Preemptive Bids: Disrupt Opponents with Weak Hands

You pick up your hand and find seven spades to the queen-jack. Your high-card points? A whopping 6. In most situations, this would be a pass. But preemptive bidding turns weakness into a weapon.

A preemptive bid is one of bridge’s most aggressive tactics—you’re deliberately overbidding your strength to make life miserable for the opponents. When used correctly, preempts can steal contracts, push opponents too high, or force them into bad guesses. When used incorrectly, they can lead to massive penalties or confuse your partner more than the opponents.

Let’s dive into the art of controlled chaos.

What Is a Preemptive Bid?

A preemptive bid is an opening bid at the three-level or higher (3♣, 3♦, 3♥, 3♠, 4♣, 4♦, 4♥, or 4♠) that shows a long suit—typically seven or more cards—but a weak hand in high-card points. The entire purpose is disruptive: you’re consuming bidding space before the opponents can describe their hands.

Think of it like this: instead of letting the opponents start their conversation at the one-level and work their way up, you jump straight to 3♥. Now they have to start their discussion at the three-level, with far less room to exchange information. They might have a game, but can they find it when you’ve stolen half the auction?

The classic preempt looks something like this:

♠ K Q J 9 7 6 4
♥ 8
♦ 7 5 2
♣ 9 3

This hand has only 6 high-card points, but seven solid spades. It’s worth nothing on defense, but might take six or seven tricks with spades as trumps. Open 3♠ and watch the opponents squirm.

The Rule of 2-3-4: Your Safety Net

Here’s the fundamental question every preempt faces: how much can I afford to go down if this goes wrong?

The Rule of 2-3-4 provides the answer:

• Not vulnerable: You can afford to overbid by 4 tricks
• Vulnerable: You can afford to overbid by 3 tricks
• Opponents not vulnerable: Be more cautious—overbid by only 2 tricks

Wait, that third one seems backwards, right? Here’s the logic: when opponents are not vulnerable, they’re less likely to double you for penalty (their bonus is smaller). So you should preempt more conservatively because they might compete instead of doubling.

In practice, most players simplify this to:

• Not vulnerable: Your suit should provide tricks within 3 of your bid
• Vulnerable: Your suit should provide tricks within 2 of your bid

If you open 3♥ not vulnerable, you should expect to take at least 6 tricks (3 + 6 = 9). If you’re doubled and go down three, that’s -500. Meanwhile, if the opponents have a game worth 620 or slam worth 1000+, you’ve made a profitable sacrifice.

But open that same hand vulnerable, and you better have 7 tricks available. Down three vulnerable doubled is -800—not a great save against a non-vulnerable game.

Suit Quality: Don’t Preempt with Garbage

Not all seven-card suits are created equal. Preempting with ♠ 7 6 5 4 3 2 Q is asking for disaster.

Minimum quality requirements:

• Two of the top three honors (AK, AQ, KQ), OR
• Three of the top five honors (AJ10, KQJ, KJ10, QJ10)

Why does this matter? Two reasons:

1. Trick-taking: You need the suit to actually produce tricks when you declare
2. Lead-directing: If partner is on lead, you want them leading a suit that might actually set up

Compare these two hands:

Hand A:
♠ Q J 10 9 7 6 4
♥ 8
♦ K 5 2
♣ 9 3

Hand B:
♠ 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
♥ A
♦ K Q 2
♣ 9 3

Hand A is a clear 3♠ opening—seven spades with three of the top five honors. Hand B? That’s a pass. Yes, you have seven spades, but they’re worthless. You’re more likely to confuse partner than opponents.

One important exception: four-level minor suit preempts (4♣ or 4♦) can be slightly weaker in terms of suit quality, since you’re going so high that you’re mostly trying to keep opponents out of a major suit game. But even then, don’t preempt with complete trash.

Point Ranges: Weak but Not Hopeless

Preempts typically show 5-10 high-card points at the three-level, and 4-9 points at the four-level.

Why the upper limit? Because if you have 11+ points and a seven-card suit, you should probably open one of your suit—your hand might have game potential opposite a fitting 10-count from partner.

Why the lower limit? Because with truly terrible hands (2-3 points), even your long suit might not take enough tricks. You’ll go down too many, even when the opponents have nothing.

The sweet spot is 6-9 points: weak enough that you’re unlikely to make game, strong enough that your suit will produce some tricks.

