"Mulligan Day" by Marti Ronemus

For those of you who (like me) aren't golfers, a "Mulligan" is when you get to take a shot over again with no penalty. Huh. There doesn't seem to be a bridge equivalent. Imagine trying to play a trick over again. You'd get your fingers slapped darn quick!

Maybe we could start a new trend. When you play a hand badly, you get another shot at it. I'm sure opponents and the ACBL would go along with this idea. Not.

Fortunately, with Vu-Bridge, you can't go wrong. Give these five bidding questions a try, then I've got a dandy hand for you.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ K J 4
♥ 7
♦ J 10 9 7 2
♣ K 9 3 2

Q: 1 - As South, what say you?

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	1♥	pass
?

A: 1 No-trump: Why not? You are denying a fit and promising a stopper in the opponent's suit. Sadly, you don't have the money to buy the two-level. Not only that, but you get to limit your hand first, passing all responsibility to partner.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ Q J 9
♥ 8 7
♦ A J 8 7 2
♣ A Q 2

Q: 2 - As South, 'sup? (Trending: 'sup is short for "wussup," which is short for "What's up?")

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	1♥	pass
?

A: 2 No-trumps: This time, we have to make an effort to reach game. Pard could be overcalling with as little as 7-ish pts., so we need to make this invitational bid. Pard will pass with a minimum, but with anything close to an opening, he'll put us in game. Too bad we don't have a fit with Pard. We could take a different approach. (Hint: see next question.)

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ Q J 9
♥ A 8 7
♦ A J 8 7 2
♣ Q 8

Q: 3 - We've got a fit! What's our bid?

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	1♥	pass
?

A: 2♣: What fun! The perfect bid for the perfect hand. Our cuebid of the opponent's suits says: 1) I have a fit with you. 2) I have 10-plus points. 3) I care whether you have 7 or 17 points and I am forcing you to bid again, even if you don't feel well. 4) Give me your point count on your next bid. So much said with such a wee bid.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ K Q J 8 4
♥ 2
♦ K 10 8 4
♣ A 8 6

Q: 4 - And South says...

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♦
1♠	pass	2♥	pass
?

A: 2 No-trumps: Well, we have to bid again, no choice. Cannot rebid the Spades. Bidding Diamonds is a waste. Why not describe our hand perfectly. 2 No-trumps shows a minimum opener and stoppers in the unbid suits. Never make a bad bid if you have a good one available.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - And now a slightly tricky one. South?

South	West	North	East
1♠	pass	2♠	pass
?

A: 3♦: No penalty if you got this one wrong. In fact, you get a Mulligan. Here's the thing. You know Pard only has 6-9 pts. This hand might very well hold game. Yes, you could bid 3♠, inviting Pard to go if he's at the top of his bid. BUT!! Isn't the REAL question, "Pard, do you have any help in Diamonds? Maybe a nice honor for me?" If Pard's points are in Diamonds, you've got yourself a game. If they're in Hearts or Clubs, it's less likely. By bidding the Diamonds AFTER you've got trump agreement, you are asking for help in the suit. With help, Pard will go to game. Without? He'll park you in 3♠. The perfect bid.

Now, we're going to play this hand and you get to find out what Pard does. Ready?

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.
More informations on our website: www.VuBridge.com

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