Rules Broken By The Overcaller

Rule: Bid a takeout double when you are short in the opponent’s suit and long (at least 3 cards) in all the unbid suits. 

But:

               Opp.           You
               1♣               ??

        #5                         #6                         #7
♠ J 10 7 2             ♠ A Q 9 7 6             ♠ A J 9
♥ A Q 9 8            ♥ J 9 8                     ♥ K Q 7
♦ K 9                   ♦ Q 7 6                    ♦ 10 9 6 4 2
♣ A 10 9             ♣ A 2                       ♣ A Q

Rules Broken By The Opener

You will now be let in on a dirty little secret: bridge experts lie!

Some of the golden rules you hold most sacred are disregarded on occasion because the “lie” is the lesser of evils. 

Openers lie often because the lie is usually the only bid that makes sense:

Rule: Always bid a major when possible; Don’t open NT if you are unbalanced.