Other Preemptive Openings

“Other preemptive bids” include 3, 4 and 5 level openings or jump overcalls.

Preemptive Tactics

Never, Never, Never. Having once made a preemptive bid or overcall, you must NOT make another bid during that hand, unless forced to by your partner – you cannot be forced by your opponents. You may not bid "just one higher" if opponents overcall your preempt or your partner has the right to inflict any punishment she wants upon you. If you want to bid "just one higher", bid it confidently the first time you bid.

Reason: Your partner may have a trump stack against the opponents, waiting for a 500 point set and a top board after your opening 3. To hear you later say "5" over opponent's 4♥, thereby bringing a 500-point minus to your side, is grounds for partnership mayhem. Bid 5 on your first bid if you are ever going to bid it. A Rule: Not a Partnership Agreement.

What's the bid? Especially important in a decision to preempt is the prior bidding. If your partner has passed, bid like crazy. If she hasn’t yet bid, be a little cautious about preempting -- wait until your next turn and then preempt?

Who has the majors? Another important factor is the major suit situation. If you are considering preempting in Hearts with a singleton or void in Spades, you can be sure the opponents will be bidding Spades – so get your preempt in early and high. If you have Spades, you can overcall an opposing preempt in Hearts, so don't preempt your partner unnecessarily if you hold lots of Spades.

Length is strength. With 7 or more cards in a suit, be very aggressive, especially if you are weak in HCP. This 9 “point” hand could easily take 6 or 7 tricks by itself: AKQxxxx

Three-level openings or overcalls.

Three-level openings or overcalls are bid with fewer than 10 HCP, no outside four-card major and no chance of game outside the bid suit. Not vulnerable; the weaker, the better. Vulnerable, the bid suit should have good honors and texture.

Example South hands:

N E S W

PP???

♠AQ109xx / or / ♠ -
♥x / ♥xx
♦KJx / ♦KQJxxxx
♣Jxx / ♣ 109xx

This hand is too A little weak for 3 if vulnerable.
strong to preempt. Non-vul – open or jump overcall 3.
Open 1♠ Drury.

Major vs. minor suit preempts. With a 7-card minor suit (not a solid suit, which could be a Gambling 3NT opener), open 3 or 3. However, with a 7-card major suit, some points and a decent suit or better (AKT9865), consider opening 4 or 4. This is game, and opponents have to start competing at the 4 or 5-level.

Generally, 4-level preempts show 8 cards, but, why not give it a try? Opponents may compete against this hand, but they won’t double for penalty with no Spade tricks.

If partner is really weak, you have made a very successful preempt. If partner has any kind of a side suit, you may be able to squeak out 10 tricks. If you go down one or two, the chances are you won’t have been doubled, as it is dangerous to double a hand that is known to have 7 trumps and shortages somewhere.

Responses to Preempts

Good for her. If your partner made a weak preemptive bid, good for her. She has shown you exactly what she has and she won't bid again -- count on it.

All at once. Respond as high as you're willing to go at your first (and only) bid if there's competition; for example, if the intervening hand doubles. Don't wait until they've found their fit before sacrificing at 5 - - bid 5before they find their fit. Sometimes you'll get away with it. Sometimes you won't get Doubled. Sometimes they'll end up in the wrong contract. Sometimes they'll take the push and go off one. But if you wait until they know what they have, you've just lowered your odds a lot. They'll always figure it out.

At IMPs (team games), preempt whenever the occasion arises, but, vulnerable, be very careful, as an 800 point set could lose the whole match. Teammates hate that.

Don't even think about changing suits when partner preempts. The one time in ten your long weak suit is better than your partner’s long weak suit won't make up for the 8 bad results you'll get changing suits, and you'll lose partners, too. However, if partner’s preempt is overcalled, she is out of the auction and you can then bid your suit to compete further: [3 - 3 - 3 …] Partner won’t raise you, as she can’t bid again after preempting. A Partnership Agreement.

