Question for Heidi

Hi Heidi,

Do you have any recommendations or guidelines on how to overcall opponent's preemptive opening, particularly when the hand doesn't fit the criteria to do a takeout double? How to indicate to partner that the bidding is competitive versus one round forcing versus game forcing?

As an example, with the hand below, West at some tables opened with 3♠, how should N/S bid?

All non-vulnerable, W is dealer and opened 2♠:

	North ♠AK ♥AJT85 ♦K ♣K8543
West ♠JT87543 ♥94 ♦A7 ♣QT		East ♠62 ♥Q732 ♦Q943 ♣J76
	South ♠Q9 ♥K6 ♦JT8652 ♣A92

N	E	S	W
			2♠
???

Heidi's Answer

The purpose of a preempt is to mess up the opponents. This works most of the time. Works especially well when the preempt is a little less disciplined because now other tables might not be in the same situation.

There really is no way to say to Partner that you are just competing because you yourself have a weak hand with a long suit. Once the Opponents preempt, overcalling shows a nice hand. Jumping to game shows an even stronger hand. (You don't preempt a preempt!)

So you do show values when you overcall after a preempt. What kind of values are we talking?

I would recommend you stretch your bidding a little more when you are distributional. Especially if you have shortness in the opponents suit. Maybe make bids you might be a little uncomfortable with.

Here North has a clear cut 3♥ overcall. If you have ways to show a two suited hand you could also do that. Note that even overcalling 2NT would work on this hand. You won't get to 4♥ but you will get to 3NT and that will make. So as long as North bids things will work out.

Now South has to stretch a little. They have 10 HCP (admittedly the Queen of ♠ isn't worth much) but do not have three card support. Whatever. Just raise partner to 4♥. You've got to take a call. Doubleton honour is good and partner might have a six card suit. If not the 5-2 fit could play just as well.

The Result?

Here 4♥ will make even with a 5-2 fit and a 4-2 trump break.

So make bids you are not entirely comfortable with. Sometimes you get to a good contract. Sometimes you don't and the opponents misdefend. Sometimes you'll go down but the sacrifice will be worth it.

Sure, sometimes you will get a bad board. But learn from the bad boards. Why were they bad? Was it just unlucky? Or should you maybe have had a better suit? Or more distribution? Over time you will develop a better sense of when to come in and when not to come it.

If you get one bad board but three good boards from stretching in the bidding it will be well worth the effort.

Over 3♠?

If West had opened 3♠ what could North have bid? Well they can make whatever bid they want -- 3NT, 4♥ -- and it will work out. South will "Pass" any bid and both contracts make. So as long as North bids things end up magically wonderful!