How to Play Bridge Card Game: Bidding, Scoring, & Winning

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Learn the ins and outs of this classic trick-taking game
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If you’re looking for a new card game to try out with your friends, Bridge (or Contract Bridge) is a great game to learn together. Players split into teams of 2 and try to earn points by bidding and playing cards at the right time. While this classic has a few odd rules, we’ll walk you through everything you need to get started plus offer some helpful strategies for your game.

Bridge Rules Overview

Players are split into teams and each have 13 cards. On a turn, one person plays a card from their hand to lead the trick, and all other players must play a card of the same suit if they’re able to. Whoever plays the highest-ranked card wins the trick and leads the next one.

Section 1 of 6:

Bridge Setup

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  1. Bridge is traditionally a game played between 2 pairs or partnerships. Choose who you want as your teammate or pick a player at random to pair up with for the rest of the game. Sit at a table so you’re across from your teammate. [1]
    • One team is traditionally known as North and South , while the other team is East and West .
    • Bridge may be a little complicated for young kids, so play with people who are at least 8 or older.
  2. Choose a player at random to be the first dealer. Shuffle a deck of cards thoroughly and deal them out one at a time to all the players. Players can look at their own hands, but they can’t look at anyone else’s (even their teammates). [2]
    • The cards in each suit from highest to lowest rank are Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2.
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Section 2 of 6:

Bidding

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  1. The dealer gets the chance to make the opening bid for the game. The first bidder chooses a suit they want as the trump suit , which becomes the most powerful suit for the round. A trick is when each player plays a card from their hand, and there are 13 total tricks per round. A team is required to win 6 tricks during the round, so the bidder then says how many additional tricks they think their team will win. [3]
    • Example: If a player bids Spades 2, they’re saying they think their team can win a total of 8 tricks if Spades are the trump suit.
    • Players may also choose to bid No Trump , which means no suit will be the most powerful.
    • Typically, it’s best to choose a trump suit that you’re long in, meaning you have 4 or more of that suit in your hand. We’ll cover more strategies later on.
  2. Starting with the player to the left of the dealer, the other players take turns placing bids going clockwise around the table. A legal bid either has to be a higher-ranked suit or a larger number of tricks. From highest to lowest rank, the suits are No Trump, Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs. If a player does not want to bid, they can pass instead. [4]
    • Example: If the first bidder opened with 3 Clubs, the next player must bid 3 Diamonds or higher.
    • When you pass, you may still have an opportunity to come back in and make another bid.
    • Instead of making a bid, a player can double the bid before them. This means they think their team can win with the bid suit and number, and they’ll earn double the points at the end of the round.
      • After a bid is doubled, the next player may redouble to earn 4 times the points at the end of the round.
  3. Players keep making bids until 3 players pass consecutively, and then the highest bid becomes the winning team’s contract . Whichever teammate first named the final bid’s trump suit becomes the declarer while their partner becomes the dummy for the round. [5]
    • The highest bid a player can make is No Trump 7, meaning you think your team can win all 13 tricks without a trump suit.
    • The players on the other team become the defenders for the round and try to prevent the bidding team from reaching their contract.
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Section 3 of 6:

How to Play a Bridge Hand

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  1. The lead player is the defender sitting on the dealer’s left. To start the trick, the player chooses a card from their hand to play to the middle of the table. The suit of the card is known as the lead suit . [6]
    • The first player of a trick can lead any suit they want from their hand.
  2. After the first player leads the first card, the dummy player reveals their hand and places it face-up on the table. The dummy player doesn’t play any of their cards during the round. Instead, the declarer plays both their hand and the dummy hand. [7]
    • The dummy player can’t communicate with their teammate on which cards to play.
  3. Going clockwise around the table, each player must follow suit , meaning they have to play a card of the lead suit to the trick if they have one. If players don’t have any cards in the lead suit, then they can play any other card they want from their hand. [8]
    • Playing a trump card instead of the lead suit is known as ruffing .
    • Playing a card that’s not the lead or trump suit is known as sluffing .
    • If you’re the declarer, remember to choose a card from the dummy hand to add to each trick.
  4. After everyone plays a card to the trick, whoever put down the highest card in the trump suit wins it. If no one played a trump card, then the highest card in the lead suit wins. The winning player takes all the cards from the trick and places them in a face-down pile in front of them. [9]
    • Example: Trump is Diamonds. If the cards played were 10 of Clubs (lead), 9 of Clubs, Jack of Clubs, and 4 of Clubs, the player who put down the Jack is the winner.
    • Example: Trump is Clubs. If the cards played were 4 of Diamonds (lead), Ace of diamonds, 8 of Diamonds, and 2 of Clubs, the 2 of Clubs would win because it’s the trump suit.
  5. Whoever won the previous trick gets to play the lead card of the next trick. Keep playing tricks until no one has any cards left in their hand to finish out the round. [10]
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Section 4 of 6:

Scoring

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  1. Split a sheet of paper down the middle so there are 2 columns, and label them “We” and “They” for both teams. Draw a horizontal line through the middle of the columns to separate the top and bottom halves. [11]
  2. Count how many tricks the bidding team won and subtract 6 from the total. Then, score points for the remaining tricks based on the round’s trump suit and write the total down below the horizontal line on the score sheet. [12]
    • If the trump is a minor suit (Clubs or Diamonds), score 20 points per trick.
    • If the trump is a major suit (Hearts or Spades), earn 30 points per trick.
    • When there’s no trump suit, score 40 points for the first trick and 30 points for each additional trick.
    • If the bid was doubled, multiply the total score by 2. If it was redoubled, multiply it by 4 instead.
  3. Winning 12 tricks is a small slam and earns 500 bonus points and winning all 13 is a grand slam worth 1,000 points. Write any scores from slams above the horizontal line. [13]
  4. If a bidding team is able to win more tricks during the round than their contract, the extras are considered overtricks . Score 20 points per trick if the trump suit was Clubs or Diamonds, or 30 points for Hearts, Spades, or No Trump. Write the scores above the horizontal line. [14]
    • You cannot score overtricks if your bid was doubled or redoubled.
  5. When a bidding team wins fewer tricks than their contract, they suffer an undertrick penalty for the difference. The other team scores points depending on whether the bid was doubled or not. Mark the undertrick points above the horizontal line. [15]
    • If the bid was not doubled, then each undertrick scores 50 points.
    • If the bid was doubled, the first undertrick scores 100 points, the second and third score 200 points each, and every other undertrick after scores 300 points. If the bid was redoubled, then multiply the points by 2.
  6. If a player held the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 of the trump suit in their hand, then they earn 150 bonus points. If they only had 4 of the cards, then they score 100 points instead. Write down any honors bonuses above the horizontal line. [16]
    • During a No Trump round, a player may earn 150 bonus points if they hold all 4 aces in their hand.
    • Because scoring honors is based on luck, many players don’t use this scoring rule.
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Section 5 of 6:

Finishing & Winning the Game

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  1. The person to the left of the first dealer becomes the dealer for the next round. Take back all of the cards and shuffle them thoroughly. Then, deal them out evenly to all the players. [17]
    • If you win a game and become the bidding team again, your team is considered vulnerable . When you’re vulnerable, you score more points for slams and overtricks, but undertrick penalties are also higher.
      • A small slam scores 750 points and a grand slam scores 1500 points when you’re vulnerable.
      • Overtricks are still worth 20 or 30 points when you’re vulnerable, but are worth 200 points if they’re doubled or 400 points if they’re redoubled.
      • Penalties for the undoubled undertricks are 100 points each. If they’re doubled, then the first trick is 200 points and each trick after is 300 points. If they’re redoubled, then the first trick is worth 400 points and each one after is 600 points.
  2. Only your scores below the line count toward winning the game. Once a team reaches 100 points, draw a new horizontal line below the score to mark the end of the game. [18]
    • It’s possible to win a game in a single hand if you bid at least No Trump 3, Spades 4, Hearts 4, Clubs 5, or Diamonds 5.
    • When one team reaches 100 points, any points the other team scored below the line don’t count toward the next game.
  3. Bridge is usually played in rubbers which are best-of-3 matches. Start a new game right when you finish the first one, and keep score on the same sheet. Once a team wins their second game, total the scores for each team above and below the line. Whoever has the most points wins the game! [19]
    • When a player wins the second game of a rubber, they earn bonus points as well. If the opposing team didn’t win any games, then score 700 bonus points. If the other team won 1 game, then score 500 points instead.
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Section 6 of 6:

Bridge Strategy

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  1. High-card points (HCP) is an easy way for beginners to determine how good of a hand they have. Aces are worth 4 points, Kings are 3 points, Queens are 2 points, and Jacks are 1 point. Count the values of the cards in your hand and add them together. [20]
    • A bridge deck has a total of 40 HCP, and the average hand has 10 HCP. Typically, holding 15 or more HCP means you have a strong hand.
    • If you only have 2 cards of a suit in your hand, it’s called a doubleton and adds 1 point to your HCP.
    • If you only have 1 card of a suit, it’s considered a singleton and adds 2 points to the HCP.
    • If you have no cards of a suit, it’s called a void and gives you 3 points on your HCP.
  2. Since you can’t tell your partner what cards you have, bridge players use the opening bid to secretly convey the cards in their hand and the HCP they have. [21]
    • Bid No Trump 1 if you have 15-17 HCP and have a balanced distribution of suits, like 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2, 5-3-3-2, or 5-4-2-2.
    • Bid Hearts 1 or Spades 1 to communicate that you have 12 or more HCP and at least 5 cards in the bid suit.
    • Bid Clubs 1 or Diamonds 1 to tell your partner you have 12 or more HCP but don’t have 5 cards in a major suit.
  3. If you’re long in the trump suit and get to lead the trick, start by playing the lower-valued trumps from your hand. That way, players are forced to play the trump cards they have. When your opponents don’t have any more trump cards, you can easily win later tricks with the ones you have left in your hand. [22]
  4. If you’re playing as the declarer, then look for suits in your hand and the dummy hand where you have the most cards. Lead tricks with your longest suit to force other players to play their cards. Once they run out of that suit and trumps, you can lead with your long suit to easily win the trick. [23]
    • If you’re defending, lead with the third- or fourth-best card in your longest suit to draw out the declarer’s highest cards. Then, you can lead with your higher cards of the suit to win those tricks.
  5. As you play tricks, count the cards to see what other players still have in their hands. As the declarer, look over all the cards in your hand and the dummy hand and figure out what you’re missing. That way, you know to expect one of your opponents to play those cards.
    • Example: If you don’t see the Ace of the trump suit in your hand or the dummy hand, then an opponent must have it. Lead with lower cards in that suit to draw out the Ace before playing your higher-ranked cards.
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  • Question
    Do I have to cut the cards before dealing?
    Community Answer
    Yes, the player to the right of the dealer must cut a minimum of four cards.
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  • Question
    What will happen if a player does not follow suit despite having one in their hand?
    Community Answer
    It is called a revoke and there is a penalty assessed if noticed by another player. The penalty varies depending on whether you a playing house rules or the American Contract Bridge League rules.
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  • Question
    Is there a time limit between tricks?
    Community Answer
    No. There is a hand time limit of 7 minutes per hand. If only one of the pairs is delaying, you can call the director if playing duplicate. In social bridge, however, just ask the person to hurry up!
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      Tips

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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/auctionwhist/bridge.html
      2. ↑ https://www.bridgewebs.com/duplicatelite/BridgeBasicsHandout.pdf
      3. ↑ https://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Bridge(rulesforContactBridge).PDF
      4. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/auctionwhist/bridge.html
      5. ↑ https://www.bridgewebs.com/duplicatelite/BridgeBasicsHandout.pdf
      6. ↑ https://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Bridge(rulesforContactBridge).PDF
      7. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/auctionwhist/bridge.html
      8. ↑ https://www.bridgewebs.com/duplicatelite/BridgeBasicsHandout.pdf
      9. ↑ https://www.bridgewebs.com/duplicatelite/BridgeBasicsHandout.pdf
      1. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/auctionwhist/bridge.html
      2. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/auctionwhist/bridge.html
      3. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/auctionwhist/bridge.html
      4. ↑ https://kwbridge.com/scoring.pdf
      5. ↑ https://kwbridge.com/scoring.pdf
      6. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/auctionwhist/bridge.html
      7. ↑ https://kwbridge.com/scoring.pdf
      8. ↑ https://kwbridge.com/scoring.pdf
      9. ↑ https://kwbridge.com/scoring.pdf
      10. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/auctionwhist/bridge.html
      11. ↑ https://www.princeton.edu/~bridge/Beginner_Bridge_Book.pdf
      12. ↑ https://kwbridge.com/opening.htm
      13. ↑ https://fgbradleys.com/wp-content/uploads/rules/Beginners%20Bridge.pdf
      14. ↑ https://www.princeton.edu/~bridge/Beginner_Bridge_Book.pdf

