Balancing

(Courtesy of Bob Crosby)

Balancing is an art form using hand evaluation and an ear to the bidding. You have to know when to “hold them” by entering the fray and know “when to fold them” by passing. Balancing is based on partner making the proper deductions on why her partner did not bid the first time around? The opponents open 1 everybody vulnerable and you hold x 10 AQ10xxx AQxxx so you pass. They respond 1 and partner passes. Opener rebids 1 and her partner raises to 2. Passed around to you so do you balance and with what? At the table, an expert in the Vanderbilt bid 2NT unusual. What an incredibly stupid bid! Your hand is laden with quick tricks which implies defense. Partner knows you do not make a balancing double for the only unbid suit, so you must have at least two suits. It is not too hard for partner to infer that you have a two suiter with diamonds and clubs on this auction. Partner is at the table.

To make matters worse, his expert partner bid 3 over 2NT with Q1094 AK98xx xx x and went for –500 doubled. Of course, you should describe your defensive two suiter with a double and allow partner to convert holding their suits. A heart lead and a club switch only gets 2 doubled +500 for a 1000 swing. There is no escape when you force partner to bid, but if you give partner options with a double you give the partnership maximum flexibility. Do not ignore quick tricks in openers, takeout and balancing doubles.

If your hand lacked defense, like x x KJ109xx KQJxx then by all means balance 2NT. Use hand evaluation measured in quick tricks to guide your balance. In another match, a balancer vulnerable held QJxx x Kxxx QJ9x and heard the auction go 1 in 3rd seat, pass by him and 2 around to him. Do you balance? Hand evaluation again. Where are your quick tricks? Yes you have the right shape and around 10 HCP but they are bad HCP’s. You do not have enough quick tricks to allow partner to convert for penalty which should always be a balancing consideration. He balanced with a double and they went for –800 against +140 in hearts. The person doing the write up was sympathetic saying that most good players would also balance! As BJ Trelford says, Oh my God! I am speechless.

Balancing - Flawed Hands

Playing with the Pitbulls individually, I have noticed that none of you make bad 2 level overcalls (bad suits). If you have an opening hand but a bad suit you pass and possibly back in later. I am going to let my bias show here. I think this is good disciplined Bridge. Bidding directly with bad suits at the two level is “bad gambling”. You are setting the partnership up for a penalty double, a pseudo sacrifice, a bad opening lead, helping opponents locate HCP etc. You have to make the risk in line with the reward so passing with these hands makes sense to me. A shrug of the shoulder and saying “sometimes you go for 1100” does not make any sense to me. Why take the chance and give opponents options to exact horrible penalty doubles?

I also notice that the Pitbulls do not make bad take out doubles. If you have a flaw somewhere you prefer to take delayed action and back in later expecting partner to be “at the table” to figure out your distribution. Again this is good disciplined Bridge. Discipline with take out doubles initially avoids disasters and allows the partnership to compete with confidence. However, in order not to let the opponents steal your hand, you have to be able to back in later or balance with flawed hands.

We have discussed some situations for belated doubles in a previous e-mail. These are hands that you could not take initial action due to a flaw somewhere. You back into the bidding in a non balancing position relying on partner to “pick up your distribution” by being at the table and listening to the bidding. What about flawed balancing bids? You hold xxxx AKxx AJ10x x and RHO bids 1 and LHO bids 2 and it gets passed to you. O.K. you have no duplication of value in spades and the opponents have mapped out a singleton or void in spades in partners hand. Time to bid partner's singleton spade for her so you double and partner makes the expected 3 call. Do you pass? No, partner knows that in balancing situations you can have a flaw somewhere so you bid 3 which is Equal Level Conversion to show diamonds and hearts. Partner has 12 cards that are not spades so we should have some sort of fit in the reds.

O.K. you have a Steve Willard overcall that you do not overcall because your suit is atrocious.

Axxx Kx Ax Qxxxx and you hear 1 to your right and 2 to your left so around to you. Again the opponents are kind enough to map out a singleton spade in partner's hand for you. Now back in 3. Partner will realize that you did not bid 2 in the first instance due to a flaw which is most likely a bad club suit. This is a time where undoubled or doubled rescue bids apply. Partner has 12 non spade cards so if she now bids 3 or 3 its “rescuing” the balance with Equal Level Conversion as she knows that you did not overcall 2 initially. Good partners will normally hold clubs for you when you balance with these kind of suits.

