Preempts in Bridge: When and How High to Preempt

A preempt is an opening bid at the three level or higher that shows a long suit, usually seven or more cards, and a weak hand with little defense. Its purpose is to take bidding space away from the opponents, who probably hold most of the high cards, so they have to guess at a high level.

Preempts are part of every natural system: 2/1 Game Force, Standard American, SAYC and Acol all use them, together with weak two bids one level lower. How high you go depends on how many tricks your hand can take and on the vulnerability. To see how each system defines a three-level opening, look up a 3♥ opening.

Three more points matter:

• The suit carries the hand. Most of your values should be in the long suit. Partner then knows where your tricks are and can judge the rest.
• Little defense. A preempt with two side aces is a misdescription: partner will sacrifice or pass when you could beat the opponents.
• No four-card side major in first and second seat, so you do not bury a better fit.

Some partnerships use 3NT as the "gambling" opening: a solid seven-card minor and nothing much outside. That is a separate agreement; in standard methods 3NT is not a preempt.

The classic guide for how high to go is the Rule of 2-3-4 (an extension of the older Rule of 2 and 3). Count your playing tricks and overbid by no more than:

The rule assumes partner has nothing. In real life partner usually supplies a trick or so, which is why the rule is safer than it looks.

Count the long suit first, then add side tricks:

1. Long suit: the number of cards minus the missing top honors among the first three cards (the same count as the losing trick count uses). KQJ10874 has seven cards and one missing honor (the ace): 6 tricks. AQJ10965: also 6, with a good chance of 7 if the king is onside. J876542: three missing honors, only 4 tricks.
2. Side suits: an ace is 1 trick, AK is 2, KQ is 1, a guarded king is half a trick.

Vulnerable against not, the first hand (6 tricks) is one short of a 3♥ opening by the strict rule; at equal or favorable vulnerability it is a fine 3♥. The last hand has too poor a suit for any preempt.

The rule keeps the worst case, a doubled contract with partner holding nothing, close to the value of the opponents' game. Here is the arithmetic for a doubled contract (scores as in duplicate):

If partner has nothing, the worst case costs a little more than their game. With the trick partner usually has, the cost is well below it, and often the opponents do not double at all or bid on to the wrong contract. That is where preempts win their points. You can check these numbers in the BridgeDummy score calculator.

• First seat: the standard preempt. Two opponents and partner are unknown, so stick to the rule.
• Second seat: a little sounder. One opponent has passed, so partner is more likely to hold a good hand, and your preempt could get in partner's way.
• Third seat: the most aggressive. Partner has passed, so the fourth player probably has a good hand. Bend the rule by a trick.
• Fourth seat: no preempts. Nobody is left to shut out. A three-level opening in fourth seat shows a hand that expects to make it, about an opening hand with a good seven-card suit.

Vulnerability sets the level, as in the Rule of 2-3-4. At favorable vulnerability, many modern players preempt on even less, because a -500 against a vulnerable game or slam is a good result.

Partner's preempt has told you almost everything, and you are captain. Count tricks, not points:

• Pass with most hands, including many good hands with a misfit. Opposite a 3♦ preempt, a 15-count with a void in diamonds rarely makes game.
• Raise to extend the preempt: with three-card support, raise 3♥ to 4♥ at favorable vulnerability, following the law of total tricks.
• Bid game when your quick tricks plus partner's six or seven playing tricks reach ten (or eleven for a minor). Aces and kings count; queens and jacks in short suits rarely do.
• 3NT over a minor preempt with stoppers and a fit for partner's suit (an honor), so that the suit runs.
• A new suit below game is natural and forcing in standard methods.

Never rescue partner into your own suit with a weak hand. Partner's suit is the trump suit.

South has six playing tricks in hearts and nothing else. At favorable vulnerability the Rule of 2-3-4 allows a four-trick overbid, so 3♥ is well within it.

East-West hold 26 HCP and nine spades. Double dummy they take eleven tricks in spades, while North-South take seven in hearts. Look at what the preempt risked: if East-West had defended 3♥ doubled, down two would cost 300, much less than the 650 East-West score in 4♠. Here they still found their game, which happens. On other deals the same preempt pushes them into the wrong game or the wrong level.

Note the total: North-South have nine hearts, East-West nine spades, and the two sides take 7 + 11 = 18 tricks. That is the law of total tricks at work.

1. ♠AQJ10965 ♥83 ♦7 ♣1054, both sides not vulnerable: about 6.5 tricks. 3♠ is standard; at favorable vulnerability 4♠ is reasonable.
2. ♠8 ♥73 ♦KQJ97642 ♣J5, favorable: 7 tricks in an eight-card suit. 4♦, or 5♦ if you like to push.
3. ♠KQ108642 ♥AJ5 ♦K4 ♣6, any vulnerability: 13 HCP with a side ace. Too good to preempt: open 1♠.
4. ♠J876542 ♥4 ♦QJ5 ♣73, unfavorable: about 4 tricks. Pass.

• Preempting with a good hand. With an opening hand, open at the one level; partner will play you for a weak hand after a preempt.
• Preempting with a bad suit. J876542 can lose three trump tricks. Partner cannot place the contract.
• Bidding again. After you preempt, pass unless partner asks. You told your story.
• Preempting in fourth seat. With a weak hand, pass the deal out.
• Raising with high cards and no fit. Responder's points in short suits do not help a long-suit hand.
• Ignoring vulnerability. The difference between favorable and unfavorable is two full tricks.

Related reading: the Rule of 17 for answering weak twos, overcalls for preemptive jump overcalls, and the bridge bidding cheat sheet for all the opening ranges on one page.