i use 3 opener as preempt.....play my preempts sound.[might fudge a bit in 3rd seat]

4 openers as ive said b/4 ,think  are probaly 1 of the worse bids made:

my criteria for a 4 opener-----just might in 4th seat non-vul

Do you have the new Encyclopedia of Bridge?  It has a very good write-up on pre-empts.  Mentions the parameters you described but says most experts play them more "freely" now. 

 

Let me know if you would like a copy of the column.

 

 

I have loosened up on my preempts, particularly in 3rd seat.  I guess I have no rules for 3rd seat at this point, almost anything goes.

From my reading of bridge literature (books / articles) the consensus would seem to be that preempts are becoming more common - and that means that the parameters for what constitutes a preempt must have broadened. I've seen a couple of authors (Cohen is one) who state the evidence is people do well from preempts. However, I've seen other bridge experts (I think Gittleman is one) who've said the reverse - that their results have improved since making their preempts more disciplined.

 

I still use the rule of 2 for vulnerable preempts. I tend not to use the rule of 3 non-vul/vul especially in matchpoints.

 

I think the most important thing is to settle on a style and stick to. The style of course may vary according to the vulnerabilty and the scoring method. Most bad scores I've seen from preempts fall into 3 categories

 

As to some specific questions and comments in this thread.

 

1. There are a number of players who open at the 4 level with close to an opening hand - sometimes even a very strong hand. The only time I think anyone should do this is in the 4th seat. Opening this way has nothing to do with preempting...it is mostly about lack of bridge knowledge.

 

2. 4 level openings in a minor or major, if done on the right hands, are very good bids which on average get very good results. Go through any weeks hands and you will see lots of 4 level opening on hands which are appropriate and in general they score very well.

 

Irdoz, many times you have mentioned "going thru hands".   Do you have some kind of special access to tournament results that the rest of us don't have?  I can look at only my own results, or results for a table if I have been kibbitzing.   How do you go thru all the results?

 

I would like to learn how to do this.

 

Joanne any member of the BC can replay all of the hands played in tournaments that are completed and still 'saved' in the tournament rooms.

 

The tournaments in the Monday-Sunday room are 'saved' for a week.

 

Those in the fun, special, pairs rooms etc. are usually cleared after midnight or so west coast time.

 

To look at the hands played go into the room you want to look at the hands for and on the top left of the room is a menu with 3 items - Room, Zone and Help.

 

Select Room.

 

There are a few options under Room - Ignore All, Save all tips and Tournament Scores (if there are saved results in the room).

 

Select Tournament Scores.

 

It will bring up a score card. Next to every hand will be 'No result'. You have to click on every 'No result' to load all of the scores for each hand. When you do this it will reply 'retrieving results'.... Once you have loaded all the results you can select 'view player' and then select 'view my own results' or type in the name of some who you want to look at.

 

You can see all the results for all hands and replay how all hands were played up until a claim was issued.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, thanks Irdoz, I have used that for years.  I thought you had somewhere else where you were reviewing them, at a later time.   Or maybe they were saved somewhere permanent so the directors could watch for "patterns" - that is mentioned frequently.

 

I think a big preempting mistake beginners make is preempting 4H or 4S with an opening bid in 1st or 2nd position. I completely agree with destiny in #8.

 

Modern players seem to preempt a little lighter lately, although I can't disagree with Irdoz.

 

I don't worry about strength of suit as much as Irdoz, because I feel preempts are so effective. The occassional disaster is worth many good results.

 

Here are the rules I tend to use:

 

MP:

Weak 2:

1st position: Any 6 carder, 4-10 HCP. Don't care about voids or 4 card majors.

2nd position: Any 6 carder, 4-10 HCP. No 4 card major.

3rd position: Any 6 carder or good 5 carder, 4-10 HCP. Don't care.

4th position: Good 6-carder, close to opening bid.

 

3-level:

1st position: Any 7-carder, less than 10HCP. Don't care about 4-card major.

2nd position: Any 7-carder, less than 10HCP. No 4-card major.

3rd position: Any 6 or 7 carder, less than 10 hcp.

 

4-level: 8-carder with same rules as 3-level.

 

IMP:

Weak 2:

NV: Same as MP

Vul: Good 6-carder only (2 of top 3 honors)

 

3-level:

NV: Same as MP

Vul: 7-carder with 2 of top 4 honors.

 

4-level:

NV: Same as MP

Vul: 8-carder with 2 of top 4

The 4H/4S preempt is difficult when you do not play namyats.  Playing Namyats pard knows that 4H or 4S in any seat is less than an 8+ winner hand, so is able to evaluate accordingly.

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