Preemptive Bidding: When to Jump and How High to Go
Preemptive bids are one of the most fun and effective weapons in bridge. You jump to a high level with a weak hand, trying to make life miserable for the opponents. When you get it right, they stumble into a bad contract or miss a good one. When you get it wrong, you go down doubled and your partner gives you that look.
What Makes a Preempt
A preempt shows a long suit (usually six or more cards) and not much else. You’ve got points concentrated in your suit, but you’re too weak to open at the one level. The idea is simple: make opponents guess at a high level instead of letting them exchange information at the one or two level.
Classic weak two bid: 6-10 HCP with a six-card suit. Think of something like:
♠KQJ942
♥73
♦Q82
♣65
That’s a 2♠ opening. Six spades, 8 HCP, and no interest in defending. If partner has a fit, you’ll take tricks. If partner doesn’t, well, you’ve already made their life harder.
Weak Two Bids
The 2♦, 2♥, and 2♠ openings show that 6-10 HCP range with a six-card suit. Most pairs don’t play 2♣ as weak since it’s reserved for strong hands (22+ HCP or game-forcing).
Your suit quality matters. A weak two on Q87542 is asking for trouble. You want two of the top three honors, or three of the top five. Something that’ll actually take tricks if partner has a card or two for you.
What to avoid:
Don’t preempt with a four-card side major. If you open 2♦ with four hearts, partner might have five hearts and you’ll miss your best spot. Keep your side suits short.
Don’t preempt with 10 HCP and three aces. That’s a defensive hand. You want offense. Concentrated values in your long suit, not scattered high cards that’ll take tricks on defense.
Weak Three Bids
Three-level preempts show seven cards, not six. Same weak range (5-10 HCP), but that extra card lets you jump higher. The seven-card suit means you’re probably taking five or six tricks even if partner has nothing.
♠7
♥KQJ9864
♦J53
♣82
Open 3♥. You’ve got seven hearts, about 7 HCP, and you’ll probably take six heart tricks. Opponents have to start their conversation at the three level or higher. Beautiful.
Four-level preempts (4♥ or 4♠) show eight-card suits. Same idea, just higher. You’re basically bidding what you think you can make, assuming partner has next to nothing.
The Rule of 2-3-4
This is your guide for how high to preempt. Count your playing tricks (tricks you expect to take if your suit is trump). Then:
- Not vulnerable vs vulnerable: go 4 tricks higher than you can take
- Equal vulnerability: go 3 tricks higher
- Vulnerable vs not vulnerable: go 2 tricks higher
Say you open 2♠ with six spades headed by KQJ. You figure you’re taking five spade tricks. Not vulnerable vs vulnerable? You can afford to go down 4, so you could jump to the three level or even four level with extra distribution. Vulnerable vs not? Only 2 down, so be more careful.
The Rule of 2-3-4 isn’t gospel, but it keeps you out of serious trouble. Going down 500 to stop a game is fine. Going down 800 when they weren’t making anything is not.
Vulnerability Considerations
Vulnerability changes everything about preempting.
Favorable vulnerability (you’re not vulnerable, they are): This is preempting Christmas. You can be wild. Go down 3 for -500 to stop their vulnerable game worth 620? Easy decision. Make their life hell. Stretch your weak two with a five-card suit if the occasion’s right. Jump to the four level on distributional hands.
Unfavorable vulnerability (you’re vulnerable, they’re not): Tighten up. Down 3 vulnerable is -800. That’s a disaster if they weren’t making anything. Stick to classic weak twos with good suits. Don’t get cute.
Equal vulnerability: Middle ground. The Rule of 2-3-4 says three tricks, and that’s about right. Don’t go crazy, but don’t be timid either.
Position Matters
First and second seat: You need a real hand. Partner hasn’t passed yet, so you might belong in game. Don’t preempt with 11 HCP or a weak four-card side major. You’ll regret it when partner has a good hand and you’ve blown past your best contract.
Third seat: After two passes, anything goes. Partner’s already limited their hand, so you’re not likely to miss game. You can open a weak two on a five-card suit if it’s good. You can shade your HCP down. The goal is disruption, pure and simple.
Fourth seat: Why are you preempting? Everyone’s passed, and you have a weak hand. Pass and take the zero. The exception is if you have extreme distribution and want to fight for a partscore, but usually, you’re just passing out the board.
When NOT to Preempt
Don’t preempt with two doubletons or 5-4-2-2 shape. You need playing tricks in your suit, not balanced hands.
Don’t preempt with 12 HCP. That’s an opening bid at the one level.
Don’t preempt with four cards in an unbid major, especially in first or second seat.
Don’t preempt holding three or four defensive tricks outside your suit. If you’ve got AKQ in the side suits, you might beat their contract. Make them bid it first.
Responding to Preempts
Partner opens 2♥. What do you do?
With a fit (3+ card support) and 15+ HCP, usually just raise to game. Partner has 6-10, you have 15. That’s 25 points and a nine-card fit. Bid 4♥.
Without a fit but 16+ HCP and your own good suit, you can bid a new suit (forcing) or 2NT (asking for a feature). But honestly, most of the time you’re passing or raising. Preempts aren’t precision instruments.
With a weak hand, pass. Don’t “rescue” partner into 2♠ with a six-card spade suit and 4 HCP. They opened 2♥ because hearts is their suit. Let them play it.
Competing Against Preempts
Someone opens 3♦ in front of you. You’re staring at 14 HCP and a balanced hand. What now?
You need more to bid over a preempt than you do over a one-bid. A double shows around 16+ HCP (less with great shape). A 3NT bid shows 16-18 HCP with diamond stoppers. A new suit shows a very good suit and 15+ HCP.
With 12-15 HCP and no great suit? You’re usually passing. That’s what preempts do. They make you guess, and sometimes the right guess is to stay out of it.
Final Thoughts
Preempting is part art, part science. The math (Rule of 2-3-4, vulnerability) gives you guardrails. The art is reading the table, knowing your opponents, and making their lives as difficult as possible.
Good preempts win matches. They knock opponents off their best spot, they create wild swings, and they’re a blast to make. Just don’t go down 1100 when partner has a yarborough and the opponents weren’t making anything.
Know when to jump. Know how high to go. And enjoy watching opponents squirm.