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BASIC RESPONSE CHART AND VIDEO
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THE "MIXED" RAISE
This hand presents an interesting problem. It is too good for a preemptive raise (3S) and not good enough for a cue bid (2C). Most of you probably chose to raise to 2S with this hand, which is fine, but not perfect. To get the best of all worlds, you need to have some bid that shows this type of hand. This bid is called a
"Mixed Raise"
A mixed raise gives the partnership the best of all worlds. It chews up more bidding room than the simple raise, and paints a better picture of your hand. A mixed raise shows at least a 9 card fit in the suit partner bid (on the above hand this would be 4 or more spades), and between 7 and 9 total points. Some of you may be playing mixed raises without calling it that (Bergen Raises include a bid showing a mixed raise). In an auction like the one above, the JUMP CUE BID (3 Clubs) would be our mixed raise. This is the common expert agreement in auctions where partner has overcalled. Warning: this is only an available option when we can jump cue bid to the 3 level BELOW PARTNER'S SUIT. (ex. If our opponent opened 1S and partner overcalled 2H, we wouldn't be jumping to 3S to show this hand!).
So, before your next game, discuss this agreement with your partner and add it to the card. If you like this new agreement and want to learn more about competitive auctions, join me for my newest interactive seminar at Honors. The details and signup form are above. I hope to see many of you there, but until then, good luck and I will see you at the tables.
Rob Barrington
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