Have you heard of Bridge but don’t know exactly how it works? No problem, we are here to explain the rules of one of the many possible games with the classic French card decks.
We are talking about a rather difficult game in fact, but one that can still be faced and enjoyed by a beginner, already at the first game. Let’s go into what is even considered a sport, where logic, intuition and a spirit of initiative are needed to shine.
Basic Bridge Rules
Well, Bridge is played in pairs with a French deck of 52 cards (no jokers). The players who form a pair sit across from each other at the table. The two engaged couples therefore take the name of the cardinal points: North and South play against East and West .
Each of the four players in rotation will be the dealer, distributing the deck starting with the player on their left, one card at a time. All Bridge actions take place clockwise , from left to right.
The goal of each pair is to make as many tricks as possible . A trick occurs when each of the four players has played a card. The basic rule of the game says that you must match the starting suit of the first player. Therefore, if the first player plays clubs, everyone must play a club card. The trick then becomes the property of the pair (not the individual player).
If you do not have cards of the output suit, you can play any other card. This card will not affect the trick in question, even if it is higher than the others. Once the trick is finished, the player who just won will go out for the next trick. The total tricks available to pairs for each single hand are obviously 13. The more high cards a pair will have, the more tricks they are likely to make. A deck of cards weighs 40 grams or points , as it is symbolically given to the Ace value 4, the King value 3, the Queen value 2 and the Jack value 1.
What is bridge trump?
The highest card of each suit is the Ace, followed by King, Queen, Jack, 10 and so on, up to 2 which is the “Cinderella”. The four players, however, have the opportunity to choose a color and elect it as a temporary trump (or trump if you prefer) for the hand they are playing. Alternatively they can choose to play without trump.
When the players choose a trump, the grip modalities seen previously are partially modified. In fact, it makes the trick or the highest card of the suit played by the first player or the highest trump card. The rule remains unchanged according to which one must play, owning it, a card of the exit color. The 3 of Hearts, in short, can win on the Ace of Clubs, if Hearts is trump! If you play without trump, the highest card of the suit will always be taken. If two or more players make a trump (not having cards of the out suit), the player who provided the highest trump will make the trick.
You can choose a color and choose it as a trump color when you have at least 8 cards with your partner. If you have fewer than 8 cards in all four suits, you will end up playing with no trump.
How does the “declaration” work in Bridge?
Let’s take a step back to understand what happens in Bridge immediately after the cards are dealt: let’s talk about the so-called “declaration”.
The first to bid is the dealer, then clockwise the other players. A bid can last only one round or several bidding rounds and the same player can bid more than once. The purpose of the statement is to guess how many tricks we will then make in the second phase, that of playing cards.
The four players exchange information on the cards held to understand how many tricks they can then make in the practical phase of the game. The language used is a conventional language , linked to the four suits and the number of tricks. A kind of foreign language that needs to be learned.
If a pair has won the bid by promising to take 9 tricks, for example, they will then have to make 9 or more tricks to deserve an active scoring prize. If he makes less than 9 tricks, a positive prize will go to the opponents.
You can bid “Pass” or a suit and a certain number of tricks. We will say “Over” when our cards are bad and do not deserve to be told. We will bid something when we have a good choice of cards in hand. To bid, however, you must win the previous bid either by number of tricks or by rank of color. The rank of the colors to go up is: Clubs-Diamonds-Hearts-Spades-Without .
If the opponent has bid 1 ♥, after him I can say 1 ♠, 1 Without, 2 ♣ or 2 ♦ but not 1 ♣ or 1 ♦. That is, I can bid anything from 1 ♠ up. In the “condominium” of the declaration you can only go up the stairs, never go down them. The lowest bid is 1 ♣: if I say 1 ♣ I promise to make 7 tricks (6 mandatory + 1 bid) and I am choosing the suit of Clubs trump color. The bidding ends when three players have consecutively bid “Pass”.
After the bid, of the couple who won the bid, only the one who first named the color that won the auction will play. This player will be the live player and will play his cards face down and those of his partner ( dummy ) face up on the table. The dummy will reveal the cards after the attack, ie after the play of the first card by the player to the left of the live player.
You can start a bid with 12 or more points . Suits of 4 or more cards are named. The initial bid of 1 ♠ basically means: “ I have 12 or + points and at least 4 spades “. Repeating a color stretches it by one card each time. For example, if I bid 1 ♥ and then 2 ♥ I would claim to have Hearts.
The scores in the Bridge
Bridge scores have a slightly more complicated structure than other related games such as Scala 40 or Buraco.
The score obtained for each trick declared and made, after the basic six, varies according to whether the contract is declared with trump or without trump and according to the suit of trump.
Each trick with spades and hearts trump is worth 30 points; each trick with trump diamonds and clubs is worth 20 points. The first trick without trump is worth 40 points and the following 30 points. To win a game it is necessary to win two rounds out of three and to win a round it is necessary to score 100 points , even in more successive hands.
The the heat victory carries an additional premium of 300 points to the first and the second by 500 points. There is also a particular prize that is awarded when 12 or 13 tricks are declared and made . These prizes are called small or grand slam respectively . The small slam is worth 500 or 750 points (depending on whether it is in the first or second round), the grand slam is worth 1000 or 1500 points.
The negative score for each trick less than the declared one is equal to 50 points in the first run, 100 in the second. This score must be scored for those who played in defense. To win the round, only the points relating to tricks declared and made are valid. Any extra tricks made or fewer tricks made by the opponent are counted separately.
Also remember that it is possible to double or quadruple the positive score of the tricks made (or the negative one of the missed tricks) by taking advantage of two particular bids which are the “ double ” and the “redouble” . Such statements may be used in the course of the auction by each player.