Partner DOUBLES

Playing matchpoints. You are not vulnerable and the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠J7
♥T732
♦J9
♣T8764

Your LHO (Left Hand Opponent) opens the bidding 1♥. Partner says "Double". Your RHO (Right Hand Opponent) says "Pass". What is your call?

Show Answer

2♣.

Yeah. You have a TERRIBLE hand. But you MUST bid. Partner is FORCING you to bid with their TAKE OUT DOUBLE.

You must bid your LONGEST suit that is not the Opponent's suit!

You can jump to show values but you do not have any values.

Bidding 2♣ says "♣ is my longest suit (not including ♥) and I do not have a very good hand at all. In fact I could have zero points!"

Can you ever "Pass" a Take Out Double? Yes you can but you need both LENGTH and STRENGTH in the suit being Doubled. Here you have neither!

P.S. If you "Pass" because you do not have any points the Opponents play in 1♥ Doubled. They take 11 tricks. Not good for you at all!

Opponents

Playing matchpoints. You are vulnerable and the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠KJ43
♥8
♦K753
♣KQ52

Your RHO (Right Hand Opponent) opens the bidding 1♥. What is your call?

Show Answer

Double! Take out.

If you bid any suit now Partner will think you have five of them. That's what you need to make an overcall. Make PARTNER choose what suit to play in because you have support for all the other suits!

Rebids by Opener

Playing matchpoints. Both you and the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠3
♥AJ53
♦AK9
♣AQ983

You are Dealer. You decide to open the bidding 1♣. Your LHO (Left Hand Opponent) says "Pass", Partner says "Pass" and your RHO (Right Hand Opponent) bids 1♠.

What is your call?

Show Answer

How about "Double"?

In this auction it is still essentially the same as a "Take Out Double". It basically means "BID something Partner, because I have some stuff I haven't showed you but I don't know what to do!"

You could also make a reverse -- bid 2♥. This would show a strong, unbalanced hand -- which is what you have. But you ALSO have support for a long ♦ suit Partner might have.

Doubling gives Partner more choices. Everyone loves to be given a choice. It still shows a strong hand (with a weaker hand you would just "Pass") but now you are saying you can support anything BUT ♠. You want to play in PARTNER's longest suit.

Turns out Partner has a WEAK hand (obviously, they did "Pass" your opening bid!) with SIX ♦.

If you Double (and are aggressive enough in the bidding!) you can bid (and MAKE!) 5♦! That's game!

If you reverse, you will find your ♣ fit but you can only take 10 tricks if ♣ are trump. That's not enough for a game.

What to bid?

Playing matchpoints. You are vulnerable and the Opponents are not.

Here is your hand:
♠Q752
♥K432
♦5
♣AKT9

Your RHO (Right Hand Opponet) is Dealer and opens the bidding 1♦. What is your call?

Show Answer

Double.

You have a perfect Double. You can support every suit but ♦ and you have an opening hand. Get Partner to choose the suit.

If you bid a suit now you show a FIVE card suit.

What to bid

Playing matchpoints. Both you and the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠QJ84
♥T
♦KT82
♣A543

Your RHO (Right Hand Opponent) opens the bidding 1♥. What is your call?

Show Answer

How about Double?

You cannot bid a suit -- you don't have 5 cards in a suit.
Ask Partner what their longest suit is other than ♥. Double.

If you are not familiar with the Take Out Double look into it. There are quite a few posts on this blog. It's a nice bid if you use it wisely.

Responding to a Take Out Double

Playing matchpoints. Neither you nor the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠J543
♥K8
♦AQ6432
♣4

Your LHO (Left Hand Opponent) opens the bidding 1♠. Partner says "Double". Your RHO (Right Hand Opponent) says "Pass". What is your call?

Show Answer

How about 3♦?

Partner made a TAKE OUT Double. They are FORCING you to bid. But you have 10 HCP and a REALLY LONG suit. You are quite happy to bid!

