Monday, October 09, 2006 5:03 AM
Hand Evaluation – Identifying Misfits
PITBULLS:
Identifying misfit auctions &
avoiding them is a hand evaluation
skill. Experts use the opponent’s
bidding as a means of avoiding misfit
auctions. You simply translate their bidding into hand patterns to get a “lay
of the land”. With experience
, you realize that holding HCP’s is not the sole reason for
making a bid. If the auction is a misfit
, you should give the opponents enough rope to hang themselves. Of
course, you save your own neck
also by staying out of misfit auctions. Let the opponents play misfits !! Do not rescue
them from themselves !!
If
you are going to bid again in an auction that may
be a misfit , do it with a double.
This action “takes out insurance” against a misfit ,
by allowing partner to convert for penalty. Good players just cringe when
braying partner rescues the opponents by bidding again. Modern bidders bid too much so do not play into their hands by rescuing
them. They are taking risks by opening non openers etc so let the misfit do its
dirty work for you. Play the vulnerability & let them play the vulnerable
misfits even undoubled . Bidding is not the only way to get a plus in Bridge !!
Here is an example of a
clients bad judgment in a Spingold .
♠xxx ♥KJ987 ♦10x ♣Kxx everybody vul. Partner opens 1♠ with the opponents
bidding 2♠ showing hearts &
a minor. If there were no bidding , you would probably make
a simple spade raise. The client bids 3♠ , LHO vul bids 4♥ and of course
partner decided to bid 4♠ since he liked his heart void. You have wasted values
in the opponents suit so a pass shows better
hand evaluation than encouraging partner with a 3♠ bid. Partner played
the hand well going for –800 when 4♥ went down at the
other table.
When
you are short in partners opening bid
suit , the auction immediately becomes a potential misfit. In
these auctions , the laws
of probability says there will be
duplication of value so bid accordingly.
A stiff in the opponents suit is gold but a stiff or
void in partners suit is not so
good. Holding length in the opponents suit is a potential misfit. Partner opens 1♣
& they overcall 1♥ with you holding ♠xx ♥ Q10987 ♦AKQ10x ♣x so do you bid 2♦ ? If you do , you are showing poor
hand evaluation as you
are just rescuing them.
You have double trouble as you are short in partners suit & long in theirs. They should be in
trouble so do not rescue them. Pass & await developments. HCP’s are
not the only criteria for making a
bid !!!
Playing the vulnerability , shortness in
partners suit & length in their suit all come into play to avoid bidding in
a misfit auction
with this hand held by Tom Gandolfo recently. Your side nv & the opponents are vul ♠Jx ♥KQJxx ♦K8xxxx ♣void , partner opens 1♣
nv & they overcall 1♦ vul. This is the classic misfit auction & the vulnerability is right
for your side. You hold a void in
partner’s suit & 6 of their suit .
This has misfit written all over it. Bidding may rescue them from a hopeless situation. So you pass to await developments & partner re-opens with 1♠.
Your RHO decides to jump to 3♦ !! You double &
+1100 is easy. Bidding initially with 6 of their
suit & a void in partner’s suit on this vulnerability just rescues them & makes it difficult for partner to realize that you
have such a hand. Since you play negative double theory, there is no need to rescue them initially by bidding. Give
them some rope to hang themselves
first. If they were nv & us vul , I would bid a heart. All other vulnerabilities
, a pass should work out
best. The auction is not over
! Playing negative doubles , the
auction is never over.
Use patterns & opponents bidding to avoid
misfit auctions. I opened 1NT (12-14) the other day , LHO overcalled 2♦ showing 9 or more major cards. Equal vul
you have ♠xx ♥x ♦Jxxxxx ♣Kxxx is this a good time to poke your nose into the
auction with a 3♦ bid ? The odds around the
table have changed with RHO being
stacked in the major
suits. This means that there is a higher probability that LHO is stacked in the minors. A 3♦ bid shows poor hand evaluation skills , LHO doubles
so you go for –800 NV. If your
diamonds were solid , you would have some protection against the misfit with your meager values.
On
the theme of using patterns &
opponents bidding to identify misfit auctions, here is a hand from recent play.
Judy Gartaganis opens 2♥ & partner doubles . You have 6 HCP & ♠Qxxx so you bid 2♠ . Judy bids 3♣ which gets a preference to 3♥ so back around to
you. What is Judy’s hand pattern ? How is the spade suit
breaking on this auction ? You bid 3♠ right into
Nicks ♠AKJ9x
which gets doubled. You play it well for –300 but an 8 IMP loss nevertheless.
