"Batter Up!" by Marti Ronemus

No, not baseball. Waffle House! (Get it? Waffles? Batter?) The ubiquitous restaurant is more interesting than you think. Bet you didn't know that FEMA uses Waffle House as an informal index of the impact of disasters. Since they are proud of their 24/7 policy, if Waffle House is closed, things are BAD!

Also, 2% of all American eggs are purchased for their meals. That's not too much of a surprise, but how about this? Waffle House is the world's leading server of T-Bone steaks, having served over 134,842,441 in the last half-century. We would never have guessed that.

We can take a lesson from Waffle House. They have a limited menu, but do each item to perfection. Just like our bidding, right? Right!! Let's look at this little potpourri of bidding challenges.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ A J 10
♥ A K J 9 8 7
♦ 8 4 3 2
♣

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♣
1♥	2♣	Pass	Pass
?

A: 2♥: We have a very strong hand, with a fantastic suit of our own, plus a void in Their suit. BUT! We also have a passed Pard. Our rebid shows a more-than-minimum hand with a good six-card suit.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ K 8 4
♥ 7 5
♦ A Q 10 9
♣ 6 5 4 3

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	1♥	2♣
Pass	Pass	2♥	Pass
?

A: 3♥: While we weren't able to bid before (couldn't support Hearts, couldn't bid No-trump without a Club stopper, after Pard shows a six-card suit and a more-than minimum hand, we need to tell him we've got a little something. We're showing 6 to 9 points.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ Q J 10 9 8 5
♥ 9 8 4 3
♦ Q 7
♣ 4

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	2♣	Pass
?

A: 3♠: This answer depends on a partnership agreement: Do you play "new suit by advancer forcing for one round" or not. Many play a new suit is indeed forcing, so the jump to 3♠ is very preemptive, and indeed is the equivalent of a Weak Jump Shift. Talk this over with your Pard and place your order.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ J 10 9 8
♥ 8 7 4 3
♦ Q 4
♣ K 9 8

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	Pass	1♥
Pass	2♥	Dbl	Pass
?

A: 2♠: Why didn't Pard double on his first chance to bid? A double of 1♦ would have promised at least 4-3 in the majors and shortness in Diamonds. Now we know he has four Clubs and four Spades. We can support Spades, but let's not go crazy here. We've only got 6 rocky points.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ Q 10 8
♥ J 7 4
♦ K 10 7 5
♣ Q J 10

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♠	1 No-trump	Pass
?

A: 3 No-trump: Yes, yes, we know we only have 9 High Card Points and a 4-3-3-3 hand. BUT!! We admit to being born optimists and we like all those intermediates. We've got 10s and honorettes galore. This hand should fill in a lot of holes in Pard's. Also we know where all the missing cards are. And the most important point of all... no contract is too high when your Pard has to play it.

And now, let's play our hand while the syrup is being warmed.

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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