Anyway, playing with expert partners, do not let flaws prevent you from taking delayed action. Partner is at the table at will let the opponent's bidding and your non initial action guide the partnership to the correct spot. Equal Level Conversion theory helps in balancing auctions also. Passing too often can be just as dangerous as making undisciplined bids initially. Double partial swings are 7 IMPS and sometimes you can get to games reached by your opponents who took a bad gamble by bidding initially. Yes, there is some element of risk but by waiting until balancing auctions, you have taken some of the risk out of it. The opponents have shown you their HCP by passing and have shown the distribution in their suit for you to take appropriate action. Be a Pitbull and bid!

Balancing and Equal Level Conversion

Balancing is an “art form”. You have shortness in their suit so you read the situation that partner has not bid because she has their suit and no suitable take out bid. Balancing is not bidding your hand but bidding partner’s hand. There is no difference between a re-opening double in the balancing spot and a re-opening double in negative double theory. You should use the same principles. In negative double theory, you bend over backwards to double as partner has a penalty double of their suit. No difference when you balance in the pass out seat!

Remember that when you balance with a suit and defensive values, you may have immediately rescued the opponents from disaster. A 2 or 2 or 2 balance is one of the most useless balances ever devised when partner is trapping with their suit. As per negative double theory, you do not need shape to balance with a double, you need defense. Equal Level Conversion gets a work out to scramble to your best spot if partner does not have a penalty conversion. If you have anything near 10 HCP with defense and shortness in their suit, you double. This is especially so if a weak 2 or 3 is passed around to you in the balancing seat.

Equal Level Conversion and balancing go hand in hand. You have a cuebid after a double to show a good hand with suit(s). If the penalty double conversion does not take place, you are in scramble mode. It does not mean you had a hand too strong to bid a suit immediately. You have intermediate jumps and cue bids to describe those hands. Equal Level Conversion is the order of the day.

If you are a passed hand yourself, you can really take liberties. AJ9xx Q10 K1098 xx. I was playing with a tormentee who held this hand and the auction went 1 - P - P - ? She bid 1 and I bid 1NT and I made over-tricks in my partial. Good result? No it was a terrible result in that we let a huge opportunity go by. I held x KJxx Qx AQJ10xx and they have no where to go in their doubled contract(s). In fact, if you double, they scramble vulnerable to their best spot – spades! +800 vs our NT partial.

The odds are the only reason that 1 is passed around to you is that partner has an opening bid with clubs. If she does not and bids 1 you make an Equal Level Conversion to 1 and you have shown your hand (spades and diamonds with 10 HCP). Equal Level Conversion is a scrambling tool used after off shape takeout doubles, re-opening doubles in negative double theory and balancing doubles. The first priority in balancing is to protect the reason why partner passed in the first place. Partner has trapped with their suit.

Lee Barton had AQJ109 AKQxx xx x and I opened 1 vulnerable and Lee passed as did my partner. Lucille had x xx AJxx AQ10xxx so she balanced 2 and I got rescued from a horrible set. This is a clear cut balancing double! Say you opened 1 with this hand (add a queen to make it legit) and they overcalled a spade vulnerable. What would you do if it got passed around to you? Partner has a penalty double of a spade over there so you double as you would have left an old fashioned penalty double in with your hand. Would you not? The same re-opening double thinking should apply in the balancing spot. Go for the throat first and describe your distribution 2nd. You do not need the unbid major for a re-opening double. You are not bidding your hand but partners. Do not rescue opponents when they may be in trouble.

I am positive that the reason why “modern bidders” open non openers so often is they escape disaster time after time by the opponents rescuing them. Good opponents make them pay for their bad risk taking with proper trapping and balancing techniques. Bad opening bids and a passing partner should almost always equate to an instant disaster for their side. Go for it!

