Suppose my RHO opens one in all a minor. I can “overcall” in a serious swimsuit with a 5 card swimsuit and a minimal of seven or eight excessive card factors, offered that these factors are concentrated in my swimsuit. That’s true despite the fact that my hand is weaker than my opponent’s opening hand. Here I can plausibly combat for an element rating (or a sacrifice) as a result of I’ve the next rating swimsuit to offset my weaker hand (relying on what every particular person’s accomplice has).

If RHO bids one spade, I’ve to overcall on the “two” degree. Since I’ll should take an additional trick, my guess is that I’ll want an additional trick (king) to overcall, bringing the required energy of my hand to 10-11 excessive card factors), near opening hand degree, in addition to a fairly good 5 card swimsuit.

But many of the literature I’ve learn means that the above shouldn’t be sufficient; that to overcall on the two degree, one wants a six card swimsuit* or a very robust 5, say AKJxx or AQJTx (AQJxx shouldn’t be adequate), and/or 12-13 excessive card factors. Is this higher energy (versus the earlier paragraph) vital for a two degree overcall, and if that’s the case why?

*On the opposite hand, my understanding is that in case you are making a “bounce” overcall with six playing cards (in a sequence of 1 minor, two spades), you are able to do so with energy approaching a “weak two” bid.