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      Bridge is a card game played by 4 players split into 2 teams. The goal of the game is to take as many tricks, or sets of 4 cards, as possible, until one team scores 100 points. Scores are tallied beneath a horizontal bar on a cross-shaped scorecard, so scoring points is called scoring “below the line." Two games must be won in order to finish a match, called a “rubber.” All points are calculated at the end of the match to determine the overall winner. To begin each round, teammates sit across from one another, and the dealer distributes 13 cards to each player. Players then arrange their cards in ascending or descending order by suit. Then, starting with the player to the left of the dealer, players take turns bidding on the number of tricks that they think their team will win. Bidding starts automatically at 6 tricks, so a bid of “1” means that the bidding player thinks their team will take 7 tricks in a round. In addition to the number of tricks, the bidding player must declare a suit to be the trump suit for the round, so a bid of “3 spades” means that the bidding team must win 9 tricks to win the round and that spades will be the highest suit. Each player at the table takes turns bidding, going clockwise. When bidding, each consecutive bid must be higher than the previous bid in either number or suit. The order of the suits, from lowest to highest, are clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades, and no trump. No trump means that spades, diamonds, hearts, and clubs are all equal and no single suit trumps another. Players can also bid “double,” which means that the previous bid will be worth twice as many points, or “redouble,” which means the previous bid will be worth 4 times as many points. Bids of double or redouble are ignored if another player bids afterwards. You can also say “pass,” to skip your bid. Once 3 consecutive players have passed, bidding is closed. The last player to make a legal bid before 3 passes occur becomes the winning bidder. The team that loses the bid becomes the defending team, and cannot score below the line in that round. The player to the left of the player that won the bid plays their first card. Then, the winning bidder’s partner lays their cards face up on the table and becomes the “dummy,” which means they are not playing for the round. The player that won the bid selects a card from the dummy’s hand, and players take alternating turns playing 1 card from their hand until every player has played a card. The winner of a trick is the player that played the highest card in the suit, or the highest trump card. Players must follow the opening suit unless they no longer have a card in the suit being played. The trump suit is higher than the other suits at the table, so on a bid of 1 spade, the 2 of spades would trump any heart, diamond or club, and can only be beat by playing a higher spade. The winning player in a round collects the trick and places it face-down in a pile in front of them before starting the next trick. At the end of the round, each team counts the number of tricks they’ve won to determine the score. Scoring is modified based on the winning bid. If the winning bid was in hearts or spades, each trick is worth 30 points. If the winning bid is in diamonds or clubs, each trick is worth 20 points. The first trick in no trump is worth 40 points, and every additional trick is worth 30 points. You do not get points for the first 6 tricks that you win. So if a team bids 4 hearts and successfully takes 10 tricks, they are awarded 120 points, since they get 30 points each for the 4 tricks. Points awarded for successfully reaching your opening bid are scored below the horizontal line on your scoresheet. If a team wins more tricks than they bid, any additional trick is scored above the line with the same point values. Once a team scores 100 points below the line, they win the game and an additional line is drawn underneath it to indicate that a new game is starting. Each team’s score below the line resets at 0. When a team has won a game, they are “vulnerable,” which means that the penalty for failing to reach the contract bid is doubled. When a team fails to reach the contract bid, they are penalized 50 points for each trick under the contract if they’re not vulnerable, and 100 points for each trick if they’re vulnerable. These points are scored above the line. All point values are doubled or multiplied by 4 if a bid was doubled or redoubled before the bidding closed. When 2 games are won below the line and a team completes the rubber, the winning team is awarded 500 points above the line. Then, points above and below the line are added together to determine each team’s final score. The winning team is the team with the most points. If you want to learn strategies on how to win bridge, keep reading the article!

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