Hand Evaluation – Misfits (Balancing)

In the early days of Bridge, you did not balance in misfit auctions. When the opponents rest in 1NT with an auction of 1 - P - 1NT or 1 - P - 1NT or a more true misfit auctions of 1m - P - 1M - P 1NT, it was wise just to stay out of the auction. Why? With an opening bid and a response they have at least half the deck and their hands do not fit well. When it is a misfit their way, quite often it is a misfit your way. In the old days, a double of a 1NT resting spot was penalty as the doubler by looking at her hand felt that cards were poorly located for them. A takeout double as a balance in a misfit auction was not even considered.

In today's bidders game, selling out to 1NT causes you to lose many partial swings. Why? Modern bidders open light and respond light therefore the partial actually belongs to your side. What I like to play over their 1NT resting spot is a 2 bid as a takeout double no matter if they opened clubs or not. Instead of a double being straight penalty, we like to define a double as takeout but with values in their bid suit. When you do not have values in their suit and you wish to balance, choose 2 instead. Distributional 2 suiters are also bid with 2 and Equal Level Conversion takes place.

Your decision to bid in a misfit auction should be based on hand evaluation skills. Are your HCP's concentrated in the unbid suits? Do you have an offensive hand type? If you have HCP's in their suit are they behind the suit or in front of their suit? Is the vulnerability right? Are your HCP’s quick tricks or soft values? A balancing bid means you did not have a reason to enter the auction initially. The most frequent cause is that you had their bid suit rather than a lack of HCP’s to enter the auction. Your doubling philosophy should be based on that premise. 2 solves the problem of bidders wanting to disturb the 1NT resting spot.

1	Pass	1	Pass
1NT	Pass	Pass	Dbl

KJ10x Kxxx xx Axx is a hybrid double. A takeout double, but with values well located in their suit.

xxx KQxx xx AJxx is a 2 balance as a takeout as you cannot stand a spade lead in 1NT doubled converted by partner.

Partner can actually bid 2 to play (their suit) when you balance with a double. This is true in all cases when partner balances with a double. Bidding their suit is to play. With the 1st double, you can bid 2 to play with A987x xx J1098 xx

1	Pass	1NT	Pass
Pass	Dbl

J10x A10xx AQ10x xx.

This is a flattish takeout double but to allow partner the option of converting you are sitting over their suit well. When partner bids 2 after the double, it is to play.

1	Pass	1NT	Pass
Pass	2

Kxxx A10xx xx Kxx

This is a 2 bid for takeout as you cannot stand a diamond lead in 1NT doubled converted by partner. Partner can pass 2 holding a club suit of course.

1	Pass	1NT	Pass
Pass	2

Q10xxx A10xxx xx x

This is a 2 balance and pull 2 to 2 to show the majors. You could also hold a weak diamond, major two suiter.

In 3rd seat, the opponents open light with one of a major and pass 1NT. A double by you is still takeout but with cards in their suit. You bid 2 as a scrambling balance when you do not have cards in their suit. A pass is a legal bid also.

If you have trapped with a big hand when the vulnerability conditions are right, you just pass and take your plus. Partner will probably pull your double anyway.

These hands are just not frequent enough to base your balancing strategy around. The key to balancing is identifying offensive hand types vs defensive hand types. When you enter a misfit auction with a defensive hand type, do it with a double and values in their first bid suit. With an offensive hand type or a defensive hand type without values in their suit bid 2 for takeout. Partner will never convert 2 for penalty.

A 2 bid gets them out of 1NT just as well as a double does, so you have the luxury of having a double showing a specific takeout double. This structure has the greatest flexibility when you want to get them out of a 1NT resting spot in a misfit auction. A double even allows you to play the contract in their bid suit!

Balancing (patterns)

Balancing is still another area in Bridge where you apply patterns. This is very true after the opponents open a weak 2 or a weak 3 bid. You apply a pattern with their suit and your holding to take an educated guess how many cards partner holds in that suit. The auction goes 2 - pass - pass so around to you in the balancing spot. Axxx Qxx Kxxx Ax. You are vulnerable and they are not so do you bid? Apply patterns to get your answer. Hearts are 6-3-2-2 or 6-3-3-1 with partner either holding one heart or two hearts. She has shortness in hearts but took no action. Therefore, it is best to fold your tent and pass. You are not protecting partner's heart trap, you do not have enough to force partner to bid possibly at the 3 level vulnerable.

