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How to Play Bridge? Rules & Beginner to Advanced Winning Tips

December 5, 2022
Aashish Upadhyay

Updated on September 19th, 2024

If you’ve ever looked up how to play bridge then you probably felt confused reading all the complex rules of the game. There is no doubt navigating through the truckload of game rules is a tedious task. With a different rule at each point of the game, bridge is indeed a little hard on the uptake. 

However, once you get the hang of it, it’s most definitely a different scenario altogether. Understanding the basic principles is all you need to get started. Bridge players even after years find new challenges as they play which is one of the reasons for its popularity. Even after learning bridge game rules means there’s always something to master each time you play. 

Over the years bridge has become an extremely popular card game. Bridge tournaments around the world attract scores of players in tens of thousands. These days there are websites solely dedicated to the game which makes playing even easier. 

If you are looking to join the world of bridge then look no further. We’ve outlined the basic principles that you need to know to get started and some tips to increase your winning chances.

How to Play Bridge? Learn The Rules

You need to gather a few items before you actually start playing bridge. These include:

  • A standard deck of cards
  • A pen
  • Score pad/Sheet of paper
  • 4 players

 Now that you have everything you need let’s look at the bridge game rules. 

 Step 1
The game begins with the four players sitting facing each other. The players on opposite sides form partnerships. They are usually denoted as north-south, or east-west. Once the partnerships are formed, the players choose a card from a shuffled deck. 
The person who draws the highest value card gets to deal first hand. The cards are then dealt to the players by the dealer. The dealer deals 13 cards to each player. You can now arrange your playing cards. We recommend placing alternative black and red suits for easy playing. 

Step 2 
After you get all your cards, players can now bid for tricks. Bidding is definitely one of the tricker bridge card game rules. Each player guesses how many tricks their side can take. The minimum a player can bid is for seven tricks and the maximum can be for all 13 tricks. 
Bidding is often compared to auctions where the bid starts at a certain value and goes higher after each bid. Similarly, you can also bid in bridge, and like in auctions, should you want to opt out of a bid the player can simply pass. After you pass and someone else continues the bid you can re-enter the bidding process. Bidding ends after three players pass. Players can either make a trump card or a no trump bid.
 
Step 3
After the bidding gets done you now know how many tricks you need to win. If your team makes the final bid for 7 tricks then the objective is to play and win 7 tricks in that hand. If your team fails to do so, they get penalised and if you manage to get 7 tricks or more your team will earn points. 
Bidding will also help to identify the declarer and the dummy. The declarer is the player that calls out the suit or no trump that becomes the final contract and the declarer’s partner becomes the dummy. This is when the real action starts. The person sitting on the declarers left leads the first card. This card can be of any suit or value. 
Following this is the dummy’s turn to play. The dummy doesn’t actually play, instead they lay down their cards face up for all the players to see. The dummy’s turn will then be played by their partner. Meaning the declarer will now play for both the dummy and for themselves.

Step 4
Each player who follows after the declarer including the dummy must follow the same suit of cards and lay down one card. The player who has placed the card with the highest value wins the trick.
In case, a player does not have the same suit then they can put down a card from another suit. This card is called a discard and doesn’t have any value to win the trick. Besides the discard, the player can also use a trump card to win the trick.
The person who wins the trick puts down the first card in the second trick. Each time a new trick starts, the player can put down any suit of their choosing. This will continue until all 13 tricks have been played. The teams can then calculate the score depending on how many tricks they’ve won. This concludes the most difficult parts of the bridge game rules.

Step 5
Now that the play is done, teams can now gather up the tricks they’ve won. If the team has managed to fulfil the contract, they earn points. Points scored in bridge are entirely dependent on the suit you take and the number of tricks you win. So make sure to fulfil your contract to win as many tricks as possible.

Tips to Increase Your Chances of Winning

Now that you know what is bridge game and how to play it, let’s look into some strategies to tip the scales in your favour.

  • Once you receive your cards, identify how you can leverage them to your advantage, which cards can be discarded and which can be used to win tricks. 
  • Always check on your high-point cards i.e the king, queen, jack and ace. Open if the total value of the high point card in your hand exceeds 12. Points for high cards are as follows: Ace-4, King-3, Queen-2, Jack-1.
  • Keep an eye on the bidding. This can help you determine what kind of cards your partner and the declarer might be holding. Pay attention to the play and lead as it can also indicate the cards that are in their possession.
  • Practice, practice, and more practice. Bridge, unlike other card games, cannot be won without any practice. The more you play, the more you’ll understand the workings of the game. It can also refine your strategy and help you identify how best to help your partner.

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