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overcall

overcall

1 9.9
A higher bid you make after an opponent bids when your partner has not bid
  • noun
  • /ˈoʊvərˌkɔl/
  • Jargon
translation icon : sobrepuja
  • He made an aggressive overcall to take control of the hand in the bidding process.

Examples

  • After his partner passed, Mark decided to make an overcall by bidding four clubs.

  • You can depend on me for an additional overcall of 250.

  • In bridge, her overcall of two hearts surprised everyone at the table.

Synonyms

bid
vsovercall
  • Jargon
1 7.5

A bridge statement saying how many tricks a player will try to win

is specifically a higher response to an opponent offer rather than a general commitment
overbid
vsovercall
1 5.5

A bid higher than others, often not reasonable in auctions or card games

is a reactive higher-level call in bridge often without partner support

Antonyms

to underbid
  • Jargon
6.7

Offer a lower bid than your hand's value in a card game

How Risky

overcall
  • Jargon
1 9.9
to bid
3 5.1

Surface Forms

overcall singular
overcalls plural

Morphology

overcall = call (semi-transparent) = over + call

Formally 'over-' + 'call' is clear, but the precise technical sense as a higher bid in bridge is domain-specific and may not be predictable to general learners.

Etymology

Overcall comes from the parts over ('above' or 'higher') and call ('to make a bid'), so it is a 'call' that goes above another player's bid. That's why an overcall in bridge is a bid made at a higher level than an opponent's bid.