Saturday, July 19, 2008 4:41 pm
Hand Evaluation - Overcalls vrs
Doubles
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.
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
decisons come 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. An overcall with this hand is the modern way
& 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.