& IMPs vrs matchpoints
are two more articles which are applicable. In IMPS ,
you stretch for vulnerable
games. You do not take the chance that 2♠ is the exact limit of the
hand in IMPS. Vul games are 12 IMPs
, so blowing a partial is a good gamble for a chance at the vul game. In Matchpoints , you may consider a pass for the almighty plus.
One last reason for inviting
to 3♠ is the advanced sacrifice.
If all partner has is a long spade suit , they can make 3 or 4
hearts depending on their spade distribution. 3♠ is a win win situation as the law of total tricks
pre-empt their
side. You may be forced to bid 3♠ to compete so why
not take out insurance ? The 3♠ bid mainly gives
partner a 2nd chance though so the blame
transfer is complete. Bid em up when you
have a huge trump fit.
Just
for fun , let’s make a Ray Grace bid to show how
ridiculous passing 2♠ is on this auction. Ray leaps to 6♠ after
partner bids 2♠. Unsuspecting LHO ( Stan Cabay ) leads the diamond King. Gary Karst
( responder ) wins the diamond Ace & holds 6 HCP for
his 2♠ bid ♠xxxxx
♥xx ♦x ♣AQxxx . Gary ruffs a
diamond back to his hand. Stan has ♠Ax & plays low. Gary goes up King
& returns a spade so the honours crash. The clubs
are 3-2 so Ray is +1430. I have put many 6-8 HCP’s in partners hand that 4-6 spades has a play
opposite this control rich hand with 4 trump. ♠Axxxx ♥xx ♦x ♣J1098x is a possible hand
where 6♠ could make on this auction with partners hand. Once you deduce
that partner can hold a stiff
diamond ,
it puts a club suit in that hand. Why, because that hand should have 3 or less hearts because of no
attempt to find a major fit. This
makes your well located ♣Kxx of clubs gold.
The
satisfaction derived from writing all these articles on hand evaluation skills , will be that none
of the Tormentees
eventually will ever pass 2♠ on this auction & say “I had only 15 points, Gerald “. The actual hand opposite the NT hand was ♠Qxxxx ♥Jx ♦K ♣Q109xx which is a horrible hand to jump to 3♠
to force to game. If partner does not have a spade fit ,
3NT is no bargain with the diamond entry ( or not) going at trick one. Again hand evaluation for this hand. Stiff King ( location bad ) , Jx worthless
& a lack of controls
with both suits headed by just an
unsupported queen. To force to game with this hand is poor hand evaluation so the tormentees would feel a “free bid” of 2♠ should
suffice. They are no longer slaves to HCP’s.
If partner cannot move over that , +110 will be a nice score. Tom Gandolfo who held this
hand , used his hand evaluation skills & just bid
2♠. Points , Schmoints
..