How Bidding Decision Matters

I think there is some luck in bidding and also some judgment.  It seems like you have a lot of choices to make and some times the decisions turn out awfully well.  It is hard to distinguish whether that is luck or skill except over many deals, I suppose.

Here is a few decisions from my session yesterday with Karen.

What do you open this hand white on red in first at imps

KJ76432
void
Q65
A86

pass, 1, 2,3,4 or 4 (if you play Namyats)

I personally like 1.  You do have some defense and it is possible that playing high numbers of spades is not best.  But I can see 4 as a choice I suppose.  Maybe the opponents can make lots of hearts and you are certainly making it harder for them to find their spot.  I don’t like 2 or 3.  What is your poison?

Anyway, Karen bid 1 and we had no trouble finding slam.  Actually I probably would have tried for and gotten to slam opposite any number of spades.  My hand was

AQ8
A53
AJ42
KJ10

3 would have been the hardest to deal with.  I wonder if without discussion 4 is some sort of slam try in spades?  It probably should be.  My opinion is that anyone who opens 3 on this hand is not unlucky to miss slam, they deserve to miss slam.

Here is another choice.  First what do you bid on Karen’s hand with

A8
KJ97
AJ10982
K

You are vulnerable against not and it goes 2 pass 4 to you?  Do you like double?  If partner passes you are okay with that and if partner pulls to clubs you plan to convert to diamonds.  This is the bid Karen made.  I prefer bidding to passes and I think double is fine.  5 seems reasonable to me too.  Anyway this was my decision now

5
A864
K6532
543

I figured that on this auction Karen can’t have a spade stack.  She is doubling on high cards or shape.  We figure to be able to play a red suit contract.  I picked 5.  I figured that if she was really short in diamonds she could pull to hearts.  Maybe we were lucky, maybe we had good judgment But 5 was a great contract.  I was able to element the black suits and have a 100% contract with a chance for an uptrick by hooking the J.  6 isn’t a terrible contract but it doesn’t make on the lie of the cards.

Some times it seems like you just have a series of these decisions.  They are close decisions and you have to make a choice.  I suppose the really good players based on their experience and talent get them right a lot more than we lesser mortals.