Saturday, February 17, 2007 8:40 AM

Hand Evaluation – Lead Directing Doubles ( Odds )

PITBULLS:

“Out of the blue” penalty doubles just do not exist in IMPS. All these doubles are lead directing. Therefore , if you can not stand the lead for which you are doubling , do not double ! In IMPS , get out of the match point mentality that your double will beat the hand because they are bidding badly. Your lead directing double just means the odds are well in your favour that you will beat the hand. You can always construct some bizarre distributions meaning that the contract will not be defeated but so what ! You gambled losing 4 IMPS to gain 12 . These odds are stacked in your favour of risking a lead directing double.

Lead directing doubles negate the obvious or natural opening lead. The default for lead directing doubles is dummy’s first bid suit but again lead directing doubles like everything else in Bridge is “depending on the context” of the auction. The following hand shows good Bridge judgment. The auction goes 1♦ by RHO , you hold ♠J109xx ♥AKQ10x ♦Ax ♣x so with equal vulnerability ( nv) you decide that you do not want to Michaels with an intermediate hand. Therefore , you overcall 1♠ . LHO leaps to 3NT so around to you. You have 14 HCP & the opponents have announced around 26 HCP’s so that gives partner zero HCP’s.

Bidding 4♥ opposite a known nothing is just shooting dice. Partner could be ♠xx ♥xx ♦J10xx ♣J109xx so you go for a horrible set when 3NT can not make. If you want to take a risk, do it with a lead directing double. You double negates the obvious lead of a spade. A club lead in this auction where they did not make a negative double & just leapt to 3NT is silly. Therefore, partner will read the double for a heart or diamond lead. You double & cash the first 6 tricks for a 10 IMP pickup. Bidding 4♥ changes a good plus into a minus as you have 3NT virtually beat in your own hand.

You hold an AK of the unbid suit with AK of their trump suit , they got to 4 of a major with no adverse bidding. So do you double ? A double is blatant stupidity as you want the natural lead of the unbid suit. You get it so you beat the contract +50. You double , partner leads dummy’s first bid suit so they pitch their losers in the unbid suit making +690. You gambled that total to change +50 into +100. If you cannot stand the lead , do not double. Enforcer penalty doubles are for ¼ cent rubber Bridge. Outside of forcing pass theory & competitive doubles , all penalty doubles are lead directing. No exceptions.

The auction determines the frequency of lead directing doubles. You hold ♠AQJ10 ♥xx ♦xxx ♣xxxx with the auction going

1♦-P-1♠-P

1NT-P-2NT-P

3NT so do you double ? Of course you do. They are stretching so they have around 24 HCP. You have 7 , so partner has 9 HCP which she will probably finesses herself out of with the opening lead. A spade lead shifts the odds into your favour that 3NT will be beat. Partners 9 HCP’s possibly behind opener will come in handy to get in again & continue spades. Bridge is a partnership game for lead directing doubles. A double means the combined hands will beat the contract not just yours. The opponents bidding announced values in partners hand so ensure that she gets off to the best lead to beat the contract. Lead directing doubles are a poker style gamble . When the pot odds favour the gamble , do it.