Pre-empts

Openings at the three level and above show long suits with little defence, opened high to take away the opponents' bidding room. The weaker the hand and the longer the suit, the higher the opening. The opponents then have to guess at a high level.

Fourth seat is the exception. With three passes in front of you there is nothing to pre-empt against, so a weak hand passes the deal out and a three-level opening is strong instead: a good suit with about 17–19 points.