Weekly Hand Analysis - Mark Olsky - October 31, 2022- Take Out Double

 

Question: 

S has opened 1H with 17 (15+2) pts and 6H. W has “stirred the pot” with a T/O double hoping partner has help in S or D. N has given a limit raise over the dbl. E passes. Should S advance the bid to game? 

The secondary question in this board is whether or not W should have bid the T/O double, or would a spade overcall been a better bid?

Mark:

First, the N-S bidding.

 Failing to get to the excellent 4 H is partly caused by the partners not being on the same page. Most experienced players do not play 3H after a double as showing a limit raise. Anything close to a limit raise would start with a redouble. 3H shows a weak but distributional hand . A hand with about 5 high card points, a side singleton or void and 4 or more hearts. It's intended to make it difficult for the opponents, who may well have game in their best suit and to suggest a possible sacrifice. Some people still play 3 H as a limit raise, but then the opener has to know that. You can't describe two vastly different hands with the same bid, so it's better to use the bid for the more common hand and to have a different approach to the other. Having said that, unless North is known to be an absolutely wild pre-emptive overbidder, I would bid 4 H with the South hand. It's not just the 17 points you mention; after a jump raise, you should re- evaluate and consider the South hand to be 18 or 19 points. Give north the same cards except exchange the spade Ace for the diamond jack. Now you have the typical expert's 3 heart bid. You still have a good chance to make 4 hearts while the opponents might have good chances in 3 or 4 spades, with less room to explore which is better. 

  Now for the E-W bidding: 

The vast majority of experienced players use a 2 heart cuebid (Michaels) to show the West hand. (5 of the other major and 5 or more in a minor suit. At his vulnerability, that's just right on the strength of the hand and the suits. If you are not playing Michaels, it's reasonable to use a takeout double or spade overcall. I recommend most regular partnerships learn Michaels' cuebid. It comes up a lot and helps you get to the right contract more often than partnerships that don't have that tool.