OK they open 3, around to you in the balancing chair vulnerable vs not. You have 14 HCP’s KQx QJx xxx KQJx so do you balance? Apply the diamond pattern, you have 7-3-2-1. So partner has a singleton or doubleton diamond and did not bid. Partner cannot be long in diamonds so she did not trap. Therefore, you are bidding your own hand in the balancing chair vulnerable. The odds are in favour of most of the HCP’s being to the right of you. You cards are not tenaces where you can take advantage of that (finesses working). You have the dreaded 4-3-3-3 distribution with 3-3 in the majors. This is an easy pass. Bidding loses you 10 IMPS as you go for a number against their –110 in diamonds which was the contract at the other table.

I was playing with Peter Jones at a CNTC with Klimo and Gandolfo at the other table. I opened 3, the opponents had a good hand in the balancing seat but they had 3 beat. They bid anyway and so went for 1100. Klimo held the same hand and just went quietly with a pass. Klimo said he held too many hearts (3) to bid. Good advice for balancing.

Balancing after a strong NT, takes hand evaluation techniques. Bridge is played in a clockwise direction so your sides HCP’s are either in front of the strong NT or behind the strong NT. If you have a balanced 17 HCP, it is silly to bid in the balancing spot. You have approx 34 HCP accounted for so partner will never leave in your double anyway. Good players just pass and hope they can beat it. Your cards are all on side for declarer so you will be end played often.

It is a good gamble to double if you have HCP’s in the 10-12 HCP range with a 5 card suit. This gamble works if partner has 10+ HCP sitting behind the strong NT. It is a gamble of course as dummy may have up to 8 HCP’s. I like to gamble with a double and 10 HCP but only when I have a suit to get out with if partner scrambles to 2. Tom and I play the double shows a 5 card or longer minor so we can convert on that basis. My other partners and I play the double shows 10-13 HCP’s with any 5 card suit. I think doubling just with a flat 10 is too much of a gamble.

You have Q 10xxx AKQ10x AKx equal non-vulnerable and they open 2 which gets passed around to you. You apply a pattern in hearts so you know partner is too weak for a takeout double. Do you just fold your tent and go quietly as the diamond suit will get outbid anyway? With this hand, I would bid because I have a source of tricks for NT. Doug Hawrelak came up with a nifty bid with this hand. A 3 bid does not describe the source of tricks you have nor the 18 HCP. You may have 7 tricks for a 3NT contract. A 3 cuebid in the balancing spot is an either/or bid. It should be interpreted initially as a Western cuebid or failing that a Goren demand two bid. Despite not having the perfect hand for the bid (a 6th diamond would be nice) Doug bid 3 anyway. Partner did not have a heart stopper so the 30 HCP rule kicked in and Doug reached 5 for +400.

Balancing (Re-opening Doubles)

Re-opening doubles in the balancing spot when the opponents have failed to respond are takeout doubles. Re-opening doubles in negative double auctions are card showing doubles. Why the difference? The first case, the double is discretionary but the 2nd case the double is virtually forced systemically. What about re-opening doubles in “live” auctions where there has been bidding up to high levels beyond negative double range? The re-opening double should also be a card showing double. You have defensive cards, no fit with partner but no trump stack. It does not necessarily show the unbid suits but “we have the balance of power” partner.

You are vulnerable, they are not. You hold AKxxx xx xx Kxxx, you respond a spade to partners 1 opening bid. LHO bids 3 and around to you so what do you do? The most flexible bid is a card showing double. Partner can convert for penalty, support your suit or do something intelligent. Do not bid 3 that is redundant, bidding 4 or passing is silly. A double is a flexible build that retains your options. In general, you play negative doubles to 4, so a double is mandatory.

You open 1, LHO bids 4 so around to you again in the re-opening position KQJ10 xx AKxxx xx. You have a clear cut pass. If you double, partner is going to make the wrong decision 99 times out of 100. She expects you to hold x Axxx AKxx KJxx for such a double. What if you held Axx AKx AKxx J10x and the same auction. You have too many HCP’s with no trump stack so you should double. Doubles at this level are not takeout per se but card showing which means partner pass or bid depending on your holdings in their suit.