Side suit values matter: If you have 7 points, but 5 of them are in side suits (like AK in a side suit), that’s not a great preempt. Those tricks work on defense too, which defeats the purpose. You want concentrated values in your long suit:

Good 3♥ preempt (7 HCP):
♠ 5
♥ K Q J 9 7 6 4
♦ 8 3 2
♣ 6 4

Bad 3♥ preempt (7 HCP):
♠ A K
♥ 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
♦ 8 3 2
♣ 6

That first hand takes tricks on offense, not defense. The second hand takes two tricks regardless of who declares—terrible for a preempt.

Three-Level vs. Four-Level Preempts

Three-level preempts (3♣, 3♦, 3♥, 3♠) show a seven-card suit. These are your bread-and-butter preempts.

Four-level preempts (4♣, 4♦, 4♥, 4♠) show an eight-card suit. They’re rarer but even more disruptive.

The difference isn’t just one card—it’s strategic:

• 3-level preempts leave some bidding space. Partner can bid 3NT or explore other options. You’re making life difficult for opponents, but not impossible.
• 4-level preempts are all-in moves. You’re consuming almost all the bidding space. This works beautifully when you want to shut opponents out completely, but it also makes it harder for partner to act intelligently.

Special case: 4♥ and 4♠

Opening 4♥ or 4♠ is particularly effective because you’re preempting right to game in a major. If you make it, you score game. If you’re going down, opponents likely had game themselves. These bids are often made with slightly better eight-card suits because you need to take 10 tricks.

Example 4♠ opening:
♠ K Q J 10 8 7 6 4
♥ 6
♦ 9 3
♣ 5 2

Eight spades, likely 7-8 tricks even opposite nothing. Open 4♠ and dare opponents to come in at the five-level.

Responding to Partner’s Preempt

Your partner opens 3♥. What now?

First principle: partner has already bid your cards. They’ve shown a weak hand with a long suit. Unless you have a strong hand with a fit, you should usually pass.

When to pass:

• Fewer than 15-16 points
• Misfit (singleton or void in partner’s suit)
• Defensive values that might beat their contract

When to raise to game:

• 3-4 card support
• 15-16+ points
• Offensive values (aces and trump honors)

When to bid 3NT:

• 15-18 HCP
• Stoppers in other suits
• Probably 1-2 cards in partner’s suit (not 0, not 4+)

When to bid a new suit:

• Almost never. A new suit response to a preempt shows a strong hand (17+ points) and is forcing. Don’t bid 3♠ over 3♥ just because you have five spades—partner will think you have a powerhouse.

Example responses:

Partner opens 3♦. You hold:

Hand 1:
♠ K Q 6
♥ A J 4
♦ 8 3
♣ A Q 10 7 5

Bid 3NT. You have 16 HCP, stoppers in all suits, and a doubleton diamond. Partner’s seven diamonds should provide tricks.

Hand 2:
♠ A 8 6 4
♥ K 3
♦ Q 10 5 4
♣ A 9 2

Bid 5♦. You have 13 HCP with four-card diamond support. Partner likely has 6-7 tricks; your hand provides 2-3 more. Game is excellent.

Hand 3:
♠ K Q J 9 6
♥ A 8
♦ 5
♣ K Q 10 6 4

Pass. Yes, you have 15 HCP. But you have a singleton diamond (misfit), and your honors are in your own suits. Partner’s preempt wrong-sided this hand. Don’t get frisky.

Four Example Auctions

Let’s see preempts in action with complete hands.

Auction 1: Successful Disruption

North (Dealer, None Vul):
♠ 8
♥ K Q J 10 7 6 4
♦ 9 3 2
♣ 6 4

East:
♠ A K 9 6
♥ 8 3
♦ A K 6
♣ K Q J 5

South:
♠ 7 4 3
♥ 9 5
♦ Q J 10 8 5
♣ 10 9 3

West:
♠ Q J 10 5 2
♥ A 2
♦ 7 4
♣ A 8 7 2

Auction:

North opens 3♥ with seven hearts and 7 HCP. East has a great hand (18 HCP) and doubles for takeout. West bids 4♠, and East-West land in their spade game. They make exactly 10 tricks.

Without the preempt, East-West would likely have a smooth auction to 4♠. But they still got there—so did the preempt fail? Not necessarily. North-South might have pushed them one level higher than they wanted, or East might have explored slam. The preempt consumed bidding space and forced a guess.

