The Misadventures of Rex and Jay #5645

[Codo]

Nice to see that 2S is so popular on hand 1, especially by people who won't partner me.

I counted exactly zero votes for 2 Spade on the first hand and just two posters who saw it as possibility.

This is what you call popular?

 

Maybe you miscounted? Popular problem between bridgeplayers....

[whereagles]

2♠ on hand 1 is not technically good. The hand has ODR of 3,5-to-2, which is way too low for a preempt.

[Gerben42]

1 and 4.

[foo]

=BOTH SIDES ARE VULNERABLE AT IMPs=,

=you sit in 2nnd seat.= (emphasis mine- foo)

 

RHO opens 1D.  Which of the following hands do you overcall with one spade?  Please elaborate as much as possible, and please give any thoughts as to your minimum requirements for overcalls.  Also please mention your changes at different colors if any.

 

Hand #1--  AKxxx xxx xx xxx

Hand #2--  xxxxx xxx Kx KQx

Hand #3--  AKJx xxx xxx xxx

Hand #4--  AKJx xx xxx xxxx

Hand #5--  Txxxx Kx QJx Kxx

Some of this is a matter of style. I'll discuss what is mainstream as taught by most experts.

 

None of these are good overcalls in front of an unpassed partner, and none of these are safe overcalls at IMPS (2-5 are not safe overcalls at any form of scoring. On many days even #1 will not be a safe overcall at MPs.).

 

An overcall's job is

1= for Us to compete to Our best spot.

2= to help the defense more than it would help them declare

3= to eat some space and thereby make Their bidding a bit more difficult.

 

Any good overcall should have a reasonable combination of all 3 factors, and the less it has of any 1 of them the more it should help in the other 2 goals.

So (1C)-1S requires less playing strength than (1C)-1D.

Don't worry about this tweak until you have the basics right.

 

Your examples have 9, 8, 10, 9 and 8 losers respectively.

That means pard is going to need 6, 5, 7, 6, and 5 cover cards +and+ a fit for Us to belong in game.

Worse, you are making such overcalls =in front= of partner. If partner is holding an opening bid themselves they are going to want to put Us in game (an opening bid opposite an opening bid should be playing 3N or 4ofasuit, remember?).

The weaker you are when partner is an unpassed hand, the stronger partner is likely to be and the more likely they are to get "over excited" if you take a pushy or inappropriate call.

 

A Direct Overcall [(foo)-bar] in front of partner should show a hand you would open the bidding on in 1st or 2nd seat OR a 7- loser hand with reasonable playing strength in terms of shape and controls.

 

A Balancing Overcall [(foo)-pa-pa-bar] should show ~ 8- losers.

 

A "Sandwich" Overcall [(foo)-pa-(bar)-baz] should show ~ 6- losers, or have significant extras in terms of HCP, or both.

 

On Imps vs MPs:

Playing IMPs vs MPs means that you compete less for partscores and stretch to bid games and slams. All of your examples are weak enough that they are highly unlikely to help Us find a game we would not find if you pass. Therefore, =especially at IMPs=, they are far more likely to get Us in trouble or help Them bid or declare better than they are to gain Us IMPs.

 

The more you deviate from these guidelines, the harder it is going to be for a random partner to "field" your bids and the greater the chance that you are going to get a bad score (which is also going to make it difficult to get or keep good partners).

[helene_t]

None of them although I have no objections against a style in which hand 1 is an overcall, just not something I would do with a pick-up p nor in any of my current partnerships. Presumably I should when playing with Csaba, though, since he would overcall with that hand.