"Head Scratcher" Balancing by Marti Ronemus

I was having dinner with a friend last night and somehow the conversation turned to head lice. (I wish I could reconstruct the conversational path that brought us to that subject, but I can't. Wine, anyone?)

She told me that there are now "Lice Salons" where the whole family can go for a 100% guaranteed treatment to kill them (the lice, not the family). Really? First thing I did when I got home was Google to see if she was teasing me. Nope! This is a REAL THING, oh Faithful Readers. It seems head lice have evolved from a shameful situation suggesting an unclean household to a happy salon event, just like getting that facial or mani-pedi.

So now we know. Thank you, Colleen!

Our quiz today is about "Balancing," and I'm sorry folks. I just can't think of a tie-in to Head Lice Salons. Let's just get to it, then.

Here are some reminders about balancing. (And a reminder: When are we in the balancing seat? When if we pass, the auction is over. There have been two passes and now it's our turn.)

1. When considering balancing, we "steal" 3 points from our Pard.
2. When we have 12-14, we can balance with 1 No-trump (with stoppers of course!)
3. Pard may well have a nice hand and not have been able to bid because he couldn't overcall or double. Try to find a way to balance if possible.

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	Pass	Pass
?

A: 1 No-trump: We have stopper(s) in opener's suit, and 12 points. Remember, we "stole" 3 points from Pard and thusly can bid 1 No-trump. No need to scratch our heads on this one.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ Q 9 8 7 5
♥ Q 8 4
♦ A 9 7 5
♣ 2

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	Pass	Pass
?

A: 1♠: This is a pathetic hand, and we would never consider overcalling in the direct seat. BUT!! East has shown less than 6 points, and we suspect Pard is holding something. We don't want the shame of letting the opponents steal us blind, and we love our singleton in Their suit.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♥	Pass	Pass
?

A: Double: We might pause if we were in the direct seat, but a double is perfect in the balancing seat. We've got four Spades and want Pard to know that. Plus with the 3 points we stole from him, we're in great shape!

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	Pass	Pass
?

A: Double: If we bid 1 No-trump in the balancing seat with 12-14 points, then what do we do with a "real" No-trump hand? We begin with a double.

Everything changes in the balancing seat. In the direct seat, 1 No-trump would be the perfect bid.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	3♥	Pass	Pass
?

A: 3♠: Yes, this takes some courage, and that describes us. Preempts are nasty, vicious bids and often do their job... crippling the opponents. BUT!! We love our shape. We love our suit.

And before heading for the salon, on to 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.

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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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