Overcalls "I Got You, Babe" by Marti Ronemus

For those of us who are hypnotized by current politics, here's something for you. Sonny Bono, first known for his duet "I Got You, Babe" with then-wife Cher, was elected mayor of Palm Springs CA this week in 1998. He served until 1992, and in 1995 went on to the State legislature, where he served until his death. There is actually a copyright law named after him.

It couldn't have been an easy journey from "I Got You, Babe" to being taken seriously as a politician.

And how about you? Are people taking you seriously as a player? Maybe this bidding brush-up will help. Today we look at responding to Pard's overcall. Remember: An overcall shows 7-ish to 17-ish pts (10-plus at the two-level) and a five-card suit.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ 3 2
♥ K 10 9 5 4
♦ 8 5 4
♣ J 6 5

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	1♥	2♣
?

A: 3♥: Our hand is too good to pass. We're going to enter the auction big-time by jumping to 3♥. If we had a singleton or void, we'd jump to game. Pard will know we are weak. If Pard's bid were an opening bid rather than an overcall, a jump to 3♥ would show 10-12 pts, but in a competitive auction, raising your Pard's suit is the weakest thing we can do. What if we had a nice hand? See next question.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ 3 2
♥ K 10 9 5 4
♦ A K 4
♣ J 6 5

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	1♥	p
?

A: 2♦: Okay. IF raising Pard's suit in a competitive auction is the weakest bid we can give, regardless of level, what do we do if we have a NICE hand? Simple. We make a cuebid of the opponent's suit. That tells Pard the following things: 1) I have a trump fit with you. 2) I have 10 plus pts. It is forcing, and enables us to raise Pard with a bad hand and a big suit, like the last question.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ 6 5 2
♥ A Q J 9 4
♦ 8 4
♣ K 10 9

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	1 No-trump	p
?

A: 2♦: Systems are on, same as if Pard opened 1 No-trump. He's got 15-17 pts, and he's also promising a Diamond stopper. We are going to bid 2♦ as a TRANSFER to Hearts and take it from there. We want to be in game, and we'll get there, but first we're going to look for the major fit. Tell Pard, "I Got You, Babe" and show our major.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ K 10 5 4
♥ A Q 7
♦ K J 7 6
♣ 8 7

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♥	3♣	p
?

A: Pass: Sigh. This is such a nice hand, and the temptation is to bid 3 No-trump. The problem is that the opponents could lock us out of dummy if Pard doesn't have the ♣A. We should be glad we can offer such a lovely dummy to Pard. Please don't fall for this temptation. You could easily lose the election.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ K 10 5 4
♥ A Q 7
♦ J 7 6
♣ K 8 7

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♥	3♣	p
?

A: 3 No-trump: Oh what a difference that third Club in our hand makes. Now the chances of being locked out of the dummy are scant. This is worth the risk. Will it work? We think so. We hope so. We won't know until the votes are counted.

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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