Auction 2: Effective Shutout

South (Dealer, EW Vul):
♠ 9 3
♥ 8
♦ 5 2
♣ K Q J 10 9 7 6 4

West:
♠ A K 7 6
♥ K Q 10 4
♦ A 8 3
♣ 8 2

North:
♠ 8 4
♥ 7 6 5 2
♦ K 10 9 6 4
♣ 5 3

East:
♠ Q J 10 5 2
♥ A J 9 3
♦ Q J 7
♣ A

Auction:

South opens 5♣ with eight clubs. West doubles with 14 HCP. East-West have 26 combined HCP and can make 4♥ or 4♠. But after the 5♣ preempt, they can’t find it. They double 5♣ for +300 (down two, not vulnerable).

But 4♥ would score +620. The preempt worked perfectly—it cost 300 to save 320.

Auction 3: Partner Raises to Game

West (Dealer, Both Vul):
♠ 7
♥ K J 10 9 7 6 4
♦ 8 3
♣ Q 6 4

North:
♠ K Q 6 3
♥ 5
♦ K Q 10 6
♣ A J 9 2

East:
♠ A 10 5
♥ A Q 3 2
♦ 9 7 4
♣ 10 8 5

South:
♠ J 9 8 4 2
♥ 8
♦ A J 5 2
♣ K 7 3

Auction:

West opens 3♥ with seven hearts and 7 HCP. North doubles for takeout with 16 HCP. East, with three-card heart support and the ♥AQ, raises to 4♥ (Law of Total Tricks suggests competing to the nine-trick level with a nine-card fit).

North doubles again, and 4♥ goes down one for -200. But North-South can make 4♠ for +620. The preempt and raise pushed North-South out of their game. Beautiful.

Auction 4: Preempt Backfires

North (Dealer, None Vul):
♠ K 9 7 6 4 3 2
♥ 8
♦ K 3
♣ 10 8 3

East:
♠ 5
♥ A K Q 10 4
♦ A Q 9 6
♣ K Q 7

South:
♠ Q 8
♥ 9 7 6 3 2
♦ 10 8 5 2
♣ 6 4

West:
♠ A J 10
♥ J 5
♦ J 7 4
♣ A J 9 5 2

Auction:

North opens 3♠ with a scrappy seven-card suit (only one of the top five honors). East doubles with 19 HCP. West shows diamonds, and East jumps to slam.

East-West make 6♦ for +920. Without the preempt, they might have stopped in 5♦. The preempt actually helped them—East knew North had spades, so East’s singleton spade was well-placed. Ouch.

Vulnerability Considerations

Vulnerability changes everything in preemptive bidding.

Favorable vulnerability (you not vulnerable, they vulnerable): This is preempt paradise. Go down three doubled for -500 to save their vulnerable game (-620 or -650). Be aggressive.

Unfavorable vulnerability (you vulnerable, they not vulnerable): Tread carefully. Down three vulnerable doubled is -800. Their non-vulnerable game is only 420. You need to be disciplined—stick to the Rule of 2-3-4.

Both vulnerable or neither vulnerable: These are neutral situations. Use standard preempt requirements.

Example:

You hold:
♠ 6
♥ Q J 10 9 7 6 4
♦ 8 3
♣ 10 5 2

• White vs. Red (favorable): Open 3♥ without hesitation
• Red vs. White (unfavorable): This is marginal—only six certain tricks vulnerable. Many experts would pass.
• Equal vulnerability: Open 3♥

One more consideration: opponents’ vulnerability affects their doubling decisions. When they’re vulnerable, they’re more likely to bid game (seeking the bigger bonus) than double you for penalty. When they’re not vulnerable, they might be happy to collect +300 or +500 from doubling you.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Preempting with a four-card major on the side

You open 3♦ with:
♠ K Q 6 4
♥ 7
♦ K J 10 9 7 6 4
♣ 8

Bad idea. Partner might have four spades and pass 3♦, missing a 4-4 spade fit. With a four-card major, consider opening 1♦ instead.

Mistake 2: Preempting in first or second seat with a strong hand

Some players open 3♥ with:
♠ 7
♥ A K Q J 10 7 4
♦ A 8
♣ Q 6 3

This hand has 13 HCP and eight playing tricks. Open 1♥, planning to jump rebid to show a strong suit. A preempt denies opening-strength hands.

Mistake 3: Preempting partner

Your partner opens 1♣, next player passes. You hold:
♠ 8
♥ K Q J 10 9 7 6
♦ 8 3 2
♣ 6 4

Jumping to 3♥ here shows a different hand—a limit raise in support of partner’s suit, or (in some systems) a strong jump shift. Don’t preempt when partner has already opened. Respond normally.

