[paulsim]

Hi folks,

What is your overcall range in balancing position?


9-15 seems pretty standard, but

Balancing: pass or 1S?

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Would yo pass this hand or would overcall 1♠?

1S or double+S?

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Would you overcall 1♠ or double and bid spade?

Thank you all,

Kind Regards,
Paul_S

[mw64ahw]

I should probably pass on Hand 1, but likely to end up bidding ♠.

On hand 2 I choose between Takeout/1N if thats your style or NT takeout/Power X. I would definitely Power X, but do you pick shape before strength otherwise? I'm not sure what strength/length X and then bidding ♠ would imply

[shugart24]

depends on colors too....if white on hand 1, I overcall....red, I am not so sure

ALso probably depends on scoring too: Imps vs Matchpoint

[awm]

My methods for balancing suit calls are basically the same as my direct seat overcalls. The second hand is a normal 1♠ for me; double then bid is stronger than this. The first hand is light for an overcall; I might preempt 2♠ in direct seat at NV but balancing I just pass.

In real life I never hold this weak of a hand after 1m-pass-pass.

[mycroft]

Following up on awm, IRL, if I have the first hand after 1♣-p-p, partner has the penalty double. Will we set it? On a spade lead, probably (pulling trump the easy way, then the hard way). Will partner lead a spade? Likely not. When they run to a red suit, will we set it? No. What can we make? Not sure. Should I bid 1♠ and start the crazy? Probably (but not if they're vul).

The second hand is not for me a double-and-bid, either in strength or suit quality, even "borrowing a king". Yes, it's magic when partner has the penalty pass, but she doesn't. And responder has free rein to show a better suit or to delayed-raise partner, especially if opener shows a real minor. You might be bidding your suit (should you choose to) at the 3 level.

Yes, that means that overcalls have a huge range, possibly even larger than opening in a standard system. But there's tools to show good raises, or good other suits, and much of the time it's a partscore battle, so more pushed on shape than HCP - or it's a lead-directing overcall, so general strength doesn't really matter.

[apollo1201]

I seem to be in minority but I was thought that balancing with a suit denies opening strength at min level (jumping is different obviously).

I have tampered this a little since, and at the 1-level, I balance with 1 something up to a min opening (let s say a bad 13-count) and at the 2-level even a bit higher (especially in situations where X plus bid rates to raise the auction too high, eg over 1S pass pass and you have a minor, when partner often bids 2H over X).

Reason is that with a good opening (13-14+) you owe a 2nd bid to partner, who will not jump w/o opening strength too (1D - - X // - 1S e.g. can go up to 11).

I do not recall being too high, or missing a game. But it happens rarely.

Here in hand 1 I am tempted to bid, but LHO surely has a 18-19 bal and RHO some club tolerance, and partner lacks S support for not finding an X card. Depending on scoring, I might try 1S. At least partner knows what to lead in case they end up somewhere else than 1C.

Hand 2 is a (not even close) X then S.