[oldokie]

I know quiet a few players who have never found a 5-M that was too weak to open in 3rd seat white vs red.
Also, 2h by p 2s by you with not more than xxx in s is so old it has a beard. They are systemic bids but are mean to get in the way of the opponents.
Watch your vulnerability.
Playing KS back in the days when it was legal to use systemic psyches they were not a very good bet with about a 30% score expected but it kept the os on their toes.
The other is the lead avoidance psyche. Say that your p opens 1h and you hold qxs, xh, and ajxxxd, kjxxxc. 3n might be a good bet if the lead is right and you might scare them off with s bid into the s bidder lead.

[oldokie]

I know quiet a few players who have never found a 5-M that was too weak to open in 3rd seat white vs red.
Also, 2h by p 2s by you with not more than xxx in s is so old it has a beard. They are not systemic bids but are meant to get in the way of the opponents.
Watch your vulnerability.
Playing KS back in the days when it was legal to use systemic psyches they were not a very good bet with about a 30% score expected but it kept the os on their toes.
The other is the lead avoidance psyche. Say that your p opens 1h and you hold qxs, xh, and ajxxxd, kjxxxc. 3n might be a good bet if the lead is right and you might scare them off with s bid into the s bidder lead.

[blackshoe]

The game played on BBO is not Duplicate Contract Bridge.

[relknes]

blackshoe, on 2017-December-22, 10:50, said:

The game played on BBO is not Duplicate Contract Bridge.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean.

[ArtK78]

I strongly recommend Psychological Strategy in Contract Bridge: The Techniques of Deception and Harassment in Bidding and Play by Fred L. Karpin. The book is more than a little dated, but psych bidding was far more common in the 1930s and 1940s than it is today.

Approaching the topic somewhat differently, it is possible to legally incorporate deceptive bidding strategies into your system in some instances. For example, my partner and I play 10-13 1NT openings 1st and 2nd seats nonvul. If doubled, our runout structure is the following:

Redouble - clubs and a major.

2C - either clubs only OR diamonds and a major. If 2C is not doubled, opener PASSES regardless, as we are willing to play in 2C undoubled not vul. If 2C is doubled by either opponent, opener passes if opener is in direct seat. Responder passes with clubs, redoubles with diamonds and hearts or bids 2D with diamonds and spades.

2D - either diamonds only OR both majors. If 2D is not doubled, opener PASSES regardless, as we are willing to play in 2D undoubled not vul. If either opponent doubles, opener passes if opener is in direct seat. Responder passes with diamonds, redoubles with both majors with better hearts and bids 2H with both majors with better spades.

2H - hearts.

2S - spades.

2NT - both minors OR a strong hand not willing to play in 1NT doubled.

Note the strategy of passing 2C or 2D if not doubled. This forces your opponents to act.or accept 50 per trick. We explain our 2C and 2D bids, but we do not announce our strategy, as there is nothing in the laws which requires you to explain your strategy - only your agreements. We do alert the pass by responder (if not doubled) as not promising clubs or diamonds, as the case may be.

To the best of my knowledge, this is not unethical. One need not explain bridge scoring to one's opponents. If one believes that going down a number of undoubled nonvulnerable tricks playing in a strain that may not be one's best choice is the best tactical move, that does not have to be announced to the opponents.

[blackshoe]

relknes, on 2017-December-22, 19:26, said:

I'm not sure I understand what you mean.

The game on BBO has different rules even to the "laws for online play" or whatever it's called that the WBF produced in 2001. And different to the "Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge" published most recently this year. So it's a different, albeit somewhat similar, game. Some of the differences are IMO pretty significant — can't revoke, can't lead out of turn, alert your own bids (regulation, not law), etc.

[Thrownshoe]

No doubt 3rd and 4th seats are the best for psyquic whether opening a 4 card Major or preemptive with 5 card minor,usually Works better when you arent vul.
1st nas 2nd seats 3nt bidding,when you ve 8 top minors tricks and not more than 4 cards major suit is sometimes also profitable.

[relknes]

Thrownshoe, on 2017-December-28, 19:49, said:

No doubt 3rd and 4th seats are the best for psyquic whether opening a 4 card Major or preemptive with 5 card minor,usually Works better when you arent vul.
1st nas 2nd seats 3nt bidding,when you ve 8 top minors tricks and not more than 4 cards major suit is sometimes also profitable.

3rd seat I understand, but 4th? 4th seat seems the worst position to psych from: if the hand belongs to the opponents then just pass it out, and if the hand belongs to us why would we psych?
You also seem to be confusing light actions or slightly off-shape bids with actual psychs. Opening a 4 card major in 3rd or 4th seat isn't a psych (unless you are talking about doing it with something like 2 points), nor is preempting with a 5 card minor. Opening on a 2 card major or preempting in a suit you don't have would be a psych.
Your example of opening 3nt with a long minor would definately be a psych (provided you don't play a gambling 3N, in which case it is just a convention).

[shevek]

Multi 2♦ psyches are amusing.

This one is well-known:

2♦ - (no) - 2♥/♠ - (no)
No

Opener is supposed to pass when responder's pass/correct hits his suit.
It can be fun to be contrary, passing in your non-fit.
Here is a distantly recalled example:

---

A modest 4 IMP gain. Pity they weren't vulnerable.
Can't crime NS at all.
I would smoothly pass as South, thinking I knew the layout.

[spotlight7]

shevek, on 2018-January-04, 05:35, said:

Multi 2♦ psyches are amusing.

This one is well-known:

2♦ - (no) - 2♥/♠ - (no)
No

Opener is supposed to pass when responder's pass/correct hits his suit.
It can be fun to be contrary, passing in your non-fit.
Here is a distantly recalled example:

---

A modest 4 IMP gain. Pity they weren't vulnerable.
Can't crime NS at all.
I would smoothly pass as South, thinking I knew the layout.

Many play 2D*-2S as an invite in hearts. You

could end up in 4Hs if partner plays this way.

[nullve]

shevek, on 2018-January-04, 05:35, said:

Multi 2♦ psyches are amusing.

This one is well-known:

2♦ - (no) - 2♥/♠ - (no)
No

Opener is supposed to pass when responder's pass/correct hits his suit.

The 2M response can either be explained 1) as "pass/correct", i.e. in terms of Opener's options over it, or 2) in terms of what hands Responder can have.

2) has the possible advantage that opps cannot claim MI if Opener passes systemically without long M, e.g. with 0-1 hcp if the Multi shows 0-9 hcp if weak and the 2M response denies INV+ values. And in the auction

2♦*-(P)-2♥**-(P)
P***

* Multi, but with 0-9 hcp if weak
** 0-15 hcp, 0-2 H
*** either 0-9 hcp, 6 H OR 0-1 hcp, 6 S,

can Opener's (systemic) pass with

Jxxxxx
xx
xx
xxx

really be a psych?