Overcalls and Doubles Flashcards
How many points are required to make an Overcall at the 1 Level?
To make an Overcall at the 1 Level,
- 7 to 17 points are required.
- a good 5 card suit or a six+ card suit
How many points are required to make an Overcall above the 1 Level?
To make an Overcall at the 2 Level and above
- 13 to 17 points are required,
- a good 5 card or a 6+ card suit.
Why are there less points required to make an Overcall than are required to make an Opening bid?
An overcall serves multiple purposes:
1) It is similar to an Opening Bid except that Opps have bid first.
2) Opps have shown they’re in a position to bid this hand. You would like to disrupt their bidding if you can.
3) You’re providing your partner information about hte strengths of your hand .
Can you make an Overcall after both opponents have bid?
Yes!
If you have a good hand to bid either to try to make a contract or to throw the opposition’s bidding off, you should make it.
What title is given to the partner of Overcaller?
The Advancer.
Your partner has made an Overcall. What should your primary concern be as Advancer?
You should by trying to support your partner’s suit.
You are in a competitive auction and your partner has shown a good 5+ card suit. Your first priority should be to support your partner’s bid with a raise.
What are the 2 purposes of the Advancers first bid?
After an Overcall, the Advancer has 2 goals in mind:
1 ) Find the best fit for his partnership
2 ) Stop the Opponents from finding their best fit.
In support of these two objectives, Adv should bid aggressively , perhaps bidding slightly higher than he thinks the partnership can make.
Down 1 or 2 is likely better than letting Opps make a contract.
Advancer has a weak hand (6-9 pts) but a fit with Overcallers bid.
What thought process should A use in formulating his response to OC overcall?
A’s bid should be equal to the total number of trump in his partnership’s combined hands.
OC must have had 5 trump to overcall. A adds 5 to his total to get the number of tricks the partnership should contract for.
- Your partner makes an overcall at the 2 level.
- You, as Advancer, have a weak hand (6-9pts) but 3 cards in OC’s suit.
What thought process would you as A use to formulate your bid?
For OC to make an overcall at the 2 level, his hand must have met the criteria for an opening hand (5 cards suit and 13+ points).
A should use the same criteria he would use for responding to an opening bid to formlate his response.
Given:
- a 1 level overcall by your partner
- you as Advancer has a minimum hand (6-9 pts)
What rule would you use to formulate your response?
the Rule of Total Tricks.
The number is trump held in your two hands should be the maximum you should make considering the two hands.
When do you use the Law of Total Tricks?
When your partner has :
1) Your partner ha made an overcall at the 1 level, and
2) You have 6 to 9 points in your hand (including Dummy Points)
3) You have 3+ card support for your partners overcall suit.
Should the Law of Total Tricks be strictly applied to responses to Overcalls?
No. The Advancer should use his judgement when applying the Law.
If A’s high cards are in an off suit, A’s suit is balanced or the partnership is vulnerable then A could decide to bid lower than the Law of Total Tricks suggests.
Your partner makes an overcall. What difference in strategy of A applies dependent on whether A has
- 9 or less points vs
- more than 9 points?
(Points include Dummy Points)
At 9- points, Advancer is thinking of his response bid to an Overcall as a Preemptive bid designed to keep the Opps from finding a Game fit.
A 10+ points, A is thinking about how to make a Part-score or Game bid.
- OC makes an overcall.
- Addvancer responds with a Jump-Bid.
What message does this send to OC?
Jump-bids as a response to an Overcall show a weak preemptive bid. A most likely has 6-9 points in his hand and 3,4 or 5 card support for the OC’s suit.
{If A had a stronger hand in OC’s suit he would have shown it by Cue Bidding the Opps already bid suit}
- OC makes an overcall
- A makes a bid in Opps already bid suit.
What message does this send to OC?
When A makes a Cue Bid, he is telling the OC that he has strength and length enough to make him interested in OC suit for Game or Part Score.
