"Not Your Friend" by Marti Ronemus

As cuddly and adorable as they appear to be, you need to know that porcupines are NOT your friend. The second-largest rodent in North America (the beaver is largest), as we all know, is covered with lethal spears, all several-thousand of them lethal because of the barbs on the ends.

Here is a handy tip on how to remove those quills, should you be foolish enough to tangle with said porcupine. First, nip off the top. It releases pressure within the quill and loosens the barb. Then grasp the quill with pliers, and twist while removing. (If you want to see how this works, go to YouTube.)

And now that we've made it safe for you to go into the woods, let's make it safe for you to bid.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ A J 9 5
♥ Q J 7
♦ 5 4
♣ K 10 9 4

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	2♦
?

A: Pass: If this hand had EITHER more shape or more points, we would enter the auction. But with a relatively flat hand with a minimum overcall value, discretion is the better part of valor. Preempts do their job, don't they.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ A J 9 5
♥ Q J 7 6
♦ 5
♣ K 10 9 4

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	2♦
?

A: Double: This looks exactly like the last hand... or does it. This time we've got what the last hand lacked: a perfect shape. We've got 4-4 in the unbid majors and a singleton in their suit.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ K 9 8
♥ J 10 7 6
♦ 6 3
♣ 10 7 6 5

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	3♦	3♠	p
?

A: Pass: Yes, we've got some nice trump support, but Pard's bid was based on what Eddie Kantar calls "ESP," expect 7 pts. We don't have it, so we sure can't advance this bid.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ A 9 8 7
♥ J 10 9 7 6
♦ 8 6 3
♣ 5

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	3♦	3♠	p
?

A: 4♠: If you passed, give yourself credit. BUT! We love this hand. We've got shape, we've got great trump support with Pard's Ace. This hand is just too good to pass.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ 8
♥ K J 10 9 7
♦ J 8 6
♣ A 7 6 5

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	3♦	3♠	p
?

A: Pass: Compare this to the last hand. Here, we've got a fist-full of points, but when re-evaluating this hand in favor of Spades, it falls apart. The shape is bad, the points are poorly placed. Pard will have a tough enough time making his 3♠ bid without our making things worse. Walk around this porcupine, and prepare to play our hand.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Play this Hand

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

Overall Results

Your results: out of Average:

What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
More informations on our website: www.VuBridge.com

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