INT by partner, you bid Stayman with x Axxx Kxxx Kxxx and LHO bids 3 around to you again. Doubling with values in their suit for penalty is not recommended when you are “in front” of the suit. A double here should be D.S.I.P. so leaving all options open. With values in spades, bid 3NT and yes they wiggled out of a penalty double.

Even after a 2/1, a re-opening double is D.S.I.P. (card showing)

1	1	2	2
Pass	Pass	?

Axx xxx Jx AKJxx.

You should double 2 as it cannot be a trump stack when you are in front of the suit. Playing support doubles when the opponents bid in the sandwich position a re-opening double is always D.S.I.P. (cards) as partner may have a trump stack and convert. A double of a pre-empt in the sandwich position is a special D.S.I.P. double called a “thrump double”.

1	Pass	1	3
Dbl

The double says bid 3NT with a spade stopper. A pass or a direct 3NT bid would show spades.

Partner opens 1 and LHO overcalls 1. You bid a heart with Kxx AKxxx xxx Jx and partner re-bids 2. RHO re-bids 2 so what now? You have a D.S.I.P. competitive double saying “partner my HCP’s are where you expect them” so I would like to compete to 3 but I have defense. The double can not be a trump stack unless you assume the opponents are suicidal when they bid and rebid a suit. When you do have a trump stack, hope partner re-opens with a double.

When the opponents overcall and make a jump raise of their suit, a re-opening double is always D.S.I.P. competitive.

You hold A10xxx Jxx J10x Ax

The auction goes:

1	1	1	3
Pass	Pass	?

Having this bid reserved for penalty is silly. The double is card showing saying I want to compete.

A special case of a D.S.I.P. competitive double is when the opponents make a jump rebid in their suit. How many times do you want to punish them when they have jumped in their suit? A double should be D.S.I.P. competitive.

1	Pass	1	Dbl
3	Dbl

This double should be D.S.I.P. competitive saying I have cards to compete but I do not know where.

In summary a double or competitive double in the re-opening chair is never penalty no matter what the auction is. You are making a “card showing “ D.S.I.P. double. When you have their suit, bid 3NT or pass. Penalty doubles were simply not designed for the re-opening position.

Balancing 1NT

An often misunderstood sequence is the balancing 1NT bid. The bid should be under a strong NT bid in the 10-14 HCP range. The bid is a “balance” and the only reason we are bidding in the first place is that partner probably has too many cards in the opponent's suit to take initial action. The 1NT balance does not need a stopper in the opponent's suit as partner is assumed to have one for not bidding initially.

Maurice introduced me to a very nice bid in these auctions. He suggests using a transfer into the opponent's suit as a check back for a stopper. If no stopper, the 1NT balancer just accepts the transfer to the opponent's suit.We can scramble into a fit after that by bidding the lowest ranking suit. With a stopper and a minimum, the balancer bids 2NT and with a stopper and a maximum he bids 3NT. Therefore the transfer to openers suit is an invite to a game somewhere. An excellent understanding!

You can further the transfer idea by defining other bids as transfers also to get the opener on lead. Stayman is not possible as that is a transfer to diamonds. With the majors, partner would have chosen to double rather then balance 1NT anyway. Over a club opener and around to a balancing 1NT, 2 is the check back for a stopper and 3 is bid without one and the Scrambling starts.

In order for the NT balancing structure to work, it is handy to have the 2NT balance in the 18-19 HCP range with a stopper. Transfers apply here also but not of the “check back” variety. The strong NT is shown in the balancing spot by doubling first and then an immediate NT bid.

1	Pass	Pass	Dbl
pass	2	2NT*

* 15-17 HCP.

You hold xx Axx J1098x AQx in the balancing spot and the opponents open 1 and passed around to you. You balance 1NT and partner bids 2. You accept the transfer as you do not have a spade stopper. Partner bids 3 and you take a shot and pound it to 5. Opener has AKQJ10 of spades and the diamond king so you get +600 and they are in 3NT down one at the other table.

Partner's hand. xxxx Kx AQxx KJ10