Introducing the Take Out Double

Please read the following post which will explain what a "Double" is in bridge:
Double - Penalty Double

What happens if I hold this hand:

♠AJ52
♥KJ92
♦KQ93
♣4

I am all set to open the bidding 1♦ but the Dealer is to my right and they open the bidding 1♣. Drat. Now I can no longer open the bidding. Only one person in bridge gets to be Opener and because my LHO dealt they get to start and they opened the bidding before I got a chance! Well, life is unfair everyone always tells me and it's true.

So now I no longer get to open the bidding. All the meanings of my bids change because I was not Opener. Now if I bid 1♦ this means I have an OVERCALL. I have a good five card suit. I don't need an opening hand any longer but I do need a five card suit. Drat. I don't have a five card suit.

What else could I have to make an overcall?

Well I can make a 1NT overcall if I have a balanced hand with 15 to 18 HCP and a stopper in the Opponents suit. My hand is good -- just not that good. Plus I don't have a stopper in ♣.

Are these ALL my choices?!? I really want to bid something!

Introducing the Take-Out Double.

For the low levels of bidding (say the one level and the two level) we rarely want to double the opponents for penalty. So we take a bid available that we don't use much and convert it to a bid we will use much more often. We take the double which is traditionally used to say "You are going down and I am punishing you" and change that to "Partner please bid ANY suit but the one I just doubled. I can cover all the rest of the suits so we will find a fit."

When my Partner and I agree to do that I can now say DOUBLE to the opening 1♣ bid. This asks PARTNER to choose their LONGEST suit to play in. That suit will be trump. (After all I don't really care what suit is trump as long as it is not ♣.)

What does this show?

First of all you must have shortness in the suit being doubled. Either a void, a singleton or a doubleton. This makes sense because you should have every other suit but the one being doubled if you are asking Partner to choose any of the other available suits.

Next you should have at least 13 points BUT the good news is that because Partner is choosing the suit, you will be Dummy. So you get to count Dummy points right away. So if you have a singleton you can add 3 points to your hand. So you only need 10 HCP to make a take out double. If you have a doubleton you can add an extra point so you only need 12 HCP to make a take out double. If you have a void you should still have about 10 HCP just to avoid getting into too much trouble if the opponents have all the points! So a minimum of 10 HCP and if you have a doubleton in the suit being doubled have at least 12 HCP.

That's pretty much it.

What happens if you have this hand:

♠Q2
♥K92
♦KJ83
♣KQT6

and the opponents open the bidding 1♣?

Well on this hand you can no longer make a take out double. You do not have the rest of the suits covered. You also cannot make an overcall since you don't have a good five card suit or an opening 1NT bid. On this hand you sadly have to Pass and hope that the opponents get too high in the bidding. Remember when the opponents are bidding your suit you want to STAY OUT of the auction. You want to defend.

So now when the opponents open the bidding you can choose between making a 1NT overcall, a suit overcall and a take out double. With that in mind what should you bid with the following hands after your RHO opens the bidding 1♣?

