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How to Learn Bridge: Tips for Beginners

Bridge is a card game that requires skill, strategy, and patience. If you're a beginner, it can seem daunting to learn all the rules and strategies involved in playing this game. However, with the right resources and guidance, you can become a skilled bridge player in no time. Here are some tips on how to learn bridge:

Using bridge learning resources, you can gradually learn the game and gain the skills necessary to play. One of the best bridge notes is published by the ACBL. You can acess bridge notes from here. 

Watching instructional videos is one of the most popular ways to learn bridge. If you're interested in learning bridge, you can access my beginner-level bridge videos here.

You can take online or in-person bridge lessons. You can reach out to bridge clubs in your city for lessons or seek online tutors. I have been providing online and in-person bridge lessons for many years. You can contact me here with any questions you have.

Learning bridge may take some time and effort, but it's a rewarding game that can improve your cognitive skills and social interactions. By utilizing these resources, you can start your journey towards becoming a skilled bridge player.


Cards

Bridge is played with a standard 52-card deck (no jokers)

There are four suits in the deck – spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. That order is important because the suits are ranked in bridge. Spades are the most valuable part of the deck, then hearts, then diamonds and finally clubs, which are least valuable.

Just as the suits are ranked, the cards within a suit are also ranked. The card with the highest rank is the Ace, followed by the “face cards” (King, Queen, Jack). These four cards together are called the “honor cards.”

After the honor cards come the number cards. These are pretty easy to sort – just 10 to 2 in numerical order.

How good is my hand?

In bridge the strength of your hand comes from two main sources: high-card points and long suits.

Counting your high-card points is pretty straightforward – as with most things, there will be some nuance along the way.

High-card points (HCP):

There are 40 high-card points in a deck.

Now that you have added your high-card points, let’s see if your suit lengths can add more value.

Length:


In most cases an odd number of cards will divide as evenly as possible. When you have a suit with more than four cards, you get to add some value to your hand.

Add your high-card points and length points to determine your hand’s value.


What is a Trick?

Four cards played in rotation after a card has been led by the player whose turn it was to lead (i.e., play first).

To put it a little more simply, the first card played in a trick is called a “lead”. Each player going clockwise from the “leader” then plays a card to the trick. The rules of the game require you to play a card in the same suit as the led suit if you can. (This is called “following suit.”). Someone’s card will outrank everyone else’s, and that card wins the trick for the partnership (N-S or E-W).

There are 13 tricks up for grabs in a game of bridge. The placement of the played card after the trick will allow you to keep track of how many tricks you won or lost.

At the completion of a trick each player will place their card face down on the table in front of themself. The cards are placed either horizontally or vertically. If your side wins the trick, the card is placed vertically (“pointing” towards you and your partner). If your side loses the trick, the card is placed horizontally (“pointing” towards the opponents).

When playing in a notrump contract (again, decided during the auction), a long suit can mean taking a lot of tricks, even with a card as small as a two. If you are the only person with clubs and you lead with a club, you’ll win the trick. This can also be the case in a suit contract if your opponents don’t have any trump cards left.

This can also be the case in a suit contract if your opponents have no trump cards left.

Bidding (Auction)

The auction determines the “goal” (contract) for each deal in bridge. The auction is the bidding sequence of the players at the table. And bidding is the language of bridge.

Unlike most languages, bidding only has a few words, the basics are easy to learn, and you’ll be able to have conversations with your partner right away. Some conversations with your partner will be short, sweet and to the point. Some will be longer, full of questions that can lead to clarity or could possibly be misunderstood. Misunderstandings at the bridge table often lead to hilarious stories after the game. Either way a game of bridge is always fun.

How it works:

The auction is made up of both bids and calls.

Bids are composed of a number (1-7) and a suit (Notrump, ♠, ♥, ♦, ♣).

Calls are Pass, Double and Redouble.

Bids must be made according to the hierarchy of suits: clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades and finally notrump.

If 1♣ is the opening bid, the next hand to bid must bid at least 1♦, the next hand at least 1♥ and so on. If dealer were to open 1♠, the next bid would have to be 1NT or 2♣, 2♦ or 2♥.

The dealer makes the first call, either a pass or a bid.

The auction proceeds clockwise until it is ended by three successiveplayers saying “Pass.”

The bid preceding the three passes is the final contract.

Jim bids 1♥, Robert passes, Iris bids 1♠, Sue passes, Jim bids 2♠, Robert passes again, Iris bids 4♠, Sue passes again as do Jim and Robert. The Auction is over, and the contract is 4♠. Jim and Iris have contracted to take 10 tricks with spades as trump.