Opening Bid: Three Hearts or Three Spades
If you like to open three of a major with a very weak suit and perhaps 6 points, you won't like this agreement. Bridge players evolve... Early in their playing they seem to stay with the recommended sorts of hands, and then when they see how effective a preempt can be, they start shading the requirements. They also start playing more doubled contracts! Have you noticed that after a few years they seem to regain their conservativism?
As a note... The bridge-playing robots on Bridge Base Online use very sound 3-level bids.
This System lets you play preemptive bids anyway you choose, but let me recommend that you abandon very light opening bids and agree to this: 8-10 points and at least a 7-card suit with at least one of the top three honors. This hand is an example:
 7 4 |
|
 K Q T 9 5 4 3 |
|
 K J 2 |
|
 8 |
If partner can depend on you for a good suit the bidding will be much more constructive and he can usually make an informed decision as to the final contract. And if you play it, you are not nearly as likely to have to play it doubled.
Remove one of the heart honors and add the
J -- that gives you 6 or 7 points. Wouldn't it
be better to consider it an opening weak two bid in hearts instead of a 3-level preempt?