Jump to 3♦ to show Partner that you have more than just a weak response.

Responding to a Take Out Double

Here is your hand:

♠AJT3
♥Q73
♦985
♣J42

You are Dealer. You decide to "Pass". Your LHO opens the bidding 1♠. Your Partner says "Double". Double here should be TAKE OUT. Partner is saying "Bid your LONGEST suit. I have everything BUT ♠. What is your call?

Show Answer

Bid 1NT.

You have strength in ♠ but not LENGTH. You really need both to "Pass" a 1 level take out double.

1NT shows about 8 to 10 HCP with the ♠ stopped.

What you need to make a Two Suited Double

This post combines the knowledge learned in some previous posts. Please read these first to learn about how to respond to a take out double.
Introducing the Take Out Double
Two Suited Doubles

So now that I have discussed what suits I have for the double I should probably say a few words about the hands I could have.

My LHO	Partner	My RHO	ME!
1♣	Pass	1♥	???

In that auction I have ♠ and ♦. But what is my shape? What are my values?

I need at least four cards in both the suits that I am showing. In a normal Take Out Double you are allowed to have a three card suit. That is because you are giving Partner the choice of THREE suits. This time you are giving Partner the choice of only TWO suits. You need BOTH of them.

Ideally you would have five cards in one suit and four cards in another suit. With this shape you only need 10 HCP. The rest you make up for in shape.

If you have four cards in both suits your shape isn't nearly as good. With this shape you probably need at least a good 12 HCP.

Ideally you would have four cards in any major and five cards in any minor you are showing. The reason for this is that you can always make an Overcall with a five card suit and you always want to tell Partner about any major you would have. But this isn't always the best thing to do.

The best thing to do is to use your judgement.

If your values are all in the suits the opponents are bidding maybe you just want to Pass. For instance:

♠8642
♥AK
♦J9632
♣A3

I would not recommend Doubling to show ♠ and ♦ with this hand. Yes, you have the shape. Yes, you have the values. But ALL your values are in the OPPONENTS suits. That won't help you.

Take another hand:

♠AKQ94
♥93
♦9632
♣A9

I would not recommend Doubling to show ♠ and ♦ with this hand. ALL your values are in the ♠ suit. Make a 1♠ overcall. This helps Partner out with the lead also.

Should you always make an Overcall with a five card major?

Take another hand:

♠J9642
♥93
♦AKJT
♣A9

I would not recommend making a 1♠ overcall on this hand. Double to show ♠ and ♦ with this hand. The ♠ suit is pretty ratty for an overcall.

It's tough. You have to have some hand judgement. You can't just say with x amount of points and y in each of the suits do this. You could get into trouble. But sometimes you do have to risk bidding when you might not want to. Just a judgement call. I would recommend at least a good 9 or 10 HCP to be in your two suits to be safe. But safety is not guaranteed at all.

Up for some examples? On all the following hands your LHO opens 1♣, Partner Passes and your RHO bids 1♥. What will you do?

Hand 1

♠KQT8
♥KT
♦AJT75
♣72



Hand 2

♠AKJ76
♥T9
♦Q972
♣92



Hand 3

♠KJ93
♥86
♦AK974
♣86



Hand 4

♠A852
♥QT5
♦A875
♣84



Hand 5

♠AQ54
♥K32
♦KQ642
♣2



Hand 6

♠AKQ82
♥732
♦Q875
♣J



Hand 7

♠AT75
♥K63
♦AKQ8
♣83



Hand 8

♠8642
♥AK
♦KQJT75
♣8



Hand 9

♠AQ73
♥83
♦QJT62
♣K2



Hand 10

♠A854
♥84
♦KJ65
♣QT4



Hand 11

♠K742
♥8
♦KQJ86
♣J85



Hand 12

♠AQJ64
♥A4
♦J932
♣83



Hand 13

♠KQ86
♥8
♦AK532
♣Q73



Hand 14

♠AJ62
♥Q3
♦AKT94
♣84



Hand 15

♠9632
♥AT5
♦Q986
♣AT

Two Suited Doubles

So far I have only talked about what happens when one suit only has been bid. Take Out Doubles also occur when the opponents bid two suits. For instance:

My LHO	Partner	My RHO	ME!
1♣	Pass	1♥	???

