Opening Preempts


Contents:

Sound Vs. Light Preempts

SAYC uses "sound" opening preempts. This means that you will not go down more than 2 if vulnerable or more than 3 if not vulnerable, even if partner is busted.

Few, if any, experts play this way any more. Most preempt with next to nothing, and while preempting at the 3 level normally is done with at least 7 in a suit, sometimes experts will bid 3x with just 6, especially with a 6-card Club suit when playing that 2C is strong.

When not to preempt:

  • With more than 10+ HCPs.
  • With a solid suit (headed by AKQ) except in 3rd seat.
  • With more HCPs outside the suit than in it.
  • In 4th seat with a weak hand (just pass). You may, however, bid game with a good hand, expecting to make, but this is obviously not a preempt.

Larry Cohen has some logical guidelines for preempting light vs. sound:

  1. Light in first seat, You have two opponents to impede and only one partner.
  2. Sound in second seat. Opposite of first seat.
  3. Light in third seat.
  4. Bid what you can make in fourth seat.

Responding To A 3-Level Preempt

  • With a very weak hand and support, extend the preempt.
  • With a very strong hand, raise to game or slam either directly or by exploratory bidding.
    After 3H-P-??, AQ2-A-A2-AT98753 is good enough for 4H when playing sound preempts, but even more is needed opposite "modern" types of preempts.

In the August 2023 Bulletin, p.46, Robert Todd says to bid 3 with KQJ84 -- AK63 A654 after partner opens 3, saying "Hopefully, partner can rebid 3NT without a spade fit."

But in December 2016 Bulletin, p.55 (#D), August Boehm says to pass with KQ82 -- AQ53 AJ862 (no 5-card suit as an alternative to 3N).

Bidding Against Preempts

In direct seat:

  • Overcalling (usually) shows a good 6+ suit and better than opening strength.
    But 11-26-22, Aces shows AKT8--AKQJ93-965 and says "3D would be too little. Start with a double."
    In May 2018 Bulletin, p.51, with 53-AQJ984-AKQ5-4, Eddie Kantar says to bid 4.
    In June 2018 Bulletin, p.38, AKQ95-T-QT-87532 was deemed good enough over 2
  • Overcall rather than double with < 18 HCP and a good 5-card suit.
  • Cue bid with a great hand.
  • 3N shows a stopper and usually a running minor; usually 18-19 HCP.
    (But see Sample Hands, below.)
  • 4N over 3x shows the minors and a great hand.
  • 4N over 4H shows the minors and a great hand.
  • 4N over 4S shows hearts and minors and greatness.
  • Dbl is for takeout up to 4H and shows 16+ HCP or equivalent playing strength
    Over a minor preempt, double even with only 3-card support for the majors but see the notes below.)
    (The web site does not specify strength
  • Dbl of 4 is "optional".
  • Dbl of 5 is penalty

    Rule of 7: Bid if you could make it if your partner has a reasonable but not perfect 7 HCP.

    According to Mike Lawrence, when your RHO preempts, you are entitled to expect your partner to have an ordinary 7 HCPs. If RHO opens with 3 and you have 15 HCPs, then if your partner has 7, your 22 combined points are not enough to be bidding on the 4 level.

    In Rec.Games.Bridge, screen name ais523 says that after a preempt, it should be the player who's short in the preempt suit who takes the first action against it.

    The deal shown there had 8743 AQT754 K4 K over a 4 preempt. The long spades means that this player should wait for his partner to act so that if partner doubles, he can evaluate his trump holding in deciding whether or not to leave the double in.

    The same writer says that a double is weaker than a suit bid and "at high levels, especially over 4S, you have to be fairly flexible with what a double means."

    The player in the 4th seat had Q9 KJ632 AQ8 T97 which the writer says is too weak for an overcall, but that if he doubles, it should be clear to his partner that 8743 is "a horrible trump holding to leave the double in and should make the 5 sacrifice bid."

    Sample Hands:

    From Bulletin May, 2020, p.36 #2

      A J863 AKT9873 A

    3N got 7 votes, but many called it wild and/or crazy. How does it measure up to the criteria above?

      Yes: Good 6+ suit, better than opening strength, stopper.
      No:: Running minor, 18-19 HC. So BidBase does not bid 3N.

    Dbl got 5 votes, but again, the votes were not ringing endorsements; any of these bids might work:

      Yes: 16+ HCP, but this implies a balanced hand to bid NT, considering the next line.
      No: Overcall rather than double with < 18 HC and a good 5+ card suit. Okay, BB overcalls.

    3 (2 votes), 4 (1), 5 (5):

      With a good hand and good suit, bidding your suit is the default if you can't bid 3N or Dbl.

    If the criteria above are right, then only overcalling is right. BidBase is bidding 3 right now (May 17, 2020), but BB is frequently updated and sometimes a reference in our 100+ files doesn't get updated as well.


    From Bulletin April 2022, p.43, #2

      A5 Q862 KQ AJ762
      Bidding: 3-??

    3N got 6 of the 15 votes, but not with great confidence.

      The hand only has 15 HCP; it's supposed to have 19.
      With D:KQ, it is not possible to hold up on the diamond lead.

    5 passed. The passers sounded much more confident.

    4 doubled. Again, not a heart-felt call.


In balancing seat:

  • If you are short in their suit, make a balancing double if at all possible because partner may have passed with a stack in LHO's suit.
  • Bid as if you had an extra ace in your hand.
  • Stretch to make a bid when short in LHO's suit and at favorable vulnerability.