7.01  Overcall.  The Overcall is the most common competitive bid. Overcalls generally show a 5+ card suit with 8-17 LPt.  We advocate using Mike Lawrence’s Advancer overcall response system to show 3 versus 4 card fits.

7.02  Takeout X:  The Takeout X is used when your hand is strong enough to open but you do not have a 5+ card suit to bid.  It is also used when you have a one-suit hand or a balanced hand that is too strong to overcall. We play the Takeout X up to and including a 4♠ opening bid.

7.03  Jump Overcall: The jump overcall is an obstructive preemptive bid at any level. Remember the goal is to obstruct the opponents, not your Partner or yourself.  2-Level jump overcalls are generally done with 4-12 (bad) points in the 2nd Seat.  In the 3rd and 4th Seat or a previously PASSed hand, the Jump overcall is used when the bidder has decided that the partnership has no possibility for a game, which is generally 6+ losers and less than about 14 points. If you use jump overcalls with 5-card suits, you will need to use Modified Ogust so that your Partner, the Advancer, can determine whether you have a 5-card or 6+ card suit.

7.04  Michaels Cue Bid: Convention to show particular two-suited hands with both major or one major and one minor using the Mini (≤ 10 HPt) and Max (16+ HPt) approach.  The Mini component is obstructive. With 11-15 HPt, overcall in the higher rank suit then bid the lower rank suit.  How many cards are required in which suit is defined by your Partnership agreement based on what suits are being shown.

7.05  Unusual NT:  Convention that allows you to show a two-suited hand that you cannot show with the Michaels Cue bid.  Generally, Unusual NT is used to show 5+ cards in the two lowest unbid suits using the Mini (≤ 10 HPt)-Max (16+ HPt) approach.  However, some players may use it with as few as 4 cards in the two suits when they are trying to obstruct the opponents’ bidding.

7.06  After Opponents Open 1NT: With a shapely hand, there will be many times when you can compete in the auction after an opponent opens 1NT. There are many different conventional approaches.  We like our version of Blooman the best. The criteria we used to make this decision were: (1) ability to show strong as well as distributional hands, (2) ability to show both one and two-suited hands, (3) ease of use against both Strong 1NT and Weak 1NT systems, and (4) ability to use the same convention in both the direct and indirect overcall seats.

7.07  Western Cue Bid: The Western Cue bid is used to invite Partner to bid 3NT.  It is a jump to the 3-level of the opponent bid suit.  It asks Partner to bid 3NT with a stopper in the bid suit. With no stopper, Partner is to make the lowest available suit bid possible so that the Western Cue bidder can place the contract.

7.08  Leaping Michaels: Leaping Michaels is a preemptive bid to obstruct and interfere with the opponents’ bidding.  It is used with distributional hands to extend the obstructive value of the Michaels Cue bid the 4-Level to show hands with 5-5, 5-6, 6-6, and 6-7 hands.  It is used when you believe that you can get a better score by sacrificing than letting the opponents bid and make a game.  Because it severely limits the opponent’s communication, it makes the opponents guess and can cause them to end up in an inferior contract.

7-09  Leaping Unusual: This convention complements Leaping Michaels and is initiated by bidding 4NT. Advancer will bid the best minor to set the contract.  In the right situation, its use can be very effective in keeping the opponents from bidding a makeable slam.

7.10  Leaping Flannery: Convention allows 2♦ to be used to initiate Flannery after an opponent 1 ♣ open.  Sacrifices the 2♦ Weak Jump overcall, which did little to nothing to obstruct the opponents.

7.11  Equal Level Takeout X: This is an extension of the normal Takeout X.  It allows the Takeout X to be used with hands that have cards in the two highest-rank unbid suits.  Its use changes how a strong overcall is shown by requiring it to be bid as a jump bid after the Takeout X.

7.12  Off-Shape Takeout X: This is another extension of the Takeout X.  It allows the Overcaller to use the Takeout X with a 4-card major and a 5-card minor.  Together, conventions 7-2, 7-11, and 7-12 create a true powerhouse convention.

7.13  4-Level Preempt Takeout X: We play the X after an opponent preempts from 3♣ to 4♠ as a three-suit Takeout X.  In conjunction, we also play 4NT after a 4H preempt as a Takeout for ♣’s and ♦’S and after a 4♠ preempt as Takeout X for two of the three unbid suits.

7.14  Suction After Precision 1♣ and 1♦ Artificial Bids:  Precision is a different bidding system.  Depending on the version being used, 1♣ is a strong artificial bid showing 16+ points and 1♦ is an artificial bid showing 11-14 points.  Suction is a convention that allows that is comprised of six bid that allows the bidder to show a long suit and any combination of two suits.  While it requires some memory work, it can be a powerful convention to disrupt the opponents and/or find a good sacrifice.

7.15  Suction After Strong 2NT and 2♣:  The structure is exactly the same as in 7.14 except at a higher level.  While it does not come up often, it can be very powerful in the right situation

2.0   Type 2 Overcall Sequences and Conventions

There are two different sets of Overcaller Type 2 conventions.  Which set is available depends on whether the Responder bids (a) a New Suit or (b) 1NT or raises the Opener’s bid suit. Because both opponents have bid, the opponents are known to have 20+ points.  As such, the Overcaller must be more careful.  Thus the set of available conventions to be used is much smaller.  While there are new conventions available for use, several of the previously discussed conventions are also still available.

II.A   Convention Available After Responder Bids a new Suit

Three new conventions are added. Six of the nine available conventions are used to describe specific shaped hands. Four conventions are interrelated and show specific strength and lengths in the unbid suits: Negative X (4-4), Capelletti Cue Bids (5-4 and 4-5), Sandwich NT (weak 5-5) and Unusual NT (stronger 5-5).

7-16  Negative X:  The Negative X is used to show 4-4 in the two unbid suits or 4-5 in the two unbid suits in the 2-3-4 result is not sufficient to use the Cappelletti Cue bid.

7-17  Cappelletti Cue Bids:  Since the opponents have bid two suits, there are two Cappelletti Cue bids.   Cue bidding the lower-ranking suit shows 5 cards in the lower-ranking unbid suit and 4 in the higher-ranking unbid suit.  Cue bidding the higher-ranking suit shows 5 cards in the higher-ranking unbid suit and 4 cards in the lower-ranking suit.  To use this convention, the 2-3-4 result needs to be greater than or equal to the highest level to bid both unbid suits.

7-18  Sandwich NT: If the 2-3-4  result is only 2, the Sandwich NT convention is used to show 5+ cards in the two unbid suits.

7-19 Unusual NT: Unusual NT is used to maximize obstruction when you have 5+ cards in the two unbid suits and the 2-3-4 result is 3 or higher.

II.B  Conventions Available After Responder Raises Opener’s Suit or bids 1NT

Because the opponents have bid only one suit, NT does not count as a suit, there are fewer conventions available.

7-19  Responsive X:  The Responsive X is a variation of the Negative X.  If the opponent’s bid suit is a minor, the Responsive X shows 4+ cards in the two majors.  If the opponent’s bid suit is a major, it shows 4+ cards in the minors.