Let the opponents play
misfits especially when they warned you that they are 6-5. Read the
opponents bidding & do not leap into the fire !
You
have ♠AQ10x ♥xx ♦QJ10 ♣Qxxx , not vul when partner opens 1♣. The vul opponent bids 1♥ so you make a
negative double , partner bids 1NT . The opponent now
bids 2♦ so now what ? Surely you have enough to freely bid 3♣ as you
have 11 HCP. Sure you do , but you are rescuing the opponents from a disaster.
Your RHO has announced a minimum of 10 red
cards so where are the black suits ? Partner bid 1NT so may hold
4 hearts & 3 diamonds. What about LHO ? She could
hold 10 black cards ( she did ) so 2♦X goes for 800 .
Partner played 3♣ quite well for –50 with the 5-0 club break. Play the
vulnerability by doubling 2♦ .Apply patterns during the bidding so
you recognize the misfit. Think
& do not rescue opponents when they are in a misfit auction.
You
have ♠AJx ♥xxxx ♦J ♣K987x , you are vul & they are not. Partner opens 1♦ , LHO overcalls 2♣
so do you consider a negative double ? What are the danger signals that signal
a misfit
? You have a stiff in
partners suit , you have 5 in their suit with 9 HCP. Partner is short in clubs ,
so will always re-open with a double. Making a negative double is a silly gamble. Why should you play the misfit instead of the opponents. ?
If partner has a good enough hand that a vul game
makes your way , they are pushing –800. The opponents
have given you a fielders choice so take it by passing. With this
hand partner went for –200 playing 2♠ after your negative
double but they lose 4♦ , 1♠ , 1♥ & 2♣ for
+500 your way in 2♣X for a huge swing.
Tom
Gandolfo had two hands recently where identifying
misfits was the key to keeping
out of trouble. Tom held ♠AQxxxx ♥xxx ♦Kxxx ♣void so opened 1♠.
The opponents overcalled 2♥ , partner passed &
RHO bid 2NT. This is a powerful misfit
auction for the opponents , so a misfit auction for your side also. You have
a shapely hand but the opponents have warned you that it is unsafe to enter the auction. The opponents
eventually play the misfit in 4♥ doubled for +500. If
Tom comes in earlier , our side goes for –1100.
On another hand , Tom held ♠K ♥xx ♦Kxxxxx ♣AKQx & again
identifying misfits come to the
fore. Tom opened 1♦ , they overcalled 1♥ & I passed. Tom
re-opened with a double to show his defense & they bid 2♥. I could not bid over 1♥ so I now bid 2♠
& RHO bid 3♥. I could not bid at the one level & Tom & I have a spade misfit so Tom
wisely stays out of the auction. A D.S.I.P. double gives the most options if Tom wanted to compete in
the other suits but passing works out best.
Partner does not have the
values to even bid a long spade suit at the one level. A bid by Tom & we are
back in the misfit
auction doubled. Let the opponents play misfits.
A Tormentee held ♠x ♥x ♦AJ9xx ♣Axxxxx & her vul partner opened 1♠. The opponent overcalled 2♦ . A free bid at the 3
level is forcing to game in most modern systems. This is a misfit auction as you
have 5 of their trump & only
one of partners suit.
Why rescue the opponents & play the
misfit with this hand ? The opponents have
given you an opportunity for a substantial set in diamonds. Why throw it away ?
If you have a game in clubs , partner will bid again.
The auction is not over .
You set partner up by bidding in misfit auctions. You have ♠Kxx ♥9876xx ♦Kx ♣xx
everybody vul partner
opens 1♦ , they overcall 1♥. 6 of your 13 cards are in their suit & a doubleton in partners suit , so do you enter the misfit ? Say you do make the bad tactical bid of 1NT & RHO bids 2♠.
Partner thinks that you have a minor
orientated hand so he bids 3♣. He can not
visualize that 9 of your 13 cards are in the majors
for a 1NT bid !! You must give preference to 3♦ & your RHO holds ♠xx ♥AK10xx ♦AQJ98 ♣x so makes a penalty double. When the hand is a misfit
for them , quite often it is a misfit for you. Why
are you playing this hand when
they bid your 6 card suit at the
one level ?
It’s
a Bridge basic
to let the opponents
play the misfits preferably
doubled. “Fools rush in
where experts fear to
tread” is the hand evaluation
motto in identifying misfits. If the opponents have found a fit , it is a different matter so balancing is based on that principle. The odds switch to
you having a fit also so enter the
fray. Use hand patterns translated
from the bidding to determine the odds
of your side having a fit. Bridge is based on probabilities so play the odds like smart Poker players. Let
the opponents play the misfits.