How do you overcall 3 level bids with good hands?

[kmbrunskill]

Originally Posted by Falco

First of all, I would look for my 13th card. After an auction 1H 2H you are definitely worth a raise, but there are more effective bids than 3H. 3H just asks for some extra values in general, but here you would rather find partner with values outside of spades. The king of spades would rid you of one loser, but there's still a lot of minor losers.

Some people play HSGT = help suit game tries. A 3 bid tells partner that you are weak in that suit and need values from partner there to have any hope of making game. Of course, other distribution and high card strength could still factor into play. After 3

parther should pass with Qxxxx Kxx xxx Qxx

the shape is bad, the unsupported queens aren't super, and the club suit is worrisome

on the other hand give partner xxx xxx Qxx KQTxx
or xxxxx Kxxx Axx x

And 4 looks much more hopeful. I find it good to have either values or shortness in partner's suit to go on. xxx is the worst possible situation; it is absolutely no help at all.

Not everyone plays HSGT, sometimes your only recourse is natural bidding. If that were the case I might bid 3 showing partner where I live.

Finally I would say this hand is about as marginal as another call gets and I"m not thrilled to have 7hcp buried in the trump suit. (If you have AKxxx opposite QJxxx that's 10hcp but much of it is wasted. You could make the same number of tricks holding AKxxx opposite xxxxx)

This was very helpful advice.. played a hand recently on BBO.

P opens 1H. He has 16 pts and 5 hearts. I have 7 points and 3 hearts. I responded 2H. Both of us had balanced hands. I don't remember the exact hands. But his clubs were AJx and he said 3C after 2H. I looked at my hand and saw KQxx of clubs, and bid 4H. We made it easily. Is that the proper way to do what you just mentioned? Otherwise, with crappy clubs, i just rebid 3H?