This Double and Bid auction shows a long suit (at least 5-cards, usually 6+cards) and an extremely strong hand (usually 18+ HCP). Instead, we start by making a takeout double and then later bid our ♠ suit (assuming partner does not bid ♠). This hand is too strong to make a simple overcall of 1♠. RHO opens the bidding with 1♦ and we have the following hand: If we do this, then we tell partner that we did not have the traditional takeout double type hand (shape). If we have an extremely strong hand, then we can start with a takeout double and later take some other action to further describe the hand. The takeout double can also be used to start the description of other extremely strong hands. Other Uses of the Takeout Double - Double and Bid If we switched our ♥ and ♦ holdings, then we would be best suited not to make a takeout double. The key is that we have no values in the opponent’s suit. Although we do not have shortness in the opponent’s suit, with these values and their location it is often better to make a takeout double now than wait to see what may happen later. The modern style is to make a takeout double with this hand. If RHO opens the bidding 1♥, with this hand should we make a takeout double? If we have a hand with the values for a takeout double but not shortness in the opponent’s suit, should we still make a takeout double? With a hand like this there is not a perfect answer to the question - do we make a takeout double? Some of this is a bit of personal bidding style – how aggressive are you? But this is not a good hand for making a takeout double because we have minimum shape, minimum HCP, poorly located honors (too many points in the opponent’s suit), scattered values, and too many Jacks.Īnother hand type that produces a bidding problem for us is a flat hand (4333). If our RHO opens the bidding with 1♥ and we hold the following hand, we have a difficult decision: This 10 HCP hand is reasonable for making a takeout double because we have excellent honors - two Aces and no Jacks.Īs is the case for all decisions in bridge, there are difficult borderline choices to make. With even fewer HCP and more distribution (a void in the opponent’s suit) we may still make a takeout double. Though we have only 11 HCP, because we have 4-card support for all of the unbid suits, we have an excellent hand for making a takeout double of a 1♠ opening bid. With fewer HCP we can still make a takeout double if we have more distribution. With this hand we would make a takeout double of 1♠. Though we often have 4-card support for the other Major when we make a takeout double of the opponent’s Major suit opening bid, it is not required. But with our RHO opening the bidding 1♠ in front of us, we compete in the bidding using a takeout double.Įxample 2 – Not 4-cards in the Other Major This is a hand that we would have opened 1♣ if we were the first player to act. If the opponents open the bidding with 1♠, here are some examples of hands that would make a takeout double: 3 to 5-card support for all the unbid suits. The takeout double shows the following type of hand: Let’s take a look at what type of hands we should have for making a takeout double.Ī traditional takeout double is used to compete in the bidding after our right-hand opponent (RHO) opens the bidding with a suit. This is how we use a takeout double: to ask partner to help us make a decision on where to play the contract. The takeout double is a convention that is aptly named - we are asking partner to bid, to “take the double out, do not leave it in.” The general idea is that when an opponent opens the bidding with a suit, and we have shortness in that suit and a decent hand, then we want to have a way ask partner to compete in the bidding and suggest the best place to play. The takeout double was one of the first conventions in bridge and is one of its most valuable bidding tools. With a penalty double rarely being used at low levels, players quickly realized that there must be a better use of this double. But it is rare for us to hold a hand that is both strong enough and has the right shape to penalize the opponents when the auction is at a low level. In the early days of bridge, the most common meaning of a double was for penalty. This Week in Bridge (352) Takeout Doubles © AiB Robert S.
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