"Parking in Los Angeles" Overcalls by Marti Ronemus

Los Angeles is the spiritual center of the Car Culture in America. Here's a couple facts that will astound you. 14% of the land in L.A. is devoted to parking. That translates to 200 square miles. All the streets, throughways etc only add up to 140 square miles.

Even more astounding, there are 18.6 MILLION parking spaces, for a population of only 4.03 million. So why is valet parking such a huge industry? Certainly one of life's mysteries.

And for some bridge players, overcalls are a mystery too. But they shouldn't be. An overcall can be from roughly 7 to 17 pts, and should almost always represent a five-card suit. Ready?

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ 3 2
♥ A Q J 8 4
♦ Q 10 2
♣ 6 3 2

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♣
?

A: 1♥: This is perfect for a one-level overcall. We've got a very nice suit and we fit perfectly into that parking spot.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ 3 2
♥ A 8 7 6 4
♦ Q J 10
♣ Q 3 2

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♣
?

A: Pass: Notice that we've got the same shape and number of points, but our suit is trash. Let's trust our Pard to create some action.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ 3 2
♥ A 8 2
♦ A Q J 6 5
♣ 6 5 4

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♣
?

A: 1♦: We've got a very nice suit and enough money to buy it AND pay for valet parking.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ 4 3 2
♥ 8
♦ A Q J 6 5 3
♣ 6 5 4

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♣
?

A: 2♦: A jump overcall is WEAK. Remember, usually when you jump on your FIRST opportunity to bid, you are weak and showing a big suit in a bad hand. A jump on a subsequent bid usually shows strength. This is preemptive, as if you had opened 2♦.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ 3 2
♥ A K J 9
♦ 9 7 6 5
♣ A 3 2

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♦
?

A: 1♥: Yes, yes, yes. We only have four Hearts and should be have. BUT! As Eddie Kantar says, just tuck one of your Diamonds in with the Hearts, and bid. We have a fabulous suit, we can't double and can't bid No-trump.

We have to give up our parking space and move on to our hand.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Play this Hand

Now that you've bid five hands, let's see how your play goes.

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Overall Results

Your results: out of Average:

What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
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