Bridge Basics: A Beginners Guide

Bridge is more complicated than other card games, and beginners are sometimes A Few Basics Bridge is played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards.
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Bridge is hip for everyone nowadays! Played in more than countries, Bridge has an enthusiastic following of more than 60 million people. Although many believe that bridge is simply an "old person's game," more and more young people are taking it up, and now players in their twenties are beginning to win world championship titles. Completely updated and revised by champion bridge player Ron Klinger, Bridge Basics explains and illustrates the basic rules of bidding, play, and defense in contract bridge.

This book will turn you into a competent and confident bridge player in no time. Read more Read less. Save Extra with 1 offer. Customers who bought this item also bought. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Bridge at a Glance. Knack Bridge for Everyone: Bridge For Dummies, 4ed.

Bridge for Bright Beginners. To get the free app, enter mobile phone number. See all free Kindle reading apps. Start reading Bridge Basics: A Beginner's Guide on your Kindle in under a minute. Don't have a Kindle? Visit Amazon global store. Explore products from global brands in clothing, electronics, toys, sports, books and more. Skyhorse Publishing; 6 edition 1 August Language: Be the first to review this item Amazon Bestsellers Rank: Customer reviews There are no customer reviews yet. Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a product review.

Most helpful customer reviews on Amazon. What is the right audience for this book by the excellent Australian bridge writer, Ron Klinger. How do I reconcile my 5 stars with the honest reviews that complained that the book was NOT a book for beginners. The problem is that, in bridge, someone is a beginner in terms of the level of skill, not the length of their experience. It is common to say "He has been playing for 10 years, and is still a beginner. On a cruise, two friends who wanted to learn bridge but found the onboard bridge teacher inadequate, were invited by me to use Audrey Grant's CD, which they did.

They loved it and found it easy to follow. After you go through the CD, this Ron Klinger book would be a good next step. The biggest problem with this book is that one has to flip around from the problems to the solutions and this is really hard on my Kindle. Even though I could use it along with my Ipad, it's just too much.

Bridge – Step 1 for Beginners : A Teacher First - Learning to play bridge and solving puzzles

Among strains, notrump ranks highest; then come the suits, in their rank order: Therefore, West may, after your bid of one heart, choose one spade. Since spades ranks higher than hearts, a bid of spades is higher than a bid of hearts at the same level number of tricks. That it suffices to bid one spade does not mean West cannot bid two spades, or three spades, or any number of spades up to seven spades.

Similarly, since notrump ranks above hearts, West may bid one notrump.

West may also bid two notrump, three notrump, and so on up to seven notrump. However, West may not bid one diamond or one club. Diamonds and clubs are lower-ranking than hearts, so West must bid at least two to bid in these strains. Thus, all 35 possible bids have a relative rank. The lowest bid is one club lowest level of bidding, lowest-ranking strain , followed by one diamond, one heart, one spade, one notrump, two clubs, two diamonds, and so on.

The highest bid is seven notrump highest level of bidding, highest-ranking strain ; next highest is seven spades, then seven hearts, and so on. If you want to enter the auction, you must make a bid higher ranking than the previous one, even if it was made by your partner.

Bridge – Step 1 for Beginners

Suppose, in our example, West decides to bid clubs after your opening bid of one heart. This bid must be at the two level or higher; let's say West bids two clubs. West could, of course, pass if not wishing to bid. North is next to speak, and bids two hearts. This is a legal bid after West's two-club bid, because hearts outrank clubs.

Since you bid hearts first, North, your partner, is said to be raising hearts.

East now elects to bid diamonds, but cannot bid one diamond or two diamonds because these are lower-ranking than the last bid, two hearts. Consequently, East bids three diamonds. East is permitted to bid despite having passed originally; a player who passes may enter the auction at a later point.

Note that it is illegal to embellish your call with superfluous comments. Do not say "I pass" or "I'll bid a couple of clubs"; use only the exact bidding language: South is the dealer and does not wish to bid; so, South passes. West also passes, and North opens the bidding with one diamond; East bids one heart, a legitimate call since hearts outrank diamonds. South now wishes to bid clubs, but cannot bid one club because clubs are lower ranking than hearts. A bid of two clubs would be legal, but South nevertheless elects to bid three clubs.

Since South has bid more than the minimum necessary, he or she is said to have jumped the bidding, and the three-club bid is called a jump bid. West passes, North bids three spades, East passes, and South bids three notrump acceptable since notrump outranks any suit. West, North, and East pass, ending the bidding.

