Overcalling – Bidding on Defense
Overcalling
So far we have only learnt how to open the biddingThis term is also called the 'auction.' In each online deal, a player is the nominated as the dealer -this title rotates each new game. The dealer is the player who starts the bidding even if its a pass. Players take their turn at bidding in turn and in order ... and how to respond to partner’s opening bid. It’s much more fun, though, if everyone is bidding. If you bid after your opponents have opened the bidding, you are an overcallerThis term refers to the pair who did not win the auction/bidding The defender to the left of declarer is the player who plays the first card in a game.
The rules are now different. Instead of trying to get to game, you are attempting to:
- Steal the contractThe final suit and level of bidding sets the number of tricks and the trump suit for the game.This is called the contract. The partnership that wins the bidding can earn the points if they succeed in getting the number of tricks they contracted.
The number ... - Obstruct the opponents
- Suggest a lead to partner
Guidelines for Overcalling at the Level of 1
| Suit Length | Overcall at the One Level |
|---|---|
| 5 cards | Have at least two honorsSometimes known as face cards or honours , each is worth high card points. They are: the Ace (A) = 4 HCP the King (K) = 3 HCP the Queen (Q) = 2 HCP the Jack (J) = 1 HCP and the Ten (10 or T) in each suit The 10 and 9 card in any suit are k... in the suit or a strong handOpeners strong hand contains 17+ points Responders strong hand contains 16+ points In NoTrump its high card points In a suit its total points (with distribution points) |
| 6 cards | Suit can be very weak |
If you have a good 5-card suit (good = 2 honor cards) you can simply bid that suit even with less than 12 TP. All you promise is a good suitA good suit contains two or more honor cards and more often 5 or more cards, so partner shouldn’t expect a lot of points. A good rule of thumb for a good suit is that you should have 2 honors.
Instant Progress Quiz – Check all correct answers
What’s your overcall?
- ♠ K Q J 10 9
- ♥ A 6 2
- ♦ 8 7 4
- ♣ 9 3
Extra for Experts
A different game on the same subject as this lesson, with questions for community discussion in the comments area below.
Play
Responses