An overcall is a bid you make after the opponents have opened. For a suit overcall, the most important requirement is that you have a good suit. Points are secondary: with a good suit, you may overcall with as few as 8 points.
The 1-level Overcall. A 1-level overcall can be made with very few points, but it shows a good suit.
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With a stronger hand, it is acceptable to have a weaker suit.
EXAMPLE:
If your opponent opens 1, you should say
1 with:
KQ853 K6 832 T64 |
The 2-level Overcall (Non-jump). An overcall at the 2-level requires a better hand and a better suit.
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With a strong hand, you may overcall with a slightly weaker suit.
EXAMPLE: If your opponent opens
1, you should say
2 with:
8 K64 542 AQ8764 |
The Weak Jump Overcall. A jump-overcall is weak (similar to a preemptive opening):
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EXAMPLE: If your opponent opens 1, you should say 2 with:
AQ9542 53 K63 97 |
The 1NT Overcall. A 1NT overcall is similar to a 1NT opening:
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After you overcall 1NT, your partner should use Stayman (2) and Jacoby transfers (2 and 2) to describe their hand.
NOTE: A stopper is a holding in a suit which makes it unlikely that the opponents will be able to run the suit immediately. For example:
A8 | K3 | QT4 | 98632 |
are all stoppers.
Very Strong Hands. Some hands are too strong for a simple overcall. With 16 or more points, you should begin with a strong double.