[aguahombre]

 han, on 2012-April-13, 08:43, said:

If you know so well what the top players think, you could try to learn from it. Is that such a strange thought?

I learn from what top players say, and from their thought processes when they choose to express them. That doesn't always lead to agreeing with them; but, perhaps these fora would be much more brief if those with different preemptive styles, different agreements, different ideas of whether partner should be in on what our bids mean, and therefore different answers just kept them to ourselves.

When I read "It's Your Call", and learn that 9 experts chose one action, and 8 chose a different one ---I have options about what I should "learn" from that:

--To go with the majority.
--To choose one action 9 out of the next 17 times, and the other one the rest.
--To actually read what the various experts have to say about their decision and weigh in whether their known style is compatible with ours.

[Statto]

 mikl_plkcc, on 2012-April-09, 23:39, said:

pass, then 4S

I'm afraid that bidding 4S will get an immediate raise of 6S by partner. Also, passing out this hand is not a bad thing, especially 4S may not be made. However, once the opponents come in, the situation becomes clear. I will bid 4S to shut their hearts game out.

If I start with pass, I will be hoping to make a 2-suited call next round, not simply 4♠. However, there may not be one available that shows both black suits immediately which is what I would want. The best way to shut out opps ♥ (or ♦) game is to bid 4♠ now. But at unfavourable in 1st seat I don't like it with such poor suits, so would consider 3♠, then decide on 4♠ as I have absolutely no defence. 4♠=7, 3♠=5, Pass=5, 1♠=1, Others=0.

[Trinidad]

There are some players who think that a vulnerable 4♠ opening bid should promiss opening values.

I am not one of those players. In my book, a 4♠ opening bid is preemptive. If I have opening values, I will open 1♠. A 4♠ opening only shows:
- less than an opening
- a lot of spades
- that the person making the bid has a reason to believe that it won't be a disaster if the opponents simply double

Those conditions are met.

If my partner -who knows the above conditions- goes on to bid 6♠ (something at least one poster here is afraid of) I would say that there is a good chance that it will make.

Rik

[han]

 aguahombre, on 2012-April-13, 08:52, said:

I learn from what top players say, and from their thought processes when they choose to express them. That doesn't always lead to agreeing with them; but, perhaps these fora would be much more brief if those with different preemptive styles, different agreements, different ideas of whether partner should be in on what our bids mean, and therefore different answers just kept them to ourselves.

When I read "It's Your Call", and learn that 9 experts chose one action, and 8 chose a different one ---I have options about what I should "learn" from that:

--To go with the majority.
--To choose one action 9 out of the next 17 times, and the other one the rest.
--To actually read what the various experts have to say about their decision and weigh in whether their known style is compatible with ours.

And what do you do when the experts are unanimous, what do you learn from that?

[aguahombre]

 han, on 2012-April-18, 15:43, said:

And what do you do when the experts are unanimous, what do you learn from that?

When it happens, I will let you know.