My Hand
♠AQT8
♥32
♦AKJT3
♣95

What do I do? I have a nice hand and want to bid. I could overcall 2♦ but then what if Partner has this hand?

Hand
♠K96432
♥T86
♦Q64
♣8

We are making game in 4♠ but Partner will no doubt Pass my 2♦ overcall.

Even if Partner has this hand:
♠K964
♥T86
♦Q6
♣8642

I'd rather Partner play in 1♠ or 2♠ rather than me playing in 2♦.

Again I can use the Double to say "Partner I have the remaining suits. Please pick one!"

What suits do I have on this auction?

My LHO	Partner	My RHO	ME!
1♦	Pass	1♥	???

The other two suits. ♠ and ♣. The opponents are bidding the red suits -- I have the black suits.

What suits do I have on this auction?

My LHO	Partner	My RHO	ME!
1♥	Pass	1♠	???

The other two suits. ♣ and ♦. The opponents are bidding the majors -- I have the minors.

What suits do I have on this auction?

My LHO	Partner	My RHO	ME!
1♣	Pass	1♦	???

The other two suits. ♥ and ♠. The opponents are bidding the minors -- I have the majors.

What suits do I have on this auction?

My LHO	Partner	My RHO	ME!
1♥	Pass	2♣	???

The other two suits. ♦ and ♠. The opponents are bidding the round suits -- I have the pointy suits.

Responding to a Take Out Double -- Suit Bids, NT Bids and Cuebids

This post combines the knowledge learned in all these posts. Please read these first to learn about how to respond to a take out double.
Introducing the Take Out Double
Responding to a Take Out Double with a Weak Hand
Responding to a Take Out Double with an Intermediate Hand
Responding to a Take Out Double with an Opening Hand
Responding to a Take Out Double with a Balanced Hand and the Opponents Suit Stopped
Responding to a Take Out Double with a Six Card Major
Responding to a Take Out Double by Cuebidding the Opponents Suit!
Responding to a Take Out Double by Cuebidding the Opponents Suit! Part II

HCP	Bid
0-8	LONGEST suit at the LOWEST level
8-10 with stoppers in the Opponent's suit and no major to play in	1NT
9-11 (bad 12)	LONGEST suit JUMPING a level
11-12 with stoppers in the Opponent's suit and no major to play in	2NT
Good 12 or more	Bid GAME in LONGEST suit
Long (six card) major suit with some values	Bid GAME in LONGEST suit
13 or more with stoppers in the Opponent's suit and no major to play in	3NT
Good 12 or more but unsure what game to play in	Cuebid the Opponent's suit

So with that in mind what do you respond with each of these hands when your LHO opens the bidding 1♣, Partner says "Double" and your RHO Passes?

Hand 1

♠AK92
♥QJ7
♦98
♣AJT6



Hand 2

♠A9753
♥KJ9
♦AJ4
♣62



Hand 3

♠AJ83
♥A74
♦87
♣AJT5



Hand 4

♠QT85
♥52
♦874
♣AT83



Hand 5

♠JT5
♥AKT72
♦J3
♣873



Hand 6

♠Q53
♥AT32
♦K3
♣AQ43



Hand 7

♠Q9875
♥974
♦865
♣AK



Hand 8

♠952
♥J7
♦QJ87
♣AK82



Hand 9

♠QJ42
♥Q4
♦Q97
♣AK94



Hand 10

♠KQ8532
♥4
♦9862
♣K6



Hand 11

♠A763
♥AQJ3
♦54
♣A83



Hand 12

♠4
♥AQJT873
♦Q64
♣75



Hand 13

♠AQ7
♥QJT984
♦8
♣J32



Hand 14

♠AJT5
♥AJ83
♦87
♣A74



Hand 15

♠Q976
♥A72
♦J932
♣JT



Hand 16

♠32
♥QT74
♦K543
♣T64



Hand 17

♠AT32
♥J85
♦K3
♣AQ43



Hand 18

♠J8752
♥A2
♦K64
♣AJ5



Hand 19

♠654
♥J97
♦AK72
♣972



Hand 20

♠Q862
♥AK93
♦97
♣A63



Hand 21

♠KQ9
♥98
♦AJ8
♣AT876



Hand 22

♠J
♥AQT743
♦9543
♣K4



Hand 23

♠KT98
♥KQJ6
♦83
♣A86



Hand 24

♠KT9
♥KJ
♦Q652
♣AJ82



Hand 25

♠Q9852
♥KQ
♦Q95
♣Q72



Hand 26

♠86
♥9652
♦Q53
♣KJ42



Hand 27

♠KT62
♥AKQ9
♦98
♣J72



Hand 28

♠98
♥AJT7
♦T97
♣T654



Hand 29

♠Q4
♥QJ42
♦Q97
♣AK94



Hand 30

♠AQJ
♥A5
♦T732
♣KJT3



Hand 31

♠AK94
♥QT7
♦43
♣AJT8



Hand 32

♠6
♥QT65
♦Q932
♣J865



Hand 33

♠KQ632
♥973
♦864
♣65



Hand 34

♠A74
♥AJ83
♦87
♣AJT5



Hand 35

♠AQ
♥QJ9843
♦8
♣9743



Hand 36

♠J87
♥Q7
♦JT32
♣KQ82



Hand 37

♠AQ43
♥AT32
♦K3
♣853



Hand 38

♠KJT653
♥T5
♦A76
♣KT



Hand 39

♠KT85
♥K95
♦Q4
♣KQT2



Hand 40

♠865
♥Q6
♦J863
♣AKQT



Hand 41

♠73
♥QT8
♦KT2
♣AKJ52



Hand 42

♠QJ7
♥AK92
♦98
♣AJT6



Hand 43

♠Q9
♥QT8
♦KT52
♣AJT9



Hand 44

♠KQ85
♥Q3
♦QT4
♣AQ97



Hand 45

♠KQ762
♥JT5
♦74
♣A87



Hand 46

♠643
♥J9
♦KJ32
♣KQ86



Hand 47

♠Q3
♥KQ85
♦QT4
♣AQ97



Hand 48

♠K54
♥753
♦Q53
♣K643



Hand 49

♠A9
♥AKJ95
♦3
♣T9876



Hand 50

♠52
♥J94
♦AKJT8
♣JT8



Hand 51

♠KJ2
♥J84
♦Q97
♣AT65



Hand 52

♠KQT2
♥KT85
♦Q4
♣K95



Hand 53

♠752
♥K75
♦JT2
♣AKT8



Hand 54

♠AKQJ
♥QJ42
♦Q97
♣T4



Hand 55

♠JT432
♥K7
♦Q7
♣AT65



Hand 56

♠AQT753
♥8
♦T753
♣K9



Hand 57

♠KQ9
♥KT85
♦Q4
♣KQT2



Hand 58

♠KQ6
♥52
♦JT54
♣Q982



Hand 59

♠QT7
♥AK94
♦J3
♣KJT8



Hand 60

♠954
♥KQJ43
♦QT9
♣QJ



Hand 61

♠J8
♥743
♦QJ432
♣J65



Hand 62

♠AK94
♥J842
♦9
♣AK85



Hand 63

♠AKT62
♥A7
♦AT
♣6532



Hand 64

♠T82
♥Q7
♦AKJT
♣KJT4



Hand 65

♠KJT8
♥AKQ4
♦43
♣T73



Hand 66

♠A7654
♥42
♦Q987
♣98



Hand 67

♠AKJT
♥T942
♦AT4
♣J6



Hand 68

♠85
♥K76
♦KQ76
♣KQ86



Hand 69

♠AJ54
♥JT75
♦A3
♣A72



Hand 70

♠QT
♥K73
♦KQ874
♣AJ5



Hand 71

♠KQ9875
♥A74
♦865
♣8

Responding to a Cuebid after you originally made a Take Out Double

Please read these posts to learn about the take out double.
Introducing the Take Out Double
Responding to a Take Out Double by Cuebidding the Opponents Suit!
