"Abet and Aid Punsters Day" by Marti Ronemus

Did you know that there is a National Pun Convention? I'm not telling you when or where, because I am in the camp that considers puns the lowest form of humor and I don't want you exposed. True confession time: My husband Gary and my dear friend Shirley are passionate punsters. It is almost unbearable for me to be with them when they start swapping those abominations. I continue to love them anyway, as we should love people despite their flaws, and goodness knows they put up with a lot from me.

In honor (?) of today's holiday, I will endeavor to help you avoid the shame of bad bidding. You're on your own as far as the puns go, though.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ Q 9 8
♥ J 10 6 5 3
♦ K 8 4
♣ 6 2

Q: 1 - South's decision?

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	1♠	2♦
2♠	3♦	pass	pass
?

A: Pass: We have a decision whether or not to continue the bidding by following the opponents to the three-level. Our first clue is our Pard's Pass. He knows we have a minimum response. In a competitive auction, our single raise shows a minimum hand with a Law of Total Tricks trump holding of three pieces. He chose to pass, meaning he has no extra trumps, no extra points. We certainly have nothing extra to bring to the table. To follow Them to the three-level, we need more points or more trumps, or a "sexy" shape. We ain't got nothin' extra.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ A 10 9 4
♥ 6
♦ K 10 5 3
♣ Q 6 4 10

Q: 2 - As South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♥
?

A: Double: A Takeout Double is perfect. What? You say you don't have enough points? You have 9 HCP (high card points) plus you get 3 pts for your singleton. You're going to be dummy. There are those who would pass, but not us. We paid to play, we've got the perfect shape and dandy support for whatever Pard picks. C'mon. Live a little.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ K J 7 5 3
♥ J 9 2
♦ Q J 9 8
♣ 2

Q: 3 - As South?

South	West	North	East
-	1♥	double	pass
?

A: 2♠: You've got 9 pts., but oh what a 9. You know Pard has four Spades, so you've got a nine-card trump suit. You've got a singleton. You know Pard is short in Hearts. You cannot bid 1♠. That's what you would bid with zero points. You need to jump a level to show your 10-ish points.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ 7
♥ A K 10 2
♦ A J 9 5
♣ Q 9 6 2

Q: 4 - What should South do now?

South	West	North	East
1♦	pass	1♠	pass
?

A: 2♣: This is a perfect example of why we open 1♦ with four-four in the minors. We just know, when we pick up this hand, that Pard is going to bid Spades. That bid, like a pun, is a real groaner. We have to be prepared for our rebid. We can't bid Hearts, as that would be a reverse. We aren't excited about No-trump, as the opponents can block us from Pard's Spades. Bidding Clubs is perfect. We have shown a minimum hand and made our problem our Pard's. We love that.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ A Q J 8 2
♥ A K 9 2
♦ 8
♣ 8 4 2

Q: 5 - As South? Should you dance?

South	West	North	East
1♠	pass	3♠	pass
?

A: 4♠: There are those who might pass with this, but with distribution, you've got 16 pts. You've got a singleton. You've got all your points packed into your two longest suits. Why not give it a try?

And now you'll get to see if this was a good decision or not. We're going to play this hand, but you will be the defenders. Can't wait to see what happens.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Play this Hand

Now that you've bid five hands, let's see how your play goes.

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Overall Results

Your results: out of Average:

What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
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