The auction starts peacefully enough with RHO opening 1 Notrump. With your 2=5=4=2 shape, you might even be tempted to bid if you held another primary honor and we not vulnerable. Next your LHO tries 2 Club, Stayman asking opener for a 4 card major. But then they do not find a major suit fit, surprise – surprise! The responder jumps up, up, up and away to 6 Notrump!

So with the opponents aiming to make 12 tricks, now is a good time to think about your long term plan to play and discard tricks.

When the opponents propel the auction to 6 Notrump, do we stick to our prior lead strategy or is there more to this auction than meets the eye? What’s going on with our lefty bidding 6 Notrump, eh? Ah, so many questions – so little time. Okay, everyone has their eyes on you – time to show your partner you’ve got the right stuff with your opening lead…

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The opponents bid 1 Notrump, 2 Notrump, 3 Notrump and you are on lead. Do you fire straight away using tried and true leads of rote?

Then again, maybe you like to throw a curve call.  Or are you one of those systematic types that goes through a rigorous pre-race checklist? Whatever your style, sooner or later it will be time to give it your best shot.  And as so often happens in Bridge, you only get one shot so use it wisely!   Remember, like in a vigorous trial proceeding, a good defense never rests!   Yes, we here at BridgeHands have our checklists and it goes well beyond those 13 cards we are holding…

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Note: Due to the two day Thanksgiving Holiday in the U.S., we will not have a “Polling You” contest on 11/26/10.  We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend.

Self-Sustaining Suits are not only great when we are bidding on our own.  Self-sustaining suits, those long suits guaranteed not to lose more than 1 trick (even when partner holds a singleton) get even more exciting when our partner opened the bidding!  Of course its not uncommon to have a misfit with partner, making the bidding look like the proverbial married couple that can’t agree on anything (1S – 2H. 2S – 3H, 3N – 4H…)

But when our partner opens 1 Notrump and we have a long running major suit, we know the contract belongs in the major suit (always play in your long 8+ card major suit).  And since partner’s opening 1 Notrump bid promises at least a doubleton, with a 6+ card major suit makes it clear to play in that suit – i.e., “the golden fit.”  Okay, with that in mind let’s get ready to “bid ’em up” with that same lovely 7-3-2-1 shaped 17 HCP hand we held on Poll #5 back on Monday – but this time partner opened 1 Notrump!

So how high do we go? Yes, we know partner holds around 16 points, but how does that equate to tricks and what’s the best method to explore slam?  For more commentary, please login to your FREE Membership Subscription – see you there…

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Self-Sustaining Suits, whether or not you lust for fine clothes, all Bridge players seem to have a loving relationship with a long, strong suit. Okay, here’s your chance to not only try on a lovely suit but see how it wears when bidding the same hands in third seat. And what about when you’re bidding the same hands in third seat – should that matter? Probing deeper, does it matter if you are short in the Spade suit in the third seat? So many questions, so little time at the table. But here, take your time and consider the alternatives – we will be waiting…

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And so we end this series with RHO opening 1 Notrump. Do you feel you have the “right stuff” to make a call? Does the fact that righty as two-fifths of the total points and you’re vulnerable concern you? Lots of luck bidding these hands!

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