Hand 1

♠852
♥AJ9
♦AJ3
♣KJ94



Hand 2

♠AKT8
♥8532
♦KQT3
♣9



Hand 3

♠KT9
♥T63
♦AK6
♣K932



Hand 4

♠85
♥AQ4
♦AQT96
♣Q54



Hand 5

♠AQ85
♥AJ65
♦QJ42
♣8



Hand 6

♠AJ8
♥K87
♦K94
♣AQ54



Hand 7

♠KQ73
♥AT54
♦J765
♣J



Hand 8

♠987
♥AK53
♦AQ83
♣JT



Hand 9

♠KJT2
♥AKT4
♦JT94
♣T



Hand 10

♠AJ63
♥A632
♦J54
♣K3



Hand 11

♠763
♥AQ5
♦AJT8
♣KQJ



Hand 12

♠K62
♥AQ962
♦975
♣AJ



Hand 13

♠Q73
♥KJT
♦Q75
♣AQ94



Hand 14

♠KQJ5
♥K73
♦AJ94
♣83



Hand 15

♠2
♥QT4
♦AK972
♣Q872



Hand 16

♠A842
♥Q963
♦Q976
♣2



Hand 17

♠763
♥K74
♦AT4
♣KQJ4



Hand 18

♠AK96
♥K875
♦A73
♣94



Hand 19

♠J952
♥KQJ7
♦A4
♣AK4



Hand 20

♠Q962
♥AJT7
♦KJ72
♣J



Hand 21

♠863
♥K32
♦KJT
♣AQJ7



Hand 22

♠AQ872
♥Q982
♦T7
♣A4



Hand 23

♠AQJ54
♥KJ64
♦Q8
♣42



Hand 24

♠AQT52
♥KT
♦K642
♣J6



Hand 25

♠KT3
♥J54
♦A72
♣AJT6



Hand 26

♠J8
♥K32
♦AQT98
♣KT3



Hand 27

♠KQJ
♥KQ3
♦K53
♣A953



Hand 28

♠76
♥AK82
♦KT8
♣AKJ7



Hand 29

♠AQ875
♥A84
♦J42
♣43



Hand 30

♠KQ2
♥Q72
♦KT3
♣K752



Hand 31

♠K653
♥JT83
♦KQJ6
♣J



Hand 32

♠K972
♥QT42
♦QT42
♣2



Hand 33

♠A2
♥AJ9543
♦J64
♣84



Hand 34

♠A86
♥AQT74
♦T95
♣43



Hand 35

♠AKJT
♥KJ75
♦J52
♣52



Hand 36

♠KJ42
♥QJ3
♦QJT9
♣A7



Hand 37

♠K52
♥J75
♦AT7
♣AQT6



Hand 38

♠KQT82
♥KT9
♦J43
♣J4



Hand 39

♠A984
♥KQ3
♦Q862
♣K2



Hand 40

♠86
♥J73
♦AQ874
♣KT8



Hand 41

♠Q63
♥AJ6
♦QJ3
♣QJT4



Hand 42

♠AKT6
♥QJ82
♦987
♣AT



Hand 43

♠Q763
♥A543
♦AKJ
♣87



Hand 44

♠5
♥A98654
♦KQ
♣QT32



Hand 45

♠Q82
♥AKJ
♦T84
♣K965



Hand 46

♠A64
♥Q94
♦AQT4
♣A42



Hand 47

♠A52
♥JT7
♦J87
♣AK93



Hand 48

♠KQ6
♥T98
♦AQ7
♣Q872



Hand 49

♠KJ92
♥KJ98
♦KJ63
♣2



Hand 50

♠T6
♥K32
♦AKT86
♣J85



Hand 51

♠KT5
♥KT82
♦AJ6
♣AJ5



Hand 52

♠AK853
♥763
♦Q65
♣K7



Hand 53

♠JT6
♥AK972
♦AT
♣JT5



Hand 54

♠AQJT
♥AJ2
♦JT65
♣94



Hand 55

♠AJ5
♥A952
♦Q642
♣K4



Hand 56

♠QJ76
♥A653
♦A532
♣A



Hand 57

♠A94
♥763
♦KQ2
♣A652



Hand 58

♠Q753
♥KQ5
♦KQ83
♣96



Hand 59

♠A42
♥Q52
♦K43
♣AJ73



Hand 60

♠QT65
♥AKJ4
♦K86
♣J8



Hand 61

♠AJ4
♥AQ842
♦54
♣532



Hand 62

♠Q3
♥AKJ95
♦T93
♣A92



Hand 63

♠AQT6
♥AK72
♦954
♣T8



Hand 64

♠KQ862
♥Q98
♦J85
♣Q6



Hand 65

♠AK2
♥AT8732
♦T95
♣3



Hand 66

♠AJ94
♥AKT
♦T765
♣54



Hand 67

♠Q65
♥KQ4
♦AQ9
♣JT64



Hand 68

♠K762
♥KT54
♦Q64
♣5