Saturday, July
19, 2008 4:41 pm
Hand Evaluation - Overcalls vrs Doubles ( Choices )
PITBULLS:
Moderns bidders tend to overcall
with huge hands. They tend to rationalize this
behaviour "since everybody bids
& jams so much it is best to get your suit in early" . I agree in
theory with the "shape before strength" as this is called but do
not over do it.
This concept should apply to solely single
suited hands. The litmus test goes back to the quality of your HCP's & support for unbid suits. If they are quick tricks
( controls ) , choose a double rather than
an overcall when you have support for other
suits. A T/O double implies two things in the game of
Bridge . Support for the unbid suits
& defense
measured in quick tricks. If
I do not have much defense , I usually choose
to overcall. Bridge is a game of probabilities .
You make the bid that has the best percentage chance of succeeding. The percentage
bid will be the winning bid in the long run. There are wrong bids &
right bids based on the law of probabilities. Any bid might work
but what bid has the best percentage chance of succeeding ?
An overcall tends to show a one suited hand.
Doubles show more than one suit with defense measured
in quick tricks. There are two bids reserved in Bridge to show the type
of HCP’s ( quick tricks/controls ) & they
are opening bids & T/O doubles. You pass or choose another bid if
you lack quick tricks . Simple stuff.
Here is a hand from the Gandolfo match in the GNT in Las Vegas. ♠K109xxx ♥AQJx ♦Axx ♣void with everybody vul
3♣ by the
opponent & your bid ? Doubles vrs overcalls. Making these decisions comes in
part from evaluating
your HCPs . You are all controls which equates to defense
. You have 2 1/2 quick tricks outside
of your spade suit ! An overcall normally
means a single suited hand with a decent suit. You normally
"live" in that suit. This hand , you
have support for all
the unbid suits with shortage in their
suit. A classic T/O double !
Say you overcall 3♠
& partner has no spade fit ♠x
♥Kxxxx ♦KJ10 ♣xxxx . Partner will pass & +1430 in
hearts makes your way ! Worse still with this
hand is you set partner
up for failure as she will make the wrong decision in
competition. You are describing your hand to yourself as true "solo artists" do all the time but not to partner . Keep partner guessing
is the call of modern bidders ! Say the auction takes
off after the "modern" 3 ♠ overcall
& they bid 5♣.
Partner likes her stiff
spade & with her ♦KQ10xxx & scattered values she doubles them
as they are just too high. Wrong , as they make their contract for -750
& +1370 in diamonds makes your way . By overcalling spades you are not showing where you live or even close
to describing your hand
to partner. There are 10 HCP's in spades in the deck & you have 3
HCP's there. You are misleading partner again with your HCP concentration.
Same distribution ♠KQJxxx ♥KQJx ♦QJx ♣void. this is a 3♠ overcall but it pales in
comparison with the other hand due to lack of controls ( quick tricks )
.
Some say what if partner passes 3♣
doubled they lament. Happiness ! We can not make anything because of the club duplication of
value ,
since partner has quick
tricks for the double they are looking at -1100 when you
convert for penalty with ♣QJ1087 or the like. A 3 spade overcall with this hand is for modern
solo artists & there are many of those types around
unfortunately. Fuzzy
thinkers is a synonym for modern bidders in my opinion.
Tom's partner Doug Deschner doubled with this hand
making it easy for them to reach slam in a crowded auction. If an overcall with this hand is the modern way
, its just plain wrong.
Wrong because it is the anti-percentage bid which can lose
more often than it can win. Wrong , because you are hiding your hand from partner.
Wrong , because the overcall goes against Bridge
logic.