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.