We have done away with sit-outs, for once and for all. When we have a half-table in the game, we enter the computer as a participant in the game, in order to make a full table.

When it would otherwise be your turn to sit out, instead you play against the computer. Your score vs. the computer counts in the game. The computer is always disqualified, so it doesn't take away your masterpoints - in fact, the awards actually increase because the game is larger.

Everybody appreciates playing against "Ace O'Matic." In fact, some people are disappointed when we have full tables of "flesh & blood" players and they don't get to play the computer!

You can learn more about how this works by clicking here.

Sitting West, I was looking at a pretty average hand. One good thing about it was that the few honors I did have were concentrated in the same suits. My hand was not strong enough to open, so I passed. North opened 1♦. My partner passed and South responded 1♥. I wasn't good enough for a vulnerable two-level overcall, so I passed again. North raised to 2♥, partner passed, and South made a game try with 3♦. Again I passed. North accepted with 4♥ and it went pass, pass, back to me.

Here's the bidding again:
 

What had I learned from the bidding?

• The opponents had minimum values for their game. North made a minimum rebid of 2♥. South made a game try of 3♦. Apparently he couldn't force to game either. I expected them to have somewhere between 24 and 27 points, including distribution. If that was the case, partner must have some values ─ probably about 5-8 HCP.
• How were the hearts distributed? Each opponent had at least four. It was possible they had a nine-card fit. At any rate, they had at least eight hearts between them, and I was looking at four, leaving partner with, at most, a singleton.
•  Where was the spade suit? Both opponents had the opportunity to bid spades at a low level and neither did so. It was likely neither of them held a four-card spade suit. If that was the case, partner must have at least four spades.

All of a sudden my cards started to look golden. The black suit honors would be working with partner's length, the singleton diamond took on new luster, and even my heart length was an asset, since it marked partner with no more than a singleton heart.

Here was a hand not good enough for a two-level overcall and now I wanted to bid, vulnerable, at the four- or five-level! In fact, I was convinced it must be right to bid. The problem was what to bid. I wanted to make a takeout double but, a double at this point would be for penalties and partner would pass. The choice seemed to be between a really offbeat, but reasonably sound, 4♠ ─ the inference that partner held spades was so strong that a 4♠ call might well be the winning action ─ and a somewhat saner (or, at least more defensible... in the post mortem!) 5♣.

I bid 5♣, with the full expectation of making it. At unfavorable vulnerability, I don't even think about sacrificing.

 

North doubled and led the ♥K.

 

Scroll down to see the entire deal.

Don't miss the Wednesday Game this week. It features expert hand analyses, with handouts following the game.

As you might have noticed, we do not write all the Daily Deals. Incorporating a new lesson into our game every day requires a lot of deals. We have quite a few lessons to add, but not nearly enough to do one per day for an extended period of time. We have acquired a couple of other terrific sources for our Daily Deal.
 

Our good friends Larry Cohen and Brian Gunnell have each graciously offered their deals for our use. That should be enough to keep us rolling for a while.