It would be immensely unenjoyable for the players to go on passing endlessly after no one wished to make any more bids; boredom would set in and everyone would switch to gin rummy. Consequently, with one exception the bidding is ended when there are three consecutive passes. This is the exception:. South the dealer , West, and North all pass. If the basic rule about three consecutive passes is applied, East will never get to bid, which is decidedly unfair.

Every player deserves a chance to bid, so the three-pass rule is suspended in this one situation. If East also passes, the bidding does end; since no one has contracted to take any tricks, the deal described as passed out is thrown in and the deal passes to the left. If East bids, the auction proceeds just as it does once any player opens the bidding, and ends when there are three consecutive passes. The last bid of the auction becomes the final contract. Thus, in the second preceding example where South's bid of three notrump was the last call other than a pass three notrump is the final contract and North-South have made a commitment to take nine tricks without any trump suit.

At this point, one player on the side bidding the final contract takes over and enjoys the responsibility of playing the cards and trying to win tricks; that player is called the declarer. Declarer's partner, who has nothing further to do, is called the dummy. The declarer is the one for the side winning the final contract who first named the strain trump suit or notrump of the final bid.

In this example, South is the declarer, because South the first bid notrump for North-South. South, who bid spades first, is the declarer; North is the dummy. For purposes of determining the declarer, it does not matter which partner makes the final bid. The contract is two diamonds. East is the declarer; West is the dummy. The fact that South bid diamonds first is irrelevant, for South is not a member of the partnership that bid the final contract. There are two other calls we have not yet considered.

If the last bid has been made by an opponent, you may double by saying "double" when it is your turn to call. Since the last bid two diamonds was made by West, an opponent, North is permitted to double. If the double is followed by three passes, the final contract becomes two diamonds doubled. The effect of a double is to increase all scoring, so East-West will pay out an increased penalty if they fail to make their contract take eight tricks with diamonds trumps , but they will gain an extra reward if they successfully fulfill their doubled contract.

If, in contrast, someone else bids for example, suppose East now bids two spades , the double is cancelled. South cannot double one diamond. A double applies only to the bid made just before the double, and East's bid of one heart makes it impossible for South to double one diamond. South may, however, double one heart. Later, South is able to double two diamonds, since there have been no intervening bids.

In this example, the final contract becomes three diamonds undoubled with West the declarer. West's bid of three diamonds, even though it is in the same suit, cancels the double of two diamonds; South must double again to apply a double to three diamonds. Consider this bidding sequence:. Since the last bid has been made by a player of the same partnership, South may not double.

Had North passed, South would have been able to double West's bid of four hearts. When one partnership has doubled and there have been no intervening calls other than passes, a player from the other partnership may redouble. If a redouble is followed by three passes, the rewards for making the contract and the penalties for going set become even greater. After East's double, either South or North may redouble. West cannot, because it was his or her partner who doubled. North has chosen to do so, and the final contract is one spade redoubled with North the declarer.

After West's double of one spade, North is permitted to redouble but instead elects to pass. South, however, cannot redouble because of East's intervening bid of two diamonds, which cancels the double of one spade. South may double two diamonds, pass, or make a higher bid. In the diagram, South chooses to bid two spades.


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West doubles, North redoubles, and East bids three diamonds, cancelling both the double and the redouble. South eventually becomes the declarer at a final contract of three spades undoubled. Unlike other games with doubling aspects, such as backgammon, in bridge redoubling is not unlimited. In fact, there is only one level of redoubling; thus, you may not redouble an opponents redouble. Therefore, a contract can be played undoubled, doubled or redoubled, but in no other way.

A unit of play in bridge is called a rubber. A rubber ends when one side or the other has scored two games, and a bonus the rubber bonus is awarded the side achieving this feat.

Bridge Basics

The objective of each partnership is to score as many points as possible. One very good way to do this is to score two games before the opponents do. This entitles your side to the rubber bonus, and although winning the rubber bonus does not guarantee that your side will score more than the other, this bonus is so large that the partnership recording it will usually have the superior score. A normal session of bridge will encompass several rubbers. Since a primary objective is to win the rubber bonus, it is of the utmost importance to score a game whenever possible.

A game is scored by bidding and making contracts with a trick score of or more. This may be accomplished in one or more deals. The trick score depends on the level of the contract, that is, on the number of tricks bid for and made in excess of the book of six. Such tricks are called odd tricks and the trick score for odd tricks is as follows:. Suppose, for example, that your side bids one notrump contracting to take seven tricks with no trump suit and fulfills its commitment.

You have scored one odd trick at notrump and are credited with 40 points towards making a game. If you had bid two notrump and taken the required 8 tricks, you would get 70 points 40 plus 30 towards a game. And if you bid and make three notrump, your trick score is 40 plus 30 plus 30 , so it is possible to score a game in just one deal! Since bidding and making three notrump scores a game, three notrump is called a game contract.

