What You Need to Know about Sacrificing

In this lesson:

Taking a sacrifice has several ways to gain:

1. Similar to the upside of balancing, you'd love it if your bid pushed the opponents to a higher level. Defending that contract is definitely an example of heads you win (if they go down), while tails you tie (if they make it).
2. There is the slim chance that the opponents will not double you.
3. You do rate to get doubled, but as long as the penalty is less than the score the opponents would have received for making their contract, you are better off.

On the other hand, the sacrifice may work out badly:

1. The opponents would not have made their contract. When this happens, we refer to your action as a "phantom sacrifice". No matter how many you go down, this is a bad result.
2. You go down more tricks than you intended, so you lose more points than they would have made in their contract.

In this lesson, Marty will discuss:

When you are considering a sacrifice:

• - The 7 golden principles that you MUST know.
• - Which enemy auctions are GREAT ones to interfere with.
• - Why an advance sacrifice is the best way to sacrifice.
• - How to avoid taking phantom sacrifices.
• - When it is correct to sacrifice against a slam.
• - When you should sacrifice against a 3NT contract.
• - The right time to make a sacrifice suggestion.
• - When you should and should not be willing to go to the 5 level.

When the opponents sacrifice:

• - How to use a forcing pass to help decide if your side should double or bid.
• - If you end up on defense, what is the expert philosophy for opening leads?

Here is an example of what Marty will teach:

You hold: ♠64 ♥J3 ♦A9874 ♣AK103

With both sides vulnerable, you open 1♦ The bidding proceeds:

1♦ - Dbl - 2♣ - 2♠

What would you do?

Answer
Partner's 2♣ bid shows a weak hand with 6+ clubs. If he had 10+ HCP, he would have redoubled.

I definitely believe that most players would bid 3♣. But since partner's response promised a 6-card suit, you would also compete to 3♣ with a doubleton. With your two extra clubs, will you then bid again if the opponents bid 3♠? If the opponents get to 4♣, will you sacrifice?

You may be willing to guess what to do later. I am not.

What would I do?
With the actual hand, on this auction I do NOT expect to buy the contract in 3♣. So, as I always strive to do, I'd follow the Law of Total Tricks and jump to 4♣ over 2♠.

I am now finished bidding. What will happen next?

Suppose partner has a flattish hand such as ♠K2 ♥Q54 ♦53 ♣QJ9752. Whether the opponents pass 4♣ or bid 4♠, he is also finished bidding.

But if he has a better offensive hand such as ♠3 ♥752 ♦KQ2 ♣QJ7652 or ♠75 ♥9 ♦KJ5 ♣J876542 -- If the opponents bid a game, he will KNOW that it's right to sacrifice in 5♣.

Of course, after the preemptive jump to 4♣, the opponents may lack the room to discover that they can make a game.

I refer to this 4♣ bid as a sacrifice suggestion. Even if you are not familiar with the term, it is really just an example of a weak jump raise (WJR).