The best thing we can do to decide if we should double - with Graeme Tuffnell

Online bridge lessons with Graeme Tuffnell: learnbridgeonl...
How can we know if we're doubling too often or not often enough? In a random tournament on BBO, these two hands came up and I doubled both. One was successful and one wasn't. But it didn't feel clear to me if either or both of them were wise decisions.
Luckily, Graeme is here to help and to offer the most important advice he has for knowing whether we should double or not.
Hand 1: www.bridgebase...||pn|bajir,~Mwest,~Mnorth,~Meast|md|3SKHJ4DKT5CAKQ9543,SAJT85432HQTD3CJ7,S7HK832DAQJ8762CT,SQ96HA9765D94C862|sv|n|rh||ah|Board%205|mb|1D|an|Minor%20suit%20opening%20--%203+%20!D;%2011-21%20HCP;%2012-22%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|2C|an|Forcing%20two%20over%20one%20--%20biddable%20!C;%2014+%20total%20points;%20forcing%20to%203N|mb|4S|an|Preempt%20--%20twice%20rebiddable%20!S;%203-25%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|P|mb|D|an|biddable%20!C;%2014+%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|P|mb|P|pc|H2|pc|H7|pc|HJ|pc|HQ|pc|HT|pc|H3|pc|HA|pc|H4|pc|S9|pc|SK|pc|SA|pc|S7|pc|S4|pc|D2|pc|S6|pc|C9|pc|H9|pc|C3|pc|C7|pc|HK|pc|CT|pc|C8|pc|CQ|pc|CJ|pc|CK|pc|ST|pc|D7|pc|C2|pc|D3|pc|D8|pc|D9|pc|DT|pc|D5|pc|SJ|pc|DQ|pc|D4|pc|S8|pc|H8|pc|SQ|pc|C4|pc|H6|pc|C5|pc|S5|pc|DJ|pc|S3|pc|D6|pc|C6|pc|CA|pc|S2|pc|DA|pc|H5|pc|DK|
Hand 2: www.bridgebase...||pn|bajir,~Mwest,~Mnorth,~Meast|md|4S965HKQJT84D4CAK4,SKQJTH6DAQT876C95,S82H932DKJ532CT72,SA743HA75D9CQJ863|sv|e|rh||ah|Board%206|mb|1C|an|Minor%20suit%20opening%20--%203+%20!C;%2011-21%20HCP;%2012-22%20total%20points|mb|1H|an|One-level%20overcall%20--%205+%20!H;%208-17%20HCP;%209-19%20total%20points|mb|D|an|Negative%20double%20--%204%20!S;%205+%20HCP;%206+%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|1S|an|3+%20!C;%204%20!S;%2011+%20HCP;%2012-14%20total%20points|mb|2H|an|6+%20!H;%2017-%20HCP;%2012-19%20total%20points|mb|4S|an|4%20!S;%2012+%20HCP;%2013-18%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|P|mb|D|an|Takeout%20double%20--%205-%20!C;%204+%20!D;%206+%20!H;%205-%20!S;%2017-%20HCP;%2018-19%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|P|mb|P|pc|D4|pc|DA|pc|D5|pc|D9|pc|H6|pc|H9|pc|HA|pc|H4|pc|S3|pc|S5|pc|SK|pc|S2|pc|C9|pc|CT|pc|CQ|pc|CK|pc|CA|pc|C5|pc|C2|pc|C6|pc|C4|pc|DT|pc|C7|pc|CJ|pc|C8|pc|H8|pc|SQ|pc|D2|pc|D8|pc|D3|pc|S7|pc|S9|pc|HK|pc|D6|pc|H3|pc|H7|pc|HQ|pc|SJ|pc|H2|pc|H5|pc|ST|pc|S8|pc|S4|pc|S6|pc|D7|pc|DJ|pc|SA|pc|HT|pc|C3|pc|HJ|pc|DQ|pc|DK|
♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣
#bridge #contractbridge #learnbridgeonline
Learn how to play bridge online at learnbridgeonl...

[@armantookmanian1938]

I revisit these videos every few months and often seem to learn something each time. Not sure if I'm getting better at understanding the nuances of these lessons, or just relearning what I've forgotten. In either case ...Thanks, Graeme & Bajir!

[@irenefoley1383]

Thanks Graeme and Bajir. Love your lessons 😊

[@David.M.]

Thanks Graeme and Bashir, great advice!

[@anitalane1634]

Great advice! Please keep them coming. Thank you 😃

[@heathertempleton308]

Great advice, your knowledge is invaluable. Thanks😊

[@thomasallan8113]

I am also in favor of 5C on bd 1 pard has to have something cannot imagine going down more than 1 seems unlikely they may even bid 5S

[@armantookmanian1938]

Interesting comments re: vul on 1st hand at 3:30 mark. At first, I felt being red-on-white I cannot risk going down 2 doubled (500) when they are only making 420-450-480.. but then again, all signs indicate this is a very distributional hand and I only have a 5 loser hand opposite partner's opener, so game or slam is in the wind ... where are Partner's points? He's likely to have 2 of the missing Aces, or one and the honors to fill the gaps in all my outside suits.

[@johnworf]

On the first hand, 4NT is the expert bid - it says I am happy to play in 5C but I also have diamonds and therefore there is more chance of a slam being on...whereas 5C would have no tolerance for diamonds - just a single suit and may not even be that strong. 4NT here would not be any form of blackwood after this competitive auction.

[@ramonquennell3229]

I would kind of think 4nt is to play. I would say it shows a stop in spades not many diamonds, and hearts.

[@ramonquennell3229]

Its a weird quantitative

[@johnworf]

@@ramonquennell3229 then you would be wrong :-)

[@ramonquennell3229]

All righty then

[@promiester1]

Haven’t watched the vid but 4nt sounds like 2 places to play

[@trerddol]

First han if you had a more normal 2c then double might be best but here great clubs and sevondary diamond fit 5c maybe an underbid.

[@armantookmanian1938]

With the favorable vulnerability on 2nd hand, I would make a 5H sacrifice bid. They appear likely to make 4S for 620. If they decide to go to 5S we have a better chance of setting them. If instead they double my 5H, I can afford to go -3 and give them only 500. If they have an 8 (or 9) card Spade fit, my partner has only 2 (or 1) and perhaps can trump one of my Spade losers.

[@sashacooper9326]

Trouble is you have decent defence, so they might not be making. P could still have AD, AS, or KS over W's A, or enough bits and pieces in diamonds that they're stuck with a slow loser in both the red suits. Then your -500 (which could be -800 if P really has nothing) has been converted from +100.

[@armantookmanian1938]

@@sashacooper9326 I've got 13 hcps. The bidding says EW have 24 or more. I expect to find P with 3 or less hcps, so no Ace. On defense, would you lead the CA to get some info before switching to the singleton D, with the hope that P can give me a ruff after getting in with the SK?

[@sashacooper9326]

​@@armantookmanian1938 People upgrade distributional hands, so an ace is unlikely but not impossible. E with KQxx x Kxx QJTxx and W with JTxx Ax AQJxx xx is a perfectly respectable pair of hands, for eg, and now they're off on either a diamond or club lead. Alternatively, they could have something more bland, such as AKQx xxx xxx QJx for E, and Jxxx Ax AKJx xxx, and they're probably off two on any lead except a club (which still beats it by one).

[@sashacooper9326]

@@armantookmanian1938 In general I prefer leading singletons to AK combinations, but here it feels like there might be urgency to set up Hs, so I think I'd make an exception. I wouldn't be shocked to find the singleton lead was needed, though.

[@armantookmanian1938]

@@sashacooper9326 Thank you. Always learning.

[@sandraferazzo8784]

5C seems like the right bid on the 1st hand. 2nd hand , partner is not bidding so he is no help. Pass.