Similarly, all higher notrump contracts are game contracts, for if you make such a contract you score a game. Note, however, that bidding and making seven notrump, a trick score of , entitles you to only one game, not two. In order to score a second game you must start from scratch after your first game has been made.

Other game contracts are four spades, four hearts, five diamonds, five clubs, and higher bids in those strains. Note that four spades has a trick score of compared with only 90 for three spades and five diamonds has a trick score of compared with only 80 for four diamonds.

When you cannot score a game in one deal you may be able to get a headstart. Suppose you bid and make two spades on the first deal, getting a trick score of You now need only 40 points to complete your game, so bids of one notrump, two spades, two hearts, two diamonds and two clubs or anything higher become game bids for you on the next deal.

However, points counted towards game do not carry over from one game to the next. If either side makes a game, both must start the quest for the next game from zero. One of the most exciting features of bridge is the slam. Slams combine opportunities for very high scores with extreme risks. If you bid and make twelve tricks six notrump, six spades, six hearts, six diamonds or six clubs , you have made a small slam; if you bid and make all thirteen tricks seven notrump, seven spades, seven hearts, seven diamonds or seven clubs , you have made a grand slam.

Any slam contract is, of course, also a game contract. There are huge bonuses for such magnificent achievements, but caution is required when considering these pots of gold. If you bid six notrump and take only 11 tricks, you have fallen short of your contract and must pay a penalty, incurring a loss on the deal. Not only that, had you stopped in, say, three notrump and taken 11 tricks, you would have registered a game. Thus, there are big risks in trying for a slam bonus, for you may lose a sure game if you bid too high.

This feature weighing risk against potential gain adds considerable excitement to bridge. After the bidding has ended and the contract has been determined, the player to the left of the declarer makes the opening lead, i. Then, the dummy places its hand face up on the table, arranged by suits with the trump suit if any on dummy's right declarer's left. Dummy's part in the deal is now finished, for declarer plays both the dummy's cards and his or her own. After studying the dummy and deciding on a plan of action, declarer plays a card from dummy the dummy hand, like every other hand at the table, must follow suit if possible.

The player to declarer's right plays a card, and declarer plays a card from the so-called closed hand that is, declarer's hand , to complete the trick. The winner of the trick the player who played the highest trump or, if no trumps were played, the highest card of the suit led is determined, the trick is collected by one member of the victorious partnership declarer always collects tricks , and the winner of the trick leads to the next one.

If dummy wins a trick, the first card to the next trick must be played from the dummy; declarer may not arbitrarily lead from either of the hands under his or her control. Play continues in this fashion, proceeding clockwise around the table, with declarer battling to take the number of tricks contracted for during the bidding and the defenders declarer's opponents fighting to collect enough tricks to stop declarer short of that goal.

When all 13 tricks have been completed, play ceases which is natural enough, since no one has any more cards , and the score for the deal is determined. The proprieties of bridge, principles that govern correct behavior, are vital.

Learn To Play Bridge!

A new player is well advised to treat them as just as important as the rules governing the mechanics of the game. Indeed, beginning players sometimes develop behavior that, unknown to them, is unethical or illegal. This may lead to embarrassment or serious arguments when a budding player is ready to take on more experienced opposition, or perhaps compete in tournaments.

Don't brush off the idea of tournament play; there are many events held especially for inexperienced players, and bridge clubs are most eager to interest the new player in their contests. In fact, the odds are that you will want to try your skill at a tournament sooner or later. The principles of correct behavior at bridge are much, much simpler than the rules of play.

Learn To Play Bridge In 5 Minutes

Anyone who learns them correctly at the outset and thus avoids developing bad habits at an early stage should have no trouble whatever in this area. Indeed, the Laws of bridge have a special section devoted to the proprieties that can be summarized by the following general principle:. Communication between partners should take place only through the calls and plays that are made. You should not employ any question, gesture or comment that might convey information to your partner; nor should you use any special wording, emphasis, facial expression, inflection, haste or hesitation that might give your partner information.

Also, you should refuse to draw any information from any such actions by your partner. Experienced players will always accept a beginner's errors, but a breach of the proprieties will justifiably render one a social outcast in any knowledgeable game. Here are some examples of behavior to avoid:. It is illegal to use "a club" to mean one thing and "one club" to mean something else, or to vary your format from the standard whether or not you are providing information; to say "I'll double three hearts," or to wail "I have a ghastly hand! A typical violation occurs when a player doubles quickly, thinking about inflicting a large penalty on the opponents.

