Principles of Overcalling
There is danger in overcalling, but there is also danger in not overcalling (you may miss a big reward).
Fasten your seatbelt because once the opponents take the first shot, the auction is now competitive and you are in for a battle. Overcalls are your weapons in this competitive auction. You will serve a specific purpose when you make an overcall.
Why Overcall?
Here are some reasons why you might want to be involved in the opponents' auction:
To try to interfere with the opponents' communication
To tell partner about a good suit
To tell partner what suit to lead if you end up as defenders
When the opponents have opened the bidding and you have an opportunity to get in there, the direct seat may be your only chance. You will feel pretty silly if you have a legitimate one-level overcall, decide to pass, and find that the bidding is at the four level when it comes back to you. The following auction is not uncommon.
Perhaps your hand was worth a 1 ♠ bid, something like:
♠ QJ987
How do you feel about entering the auction now? It could be an utter disaster. Your partner might have good spade support for you, maybe even enough to make 4 ♠ or at least push the opponents one level higher, but you left your partner out of the loop with your failure to overcall.
Overcall Parameters
Your first goal is to tell your partner that you have a suit with lots of cards in it. For overcalls, that's usually five or more at the one level, often six or more at the two level or higher. You know that the opponents have some strength because they opened the bidding, and you also know what suit is strong for them, because you heard their bid. When you overcall, you are offering to play the hand with your strong suit as trump.
You do not need as many points to overcall as you do to open the bidding. The hurdle for opening the bidding is 12 HCP with adequate quick tricks or any hand with 13 HCP or more. All you need to overcall on the one level is a good suit and 8 or more HCP.
Your second objective in overcalling is to tell your partner what suit to lead later if the opponents win the auction. You want your partner to lead your suit.
And finally, you want to take up bidding space to try to limit the opponents' opportunity to communicate. Remember those obnoxious, preemptive three-level bids? Well, some overcalls can have the same effect. If you make an overcall, they can only use the available bids that are higher on the bidding ladder.
When the opponents open at 1 ♣ or 1 ♦, you have lots of space left on the one level and all of the higher bids. When the opponent opens a higherranking suit, like 1 ♥ or 1 ♠ or 1NT, you will have to be a bit more careful, but it's a bidder's game and no one promised you a rose garden. Get in there and bid when you think it's right.
Let's look at some hands that you would love to overcall when the opponents open the auction — and the reason you will make the overcall.
♠ AKJ75
Your right-hand opponent opens 1 ♣. Are you game?
You can certainly get into this auction. You do not need to have as many points as the opener. The 13-point hurdle the opener has to jump over does not count for you. All you have to do is fit one or more of the criteria for joining this auction:
8–17 HCP and most of the points concentrated in your suit if you are at the lower end of the HCP range.
A five-card suit.
You have jammed the auction by bidding 1 ♠. The opponents will have to bid at least 1NT to stay in this auction. You certainly would not mind playing this hand, but even if you don't end up as declarer, you will be pleased to have partner lead this suit if you end up as a defender.
There is, of course, a downside to overcalling. One of your opponents could have a stack in your suit, meaning you would probably be doubled. That will happen from time to time, but, as the famous quote goes, “Faint heart ne'er won fair lady.”
Overcalling just to make noise is a bad policy. You should have a purpose when you get into the bidding. Ask yourself (1) whether your hand provides a reasonable shot at a plus score, (2) whether it will be helpful to partner if you enter the auction, and (3) if it will interfere with the opponents' communication. Remember, you have told your opponents the same information you have told your partner. They will use this information against you just as you try to use the information about their bids against them.
Higher Plane
Overcalling at the one level is relatively safe because it's tough to exact a meaningful penalty against you when you need only seven tricks for your contract. The two level is vastly different territory, and you must exercise extreme caution in overcalling at the two level when you are vulnerable.
This following hand, for example, would be a reasonable overcall in diamonds if the opening bid is 1 ♣.
♠ Q64
If the opening bid on your right is 1 ♥ or 1 ♠, however, it would be suicide to bid that five-card suit at the two level. That is not even close to a two-level overcall at any vulnerability and it would be madness if you are vulnerable. A vulnerable two-level overcall would look more like this:
♠ 764
That's a bare minimum two-level vulnerable overcall.
