Quantitative Slam Try in Contract Bridge
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Everyone loves a slam and cool tools to find it. First we learned Blackwood 4 Notrump, then came Gerber 4 Clubs. Perhaps later we got the hang of cuebidding controls. Yet sometimes the bidding has revealed our aggregate points are in slam territory if partner has an extra point or two.
Enter the Quantitative Slam Try. Just like in the inviting auction 1N – 2N, the sequence 1N – 4N ask partner to bid slam when holding a good 1 Notrump opener. In our Bridge blog and video commentary, we will dig deeper to explore this seemingly trivial bid. As always, partnership agreements can make a big difference when we are bidding some peculiar treatments.
Is it Quantitative 4 Notrump or Blackwood 4 Notrump?
1. Notrump Raise = Quantitative
2. 1N – 2C; 2H – 4N = Quantitative
3. No suit agreement = Quantitative
4. Suit agreement = Blackwood-ish
5. Self-sustaining suit = Blackwood (strong jump bids)
1. Strength Asking – Not Aces, per se
2. Quantitative Factors
3. Qualitative Factors
4. Play of the Hand: Analysis
Quantitative – Hand Evaluation
1. High Card Points: High / Medium / Low
2. Primary Honors: Aces / Kings/ Queens
Qualitative Factors – Hand Evaluation
1. Length / Shape
6. Environmental Factors
Play of the Hand
1. Finesse – Odds
2. Promotion – Odds
3. Counting
4. Lead, Play, Discards
5. Safety Play – Dangerous Opponents
6. Table Feel
Quantitative Examples
1N – 4N
2N – 4N
3N – 4N
1S – 2H;
3C – 3N;
4N
1N – 2C;
2H – 4N Quantitative Slam Try (by definition for serious Duplicate Players)
1H – 2C;
2D – 2S;
2N – 4N
2C – 2D;
4N
1N – 2C;
2D – 5N Slam force, Grandslam Try
Slam Conventional Agreements
1N – 4N;
5D – ?
Aces ?
4 Diamonds “up the line” seeking 4-4 slam fit ?
5 card suit? A better treatment is to respond 6D “Pass or correct”
Non-Quantitative Examples
(1H) – P – (1S) – 4N! Unusual Notrump for the minors (likely 6-5 shape here)
2C – 2D;
3H – 3S; Self-sustaining suit
4N Probably Blackwood
1D – 2H; Self-sustaining suit
3N – 4N Probably Blackwood
2D – 5N! Slam force, Grandslam try
2H – 4N “Probably” Blackwood (unless also playing Texas Transfers)
2N – 4N “Probably” Quantitative slam try
5 Notrump – “Pick a slam”
4 Notrump Ask Without Suit Control
Partner may have bid distributional points – Possible misfit
Missing Ace and King – Possibly two quick tricks outstanding
Opponents may or may not find setting suit – Feel lucky ?
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Warm Regards,
BridgeHands
1N 2C
2H 4N quantative?
I have always played that as Blackwood with Hearts as trumps and therefore 4c as a cue bid also agreeing hearts
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Good to hear your perspective. Actually, without specifically being told that in your sequence that 4 Notrump is Quantitative, I’m sure most everyone would agree that:
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– If it looks like a duck
– If it quacks like a duck
– If it waddles like a duck
– And it swims like a duck
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Then indeed, it must be a Blackwood duck! Unfortunately, way way back, it was probably John Gerber or Charles Goren who decided otherwise. And once their “approved” conventional methods caught on, the rest of us who play their methods more or less had to fall into compliance to avoid problems with other “trained” Bridge partners. My sense is that when a convention-loving Duplicate Bridge player reaches Life Master to Bronze Life Master (300 – 500 Masterpoints), they learn the methods approved by the “big boys.”
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However, I’d guess that at least nine of of ten social Bridge players or those who don’t spend significant time to study fringe conventional methods will all agree with your perspective. So many methods could be used depending on your partnership style. And that’s exactly why we bring up some of these seemingly straight forward agreements here so we won’t go wayward with new partners at the table when bidding an important slam. (aren’t they all?)
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Or as Mark Twain aptly said, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
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Warm Regards, Michael
This may also be a transatlantic thing. I will poll some of my local star players, if I can find any 🙂
I’m sure this shows my ignorance or simplemindedness, but unless we have a distinct understanding to the contrary, a JUMP to 4 or 5 clubs is Gerber after the first bid or last bid was Notrump. This leads to problems on a few occasions, but is straightforward and reasonably unambiguous so works especially well with casual partners. I just ask if its OK with them and then go for it.
Bob
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Yes, if you and your partner agree to play the “Super Gerber” treatment, it certainly avoid ambiguity between a Club bid and an Ace ask:
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1C – 3N;
4C/5C 4C is Clubs, 5C is Ace ask
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1H – 2C;
2S – 3D;
3N – 4C/5C 4C is Clubs, 5C is Ace ask
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Thanks Bob, Michael
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On our Quantitative slam try poll, it looks like we have varying viewpoints identifying which of the following is Quantitative.
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25 percent – Responder passes with a minimum, bids 6 Notrump with a maximum
3 percent – Without a suit fit, a jump to 4 Notrump is a Quantitative slam try
48 percent – Both of the above
1 percent – 2H – 4N is a Quantitative slam try
23 percent – All of the above
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Both of the first two statements was the front runner at 48 percent, passing the 4N Quantitative ask with a minimum and responding 6N with a maximum, provided the partnership does not have a fit. Another 23 percent liked the idea including 2H – 4N as a Quantitative slam try. After partner begins with either a preemptive weak 2 bid or opens a strong 2 Hearts, a jump to 4 Notrump is considered a Blackwood Ace ask by most players. Then again, perhaps some of our readers misread the question – on a computer monitor both 2H and 2N look very close and the auction 2N – 6N certainly is Quantitative.
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Happy Bridging,
Michael