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Contract Bridge is a fun and smart card game played by four players. It is a game of bidding and tricks, where the goal is to win as many tricks as you can to score points. The players are split into two teams of two people. Each player sits across from their teammate. For example, North-South plays against East-West.
You only need one standard 52-card deck to play, but using two decks can help speed things up.
How the Game Works
Bridge is played in hands, and each hand has two parts:
- The Auction
In this part, players bid based on how strong they think their cards are. The bids tell others how many tricks they think they can win and what suit (like Hearts or Spades) will be the trump suit. - The Play
After the bidding, the play begins. Players try to win tricks based on the contract (the final bid). One team will try to meet the contract, and the other team will try to stop them.
After the hand is done, points are given based on who won and whether the contract was made or not. The game continues with more hands.
Scoring and Winning
- If a team scores enough points, they win a game.
- If a team wins two games, they win a rubber (a full match).
- In Duplicate Bridge, each hand is scored on its own, and rubbers are not used.
The Deal
One player is the dealer. The dealer shuffles the deck and deals 13 cards to each player, one card at a time going clockwise. Players sort their cards by suit and rank. Aces are highest, 2s are lowest. Suits (Hearts, Clubs, Spades, Diamonds) matter for bidding but not during play every suit is equal once the bidding is done unless a trump suit is chosen.
After the hand is finished, the next player clockwise becomes the dealer. The game continues with new hands.
If you’re playing with two decks, while one hand is being played, the other deck can be shuffled for the next hand. This helps the game move faster.
Tips to Make Your Game Fun and Smooth
- Always sit across from your teammate.
- Keep your cards organized by suit and in order from high to low.
- Try to learn the basic bidding rules, but don’t worry practice makes perfect.
- If you’re new, start with friendly games before joining tournaments.
- Use two decks if you want to speed things up.
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