[mike777]

Playing at the local club and local sectional I feel I really need to be doubling the opponents more often. Granted my defense needs to improve, a lot, but that is another topic.

Just speaking of MP right now. Any lessons learned you could share?

[bluenikki]

No doubt you've heard it, but if they make less that a quarter of the time, you're not doubling enough.

[DavidKok]

Some generic advice, that helps with doubling:

• Don't fall in love with a hand, or with HCP. Having a strong hand is usually insufficient reason to double. What you need is some values together with partner, or information on the auction that everything splits poorly. If you wish to increase your bloodthirst and competitive doubles, likely you'll go through a phase where you double more cold contracts than iffy ones. Generally for a double to be profitable you need a surprise.
  
• Keep an eye on the betting odds. If the opponents overbid to some crazy contract, likely that's already a good score. If they stretch just a little and go overboard, that's far more attractive to learn when to double.
  
• There is a big difference between penalty doubles designed to maximally profit against strong opposition, and the same against weak opposition. This pulls in different directions, and you may have to decide which you are aiming for.
  
• Almost all modern doubles are some form of takeout or artificial. This is actually one of the best ways to rake in penalties - find opportunities to convert partner's takeout double.
  
• I think the most common sort of situation where you might brave a profitable double is after you've made the opponents extend in a 3-over-2 or 3-over-3 partscore situation, especially if they are vulnerable (the "kiss of death"). These are very difficult to get right but gain a lot of MPs when you do, and come up frequently. The only way to consistently profit here is by exchanging information about partner's hand at a lower level of the auction, having clear agreements about strengths and ranges and shape, and letting a good amount slip through your fingers to profit the rest of the time.
  
• One trap I've seen some players fall into is having a medium-strength hand, doubling because they wanted to double on principle, and get upset when partner's hand was near the bottom of the range and the doubled contract made. Watch out for this - if you find yourself increasing minimum strength requirements on competitive auctions you're almost certainly overshooting your target and losing more than you can gain.

[Huibertus]

mike777, on 2025-May-30, 13:30, said:

Playing at the local club and local sectional I feel I really need to be doubling the opponents more often. Granted my defense needs to improve, a lot, but that is another topic.

Just speaking of MP right now. Any lessons learned you could share?

1. Improve defensive play as much as possible.
2. Fully understand the difference between offensive and defensive (and indifferent) cards
3. The more unlikely it is that you make game the more lucrative low level penalties become. (I love to and often manage to double them when we have invitational values only).

Respect that redouble means "I want to defend them doubled" and try to help partner doing it, like in this example but unlike most of the field that bid 2♣.

https://www.bridgeba...DK%7Cpc%7CHJ%7C