3-Level Preempts

A three-level preempt opens at the three level with a long suit and a weak hand. Ours are aggressive and promise no suit quality. The guiding joke is the "rule of 500": we will bid to a level where going down 500 is acceptable, so long as the opponents promise not to double. White against red, there is probably no hand with a seven-card suit that we would pass.

The openings

Most three-level openings are natural, long-suit preempts. The one exception is 3D, which is not natural. We play 3D as a transfer-style preempt showing a good preempt in a major, so partner learns the hand is a strong major-suit preempt rather than a diamond hand.

3C — Natural preempt, long ♣, weak, no promised quality.
3D — Good-major preempt (transfer style), NOT natural ♦.
3H — Natural preempt, long ♥, weak.
3S — Natural preempt, long ♠, weak.

Responding

After a three-level preempt, a new suit by responder is forcing. To ask for keycards, 4C is preempt RKC, showing interest in the preempt suit.

3♣

4♦	Preempt RKC (asks keycards for ♣).

Over a 3C opening the keycard ask is 4D instead, since 4C would be a raise of clubs. Over a 3H opening it is 4C:

3♥

4♣	Preempt RKC (asks keycards).

Preempt RKC uses a compact four-step response ladder: the first step shows 0 keycards, the second 1 keycard without the trump queen, the third 1 keycard with the trump queen, and the fourth 2 keycards.