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An opening bid of 2, 2, or 2♠ in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd seat is called a Weak 2 Bid. Opening a Weak 2 typically shows a 6-card suit and 5-10 HCP.  A conservative Weak 2 opening bid would show a good 6-card suit, 2 of the top 3 or 3 of the top 5, with potentially an outside Ace or King. A hand like ♠42 KQ9843 7 ♣K982 or ♠4 AJT843 7532 ♣J2 would be expected.  A conservative preempting style will not allow you to preempt as often as pairs with a more aggressive style.  The modern style is to relax the standards for a Weak 2 Bid in 1st seat so you can preempt more often.  See our "Preempts by Seat Position" article.

In 3rd seat,  a high upside preempt position, you might preempt 2♠ with a weaker suit or a good 5-card suit.  With a hand like ♠4AJ9843 7532 ♣82, you might preempt 3 in 3rd seat to put additional pressure on your opponents.

Responding to a Weak 2 Bid

When your partner opens a Weak 2, judging whether you have a game is more about tricks than it is about high card points.  If you would like to invite game, it is wise to use a 2NT response as an asking bid to assess whether a game may be available.

The easiest approach is to use 2NT as a Feature Asking BidThe Weak 2 preempter answers as follows:

  1. With a poor suit (not 2 of the top 3 honors or 3 of the top 5 honors), rebid your preempt suit.
  2. Lacking an Ace or a King is a side suit, rebid your preempt suit.
  3. With a good suit (2 of the top 3 or 3 of the top 5) and an outside Ace or King, bid the suit of your outside Ace or King.

These responses help responder assess whether a game is available.  This approach is particularly good for conservative preempters.  A 2nd seat preempt should guarantee a good suit.  So playing Ogust has little value opposite a 2nd seat Weak 2 bid.  

If your partnership preempts aggressively as dealer, you may prefer using a 2NT game try to ask about the quality of the Weak 2 bidders suit and the quality of their hand.  This agreement is called Ogust.  See our article about Ogust.

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