Responding to a Take Out Double by Cuebidding the Opponents Suit! Part II

When Partner responds to your Take Out Double by bidding the opponents suit this is a CUEBID. It tells you that Partner wants to go to game but is unsure where. They are asking YOU to further describe your hand. After all sometimes you are stuck doubling with only one four card major. If you have four cards in one major but not the other bid the major you have four cards in. If you have four cards in BOTH majors you can cuebid right back to them. If the opponents stick in a bid keep in mind you do NOT want to go past game in a major!

There is NO NEED to jump to bid the suit you have your four card major in. Partner will not Pass. They wanted to go to game, remember? They CUEBID.

On each of the following hands your RHO opened the bidding 1♣. You choose to Double. Your LHO Passed and Partner bid 2♣. What will you bid if RHO Passes?

Hand A	Hand B	Hand C
♠AJ63 ♥KJ83 ♦Q984 ♣4	♠AQ3 ♥KJ83 ♦QJ84 ♣4	♠AQ63 ♥K83 ♦KJ84 ♣4
You have two four card majors. Bid 3♣	You have four ♥ but not four ♠. Bid 2♥	You have four ♠ but not four ♥. Bid 2♠

Let's practice. On each of the following hands your RHO opened the bidding 1♣. You choose to Double. Your LHO Passed and Partner bid 2♣. What will you bid if RHO Passes?

Hand 1

♠Q753
♥KQ5
♦KQ83
♣96



Hand 2

♠QJ76
♥A653
♦A532
♣A



Hand 3

♠987
♥AK53
♦AQ83
♣JT



Hand 4

♠AKT6
♥QJ82
♦987
♣AT



Hand 5

♠AKJT
♥KJ75
♦J52
♣52



Hand 6

♠KJ92
♥KJ98
♦KJ63
♣2



Hand 7

♠AQ85
♥AJ65
♦QJ42
♣8



Hand 8

♠K653
♥JT83
♦KQJ6
♣J



Hand 9

♠QT65
♥AKJ4
♦K86
♣J8



Hand 10

♠Q962
♥AJT7
♦KJ72
♣J



Hand 11

♠KQ73
♥AT54
♦J765
♣J



Hand 12

♠KJ42
♥QJ3
♦QJT9
♣A7



Hand 13

♠AK76
♥JT54
♦A64
♣Q5



Hand 14

♠AQJT
♥AJ2
♦JT65
♣94



Hand 15

♠Q763
♥A543
♦AKJ
♣87



Hand 16

♠AJ94
♥AKT
♦T765
♣54



Hand 17

♠KJT2
♥AKT4
♦JT94
♣T



Hand 18

♠KQJ5
♥K73
♦AJ94
♣83



Hand 19

♠AJ5
♥A952
♦Q642
♣K4



Hand 20

♠AJ63
♥A632
♦J54
♣K3



Hand 21

♠A984
♥KQ3
♦Q862
♣K2



Hand 22

♠AKT8
♥8532
♦KQT3
♣9



Hand 23

♠AK96
♥K875
♦A73
♣94



Hand 24

♠AQT6
♥AK72
♦954
♣T8

Responding to a Take Out Double by Cuebidding the Opponents Suit! Part II

Please read these posts to learn about the take out double.
Introducing the Take Out Double
Responding to a Take Out Double with an Opening Hand
Responding to a Take Out Double with a Six Card Major
Responding to a Take Out Double with a Balanced Hand and the Opponents Suit Stopped
Responding to a Take Out Double by Cuebidding the Opponents Suit!