Raising partner’s preemptive opening or overcall.A raise of a preempt short of game is not a game try. It’s simply advancing the preempt, making it harder for opponents to compete. Opener won’t bid again unless forced to, not invited to.The only forcing bid when partner preempts is 1430. [3 - Dbl - 4 …] 4is not a game try or invitation - - it’s “advancing the the preempt” to make it harder for opponents – the whole purpose of Preemptive Bidding, no?

Bidding game over partner’s preempt. Sometimes you'll have a good hand and want to try for game after your partner preempts. To bid game over partner’s preemptive opening, you need a trump or two plus 2 Aces and a King minimum. It’s not about HCP; it’s about Aces and Kings to cover her losers in side suits, not Queens and Jacks. Forget any “Rule of 17”.

Defense to Opening Preempts or Jump Overcalls

At any level of bridge up through world class play, preemptive bids are very effective. They burn up lots of bidding space; they allow partner to make brilliant sacrifices; they require opponents to bid at high levels, etc. The simple fact is, preempts work. You should almost always preempt when holding long suits with weakness in HCP. For one thing, they tell your partner your situation in one bid.

Don't be scared. The defense to preempts is psychological as well as tactical - - don't be preempted away from your bid. If you have bid a game, be sure to double the opponents if they sacrifice, especially at the five-level. You must not let them get away with going down 3 tricks for -150 when you can make a 620 game or a 500 point penalty by doubling their sacrifice. If opponents find you are scared off by preempts and won't double them, they'll preempt you constantly. Don’t let them bluff you - - double loudly.

Trust opponents' weakness. Trust reliable opponents to have what they say when they preempt - - HCP weakness and length in their suit. Therefore, your partner and you have the other suits and perhaps more than average strength. Bid what you see in your hand if you have a suit -- double without a long suit but with strength and length, especially in unbid majors.

N ES W

3♠Dbl P4♥

West

♠xxPartner has an opener with Hearts, so bid your game.
♥KJxxDouble them at 4. (See the 5-level Rule below)
♦AQJx
♣Qxx

The 5-Level Rule. “The 5-level Belongs to the Opponents” is a good motto. It means that you should try to push your opponents to the 5-level and you should try not to “take the push” to 5 when they are pushing, if you can double instead.

Competing to the 5-Level. Versus non-vulnerable sacrificing opponents, we often must take a chance at the 5-level in order to save our game bonus.

Here is a set of conventional bids to help partner decidewhether or not to bid at the 5-level after opponents sacrifice: [1 – 2♣ – 3♣ – 4 4– 5 – ???]

Consider the 3 possibilities and use these responses:
(1) You have 2 or more losers in opponent’s suit: Double
(2) You have 1 loser in opponent’s suit: Pass (Forcing)

(3) You have no losers in opponent’s suit: “Take the Push” (Bid 5♥.)

In the above example, the 3♣ CBLR responder, whose turn it is now to bid, would double with 2 or more Club losers, pass with 1 Club loser and bid 5♥with no Club losers. This may not be the final contract: partner will decide that after you tell her the real story about your situation in Clubs.

Opener can make an informed decision about leaving the double in orbid on knowing that partner has exactly one or zero Club losers. Sometimes this knowledge can let opener bid and make a slam that others won’t get to, because she knows the loser situation exactly in both hands.

Notice that Double and Pass don’t raise the level of the bidding, so opener can “take the Push” if she wants to, even if partner has 2 Club losers: opener may have only one, no?

Convention Card Opening Preempts Section

Opening 3- or 4- Bids, vulnerable. These preempts are reasonable with 8 - 10 HCP, primarily in our suit. And maybe a “very light” occasionally, White vs. Red?

Opening 3 or 4 Bids, not vulnerable are reasonable with 6 - 8+ HCP, primarily in our suit. Non-vulnerable preempts can be very aggressive, especially in 3rd seat.

Generally, we avoid preempting in 1st or 2nd seat, as we are preempting our unpassed partner. A Partnership Agreement.