Partner, who may get in the way by bidding something new over the double, is not entitled to know doubler's degree of optimism. It is equally improper deliberately to hesitate for a long time and then double when the issue is close. Hesitations are unavoidable, because bridge is a tough game and everyone encounters problems, but you should keep the same tempo whenever possible; take a second or two to act even when your decision is an obvious one.

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If your partner hesitates for a long while and then passes, it is obvious that the hesitation indicates something of value else there would be nothing to consider. However, you are ethically obligated not to make any use of this information and to act just as though partner had passed quickly. Notice that although you must try to make your calls in plays in a uniform tempo, there is nothing wrong with thinking at length when it is necessary. What is wrong is for the hesitator's partner to take an unusual action on the basis of this illegal information. Players who take advantage of such hesitations and, for example, bid further with poor values, expecting to find unannounced strength in partner's hand deserve to be shunned by those who know better.

And they usually are. It may be tempting to slam a card down if you don't like partner's play or to bid loudly and angrily if partner's bids seem to be heading your side towards disaster, but such temptation must be resisted. Similarly, don't smile or applaud loudly if partner's actions please you. Maintain the same tone and demeanor. Bridge wouldn't be much fun if everyone had to stare grimly into space and say nothing except "pass," "three clubs," and so on.

You will certainly want to exchange pleasantries with your partner and the opponents, but you must make sure that they have no bearing on the game. For example, unethical tactics such as asking, "Did you bid diamonds? If an opponent leads the ace of diamonds and the only diamond in your hand is the seven, you have no problem; you must follow suit, so the only legal play is the seven of diamonds. It is unethical to hesitate in order to mislead the opponents into thinking that you had a choice of plays and hence more than one diamond. Play at a steady pace. In short, you should convey and receive information only by means of the bids and plays that you and your partner make, and not through any other actions.

We cannot urge you too strongly to pay close attention to the proprieties and become an ethical player who will be welcome in any game. This quiz is designed to let you test your understanding of what you have learned so far and put it into practice. If your score is high, proceed onwards with confidence.

If you make an error, review the relevant section. Don't be upset about a wrong answer. Don't feel bad about having to review. Among the world's popular activities, bridge is one of the hardest, very likely number one on the list. A firm foundation is an important start towards building something you don't want to fall down later. The quiz is an aid to your evaluating your progress and setting your own best pace.

Arrange these bids in order from the highest-ranking to the lowest-ranking: If South holds all the diamond honors, West holds all the club honors, North holds all the spade honors, and East holds all the heart honors, what specific cards are held by each player? Sort the following hand correctly: South makes an opening bid of one spade and West bids two diamonds. In each of the following auctions, determine the final contract, the declarer, the dummy, the opening leader, and the number of tricks declarer must take to fulfill the contract.

For each of the following tricks, state who has won the trick and who leads to the next trick. For each of these contracts--two clubs, one notrump, six hearts, four spades, five diamonds, two hearts, seven notrump: Seven notrump highest , seven spades, five notrump, five hearts, five clubs, three diamonds, three clubs, two diamonds, one notrump, one spade, one heart lowest.

If you ask an experienced player for advice about a hand you held, always present it with the suits in rank order. Bridge players think in rank order, even though they sort their cards physically with the suits alternating by color. Pass, redouble, three diamonds, three hearts, three spades, three notrump, or any bid at the four or a higher level.

In each example, the player who wins the trick leads to the next trick. NORTH played the highest card of the suit led. WEST played the highest card of the suit led, and no one trumped the trick. NORTH played the highest card of the suit led, and there are no trumps at notrump. WEST played the highest trump. Our learning center web pages are dedicated to teaching the game of bridge. There are lessons for first-time players, as well as for those at the elementary and intermediate levels. You can find the appropriate section, and proceed through the lessons.

Learn how to play bridge if you have never played before. The beginner lessons here are designed for those who know little or nothing about the game. If you understand the basics of the game, and are ready to proceed further. Here is a collection of intermediate-level problems in bidding, declarer play, and defense for you to practice and improve your game. The Mechanics Of Bridge We are often asked, "Why is contract bridge so avidly enjoyed by so many people?

Some of these are: SKILL A player who has learned well will win more often than one whose technique is inadequate, for bridge is first and foremost a game of skill. CHANCE The idea of "hitting the jackpot"--taking a chance and having it pay off, or receiving a lucky windfall--is present in bridge, for an element of luck is provided by the random distribution of cards to each player. The deck is divided into four suits which, like military personnel, have specific rank and insignia: Tricks Play at bridge consists of tricks.

In the following example, suppose that diamonds are trumps: