We have 20 hcp but then partner opens 5D?!?! - with Jack Stocken

You have an fantastic hand with both strength and shape: ♠KQJ7 ♥AJT84 ♦Q ♣AK6
But before you can open the bidding, someone jumps in with a Weak 2 bid? Or, even worse, a Weak 3 bid? Or even worse, a 5-level pre-empt in your singleton's suit? Or, even worse, it is your partner who opens with that 5♦ bid?
What do you do? Pass and accept the 5♦ or respond at the 5 or even 6-level? Leave a comment explaining your reasoning.
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[@iguesi]

Why not 5NT telling my partner I've got points. Then the partner can decide 6D or even 6NT or 7 of either.

[@magicmerl7749]

I would have raised to 6D. There's a chance that N has AKD, and also if missing KD that it drops or is finessable.

[@bstevens9831]

Non-vul, partner could be on AJ1098 ( ninth ) of diamonds. One point not made is if partner has the AK of diamonds ( or the AJ1098 ninth ) they will NOT have the Ace of spades. In that case their hand would be too good for 5D and they would likely open 1D. So we know we're probably off the Ace of spades and could be off the trump King too. Even assuming partner's best hand ( A and K of diamonds ), we probably need some helpful heart holding from partner to make six; chances of finding both the AK diamonds and ( say ) the KH in partner's hand are almost nil because that hand would probably open one.

[@molough]

On the lead of a Club, after winning with the CQ, declarer still has to lose the DK and the SA

[@davidslatter5213]

Yup, there is no communication between the hands. Any lead except a diamond or low spade will take two tricks for the defence. Both of those choices should be easily identified as likely to have a poor outcome before seeing dummy.

[@michaelpustilnik6914]

I pass. Partner should be aceless, in which case 5D will make and 6D should go down. Pushing one level higher is very risky. Take the sure profit.

[@archie6945]

6NT before watching... After hearing 6♦; gambling that partner has AK ♦anyway? Against 6♦, I'd open as E with A♠& followed with 2❤

[@anguskirby3313]

Spades do not go away on club lead

[@joepitt1192]

Teams - bid 6D. Duplicate pairs - leave in 5D

[@d95mback]

6♦️ will make more often than not, I think, so I'd bid it.

[@josephblank1535]

5 NT

[@JasonWeiss-g2b]

Is there an agreement for Gambling 3NT? if so what can you infer from it not being bid.

[@kiwi1fruit]

you could do 5 NT

[@heathertempleton308]

I would have led AS

[@iyer7550]

Bid 6d

[@JohnBarr-r5b]

6D.

[@ChrisHasney]

*when you're fixed, stay fixed* applies to all three of your opponents this is especially true when playing with bots

[@emmanuelvacakis4463]

What does 5NT mean. Would you ever want to play 5 NT over 5D?

[@michaeljolly8805]

6D if partner does not have AK then it should have been 3 or 4

[@emmanuelvacakis4463]

I’d bid 6NT. If this doesn’t make, then 6D isn’t making either.

[@herbertklumpp2969]

But not if N opened with AK 8 cards missing the jack and d iam.are 3-1

[@emmanuelvacakis4463]

@@herbertklumpp2969they would have to switch to a club in that case. That would be very unlucky. At the time you make the bid, you don’t know the quality of that diamond suit. Every time it’s got AKJ, you are beating all the 6 diamond bidders. But if it’s IMP scoring, I’d bid 6D.

[@SheilaElmes]

Pass

[@zogzog1063]

I think 6D is above 50%. If part has SA then he needs only DK. If part has D A&K all is good. If part has the hand given then the slam is 37 and a half %.

[@ReneGrothmann]

I just generated 5 hands with North sitting on AKxxxxxx and no point outside of this. 6D made each time, 6NT never, due to communication problems. If partner has KJxxxxxx only, I blame him.

[@AnnoSur]

Hi, can someone please share the bidding rules to learn? I heard about "big clubs", "better minor". Trying to learn this game. Would appreciate your guidance.

[@marcuscarlsson5510]

The best way to learn is to join a local bridge club that welcomes beginners. Reading PDFs can only do so much, and a "sense" for the game is generally better than memorising conventions

[@archiewoosung5062]

Isn't bidding anything but diamonds foolhardy? No entries assuming partner only has diamonds & if they're missing the Ace, they won't make any, without AK, they'll only make one. I'd pass, but perhaps a half chance of slam is worth taking?

[@timcapes5916]

6d seems better than pass on the balance. Even if partner has a hand like this one the slam is on a diamond finesse, but it's very possible for them to have a hand where there isn't even a diamond finesse. For the 4 non-diamond cards even if partner has 2c and 2h so you can't pitch the heart loser then he'd have a spade void so no AS loser. Generally I'm happy bidding slams that are roughly worse case finesse and have a substantial chance of just being trick one claim. Here partner had the minimum and the diamond finesse was off I think you take your bad board when luck is that against you. It doesn't make sense to not bid slam all the times partner's suit starts with AK because you are losing to 3-0 diamonds or the KD off when his suit is AJ.

[@kennethgee2004]

so wait we have 10 trump with at least one as the Q D so bid my aces 5H?

[@jcouperm]

6D

[@AnneandGeoffBishop]

I think 5D opening is a stupid bid North needs to know by control bids that South has control of Clubs and Spades

[@michaeljolly8805]

6NT

[@kittyverkoelen5574]

6nt

[@JasonWeiss-g2b]

I would go 6D, NT risks losers in Hearts and spades.

[@allanmoynihan2008]

6D

[@thereseghandour5328]

6 d

[@ThomasMcIntyre-p8w]

6d

[@jcouperm]

6nt

[@steveblack1662]

I would bid 6nt

[@richhamiton]

WITH 2 D 5 NO.

[@kiwi1fruit]

6 d

[@rental1005]

bid 5NT

[@sylviawalkden-davis8688]

5D

[@archiewoosung5062]

How does the value of the gamble change for duplicate vs rubber bridge?

[@cookiedom5938]

In Rubber Bridge you play for points alone. Duplicate is scored on your position against other pairs who played the same hands i,e, not your opponents at the table. Beating another pair by 10 points has the same rewards as beating them by 500 on any one hand, all hands therefore carry the same range of possible score values! So, for example, you bid 2 major suit games while others (playing the same cards) stay at the 3 level, each pair make 10 tricks once and 9 once. You are ahead in rubber or chicago because you have a game bonus, but in duplicate you are level at 1 hand each.

[@cookiedom5938]

With N hand why not downgrade and open 4D, you cant make game w/out help, and its still very disruptive to opponents. Should opponents bid, - most likely 4 of a major- you still have the option of a 5D sacrifice.

[@veradux5580]

Downgrade with a 9 card suit? You can't make 4 diamonds without help either, so that point is moot. Letting them bid 4 of a major leaves them much better placed whether to go to 5M or not, or even 6M

[@veradux5580]

And you get doubled more frequently when you do end up bidding 5 by yourself when you open 4d

[@patfung3164]

6 diam

[@juliedouglas2888]

6NT.........

[@jwy4264]

Six diamonds is definitely right

[@RosemarySauterFrett1437]

I would pass

[@lenhoad3462]

4 NT

[@aimeemorris9997]

Bid 6D and let partner play it.

[@julietfrench6309]

6NT

[@julietfrench6309]

Got that wrong!

[@lynneobrien8559]

AS