After Partner's take out double do we only make a cuebid when we want to play in 4 of a major?

No. Take this hand:
♠KJT2
♥QT2
♦83
♣AQT9

If Partner doubles my LHO opponents opening 1♣ bid I KNOW we want to be in game. But again I am not sure what game we want to play in. Partner could have doubled on either of these hands:

Hand A	Hand B
♠A863 ♥KJ83 ♦A964 ♣4	♠A86 ♥KJ63 ♦A964 ♣54

If Partner doubled on Hand A I want to play in 4♠. We have a 4-4 fit. If Partner doubled on Hand B I want to play in 3NT. We do not have a fit in ♠ so I do not want to play there. But I do want to play in game and 3NT should be the best game. How do I ever guess correctly?

You don't guess. You ASK Partner. You CUEBID the opponents suit. So on this hand I will bid 2♣. That IN NO WAY means I want to play in 2♣. Remember Partner doesn't have ♣. If I have lots and lots of ♣ I'll just Pass and let my LHO play in 1♣ Doubled. This bid just asks Partner to bid their four card major. Plus it lets Partner know we are going to game so I don't have to worry about Partner Passing when I don't want them to.

Keep in mind that sometimes we KNOW where we want to play. No need to cuebid then. Just bid the game you want to play in.

On all these hand LHO opens 1♣, Partner Doubles and RHO Passes. What is your bid? If you choose to cuebid, what games are you interested in playing in?

Hand 1

♠AT32
♥J85
♦K3
♣AQ43



Hand 2

♠Q862
♥AK93
♦97
♣A63



Hand 3

♠AJ54
♥JT75
♦A3
♣A72



Hand 4

♠QT7
♥AK94
♦J3
♣KJT8



Hand 5

♠AK94
♥J842
♦98
♣AK8



Hand 6

♠QJ42
♥Q4
♦Q97
♣AK94



Hand 7

♠AK92
♥QJ7
♦98
♣AJT6



Hand 8

♠AKJT
♥T942
♦AT4
♣J6



Hand 9

♠J8752
♥A2
♦K64
♣AJ5



Hand 10

♠A74
♥AJ83
♦87
♣AJT5



Hand 11

♠QJ7
♥AK92
♦98
♣AJT6



Hand 12

♠AJT5
♥AJ83
♦87
♣A74



Hand 13

♠KQ9
♥KT85
♦Q4
♣KQT2



Hand 14

♠AKQJ
♥QJ42
♦Q97
♣T4



Hand 15

♠A763
♥AQJ3
♦54
♣A83



Hand 16

♠AKT62
♥A7
♦AT
♣6532



Hand 17

♠AJ83
♥A74
♦87
♣AJT5



Hand 18

♠KJT653
♥T5
♦A76
♣KT



Hand 19

♠Q53
♥AT32
♦K3
♣AQ43



Hand 20

♠Q4
♥QJ42
♦Q97
♣AK94



Hand 21

♠KJT8
♥AKQ4
♦43
♣T73



Hand 22

♠KT98
♥KQJ6
♦83
♣A86



Hand 23

♠76
♥AJ642
♦K94
♣A85



Hand 24

♠Q3
♥KQ85
♦QT4
♣AQ97



Hand 25

♠KT85
♥K95
♦Q4
♣KQT2



Hand 26

♠KQ85
♥Q3
♦QT4
♣AQ97



Hand 27

♠KT62
♥AKQ9
♦98
♣J72



Hand 28

♠AK94
♥QT7
♦43
♣AJT8



Hand 29

♠4
♥AQJT873
♦Q64
♣75



Hand 30

♠KQT2
♥KT85
♦J4
♣A95



Hand 31

♠A9753
♥KJ9
♦AJ4
♣62



Hand 32

♠AQ43
♥AT32
♦K3
♣853