Mistake 4: Preempting with a void in an unbid major

You open 3♦ with:
♠ —
♥ 8 7 2
♦ K Q J 10 9 7 6
♣ 9 5 3

Partner might have six great spades and pass 3♦. Be cautious about preempting with a void, especially in a major suit.

Mistake 5: Treating partner’s preempt as weak

Your partner opens 3♣. You hold a balanced 12-count and bid 3NT. Partner tables:
♠ 9 7
♥ 8
♦ 6 5 2
♣ K Q J 10 9 7 4

Seven running club tricks later, 3NT makes easily. But some players pass with this West hand because “partner preempted.” Remember: a preempt is weak in high cards, not weak in playing strength. Partner promised seven tricks; you just need 2-3 more for game.

Partnership Agreements

Preempts require partnership discussion. Here are key agreements to establish:

1. Sound vs. Light Style

• Sound: Strict adherence to Rule of 2-3-4, good suits only
• Light: More wild preempts, especially favorable vulnerability

Discuss which style you prefer. If you’re playing with a new partner, assume sound.

2. Weak Two-Bids

This article focuses on three-level and higher preempts. But does your partnership open 2♥ or 2♠ as weak (six-card suit, 5-10 HCP) or strong? This affects your three-level strategy.

3. Responses

• Is a new suit forcing or not?
• What does 2NT mean after a 3-level preempt? (Feature ask? Ogust?)
• Can responder preempt over a preempt? (Raising 3♥ to 4♥ with weak hand and support?)

4. Third and Fourth Seat

Some partnerships open “light” preempts in third seat (after two passes), showing any weak hand with a long suit, regardless of HCP or suit quality. The theory: partner is a passed hand, so game is unlikely. Just disrupt.

In fourth seat (after three passes), some players open “disciplined” preempts—better suits, more HCP—because you don’t need to disrupt anyone. You’re simply trying to buy the contract.

Agree on your style for each seat.

5. Namyats, Gambling 3NT, and Other Conventions

• Namyats: 4♣ shows a strong 4♥ opening, 4♦ shows strong 4♠
• Gambling 3NT: Shows a solid seven-card minor with no outside stoppers
• Weak freak: Extreme preempts (opening 4♠ with nine spades and 3 HCP)

Discuss any conventional uses of traditional preempt bids.

When Preempts Work Best

Preemptive bidding shines in these situations:

1. Opponents have the majority of points

If they have 23-26 combined HCP, they likely have a game. Your preempt makes it harder to find.

2. Favorable vulnerability

White vs. Red is preempt heaven.

3. Balanced enemy distribution

If opponents have no long suits, your preempt consumes critical bidding space. If they both have six-card suits, your preempt might actually help them communicate.

4. First or third seat

In first seat, you strike before opponents can start their auction. In third seat (after two passes), partner is limited, so you’re not hurting your side’s chance for game.

Preempts are less effective when:

• You have defensive strength outside your long suit
• Partner might have a great hand (better to open one and explore)
• Opponents have a known fit and can simply compete

The Psychology of the Preempt

Here’s the dirty secret: a good preempt works even when it “fails.”

Scenario: You open 3♥ with seven hearts and 6 HCP. Opponents double, investigate, and land in 4♠, making exactly. Did your preempt fail?

Maybe not. Maybe they were always getting to 4♠. But your preempt forced them to guess at the four-level instead of comfortably exploring at the two-level. Maybe they missed a laydown 3NT because they couldn’t show their stoppers. Maybe they’re in 4♠ when 5♦ is cold.

You’ve planted seeds of doubt. And doubt leads to mistakes.

The best preemptors understand this psychological edge. You’re not trying to make every preempt “work” in the sense of going plus. You’re trying to make opponents’ lives difficult. Even a small edge—making them guess once out of every five boards—translates to better results over time.

Wrapping Up

Preemptive bidding is controlled aggression. You’re deliberately overbidding, but within defined limits. Follow the Rule of 2-3-4, maintain suit quality, and adjust for vulnerability. When you strike the right balance, preempts become one of your most valuable weapons.

Master the preempt, and you’ll steal contracts, push opponents into bad slams, and watch them struggle to find fits. Misuse it, and you’ll go for -800 while opponents giggle.

So next time you pick up seven spades to the KQ and 5 HCP, don’t pass meekly. Open 3♠. Embrace the chaos. Make them hate you.

That’s what preempts are for.