Like most hobbies the game of bridge has some jargon associated with it. Learning the basic bridge definitions is one of the first skills a new bridge player will master.
Bridge players seem to love rules with numbers. The Rule of 7 is one of the least know rules, yet it is easy to learn and easy to apply. You might wonder why I’m writing a whole post about a rule that almost no-one has heard of? … Read the rest
The Stayman convention is one of the first conventions that all beginning bridge players learn, but have you ever wondered how it got its name? (If you don’t know how and when to use the convention – click Stayman Convention.)… Read the rest
The most common form of finessing is leading a low card from one hand, hoping to win the trick with the high card in the other hand. (You are playing declarer and dummy)
Example:
Imagine the cards in the suit you want to play are distributed like this:
Can you make a trick with the king?… Read the rest
The Stayman convention is one of the first things you learn when you are starting to play bridge. It is used after partner has made a bid of No Trumps.
As a general rule it is usually better to play in a major suit contract (spades or hearts) than to play in No Trumps, but only if you can find an 8 card fit between you.… Read the rest
Fourth suit forcing is a bridge convention. It is used to help you find the right contract, including finding 5-3 major suit fits and finding a stopper for No Trumps. It is used when you are responder and have 11+ points and:
If your opening partner changes suit again after your change of suit you might not have enough information to decide on the contract. … Read the rest
The Rule of 20 is one of the techniques you will learn when learning how to bid in bridge. It is used in just one situation – when deciding if your hand is suitable for opening the bidding. As a general rule, a hand should contain 12 or more high card points (HCP) if you are going to open the bidding. … Read the rest
Before you start bidding in a game of bridge you have to start by working out the points value of your hand. You do this by adding up the High Card Points (HCP) value of your hand. It’s easy to do, you count:
4 points for each ace you hold, 3 points for each king, 2 points for each queen and 1 point for each jack.… Read the rest
This is an important definition. If you are opening the bidding, knowing whether your hand is balanced or unbalanced can be key to deciding your opening bid.
What is a Balanced Hand in bridge?
There are four suits in a pack of cards – spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs.… Read the rest
Who’s who in a game of bridge? Like all hobbies and sports, there is a lot of jargon that players need to learn. Here is some of the basic jargon explained.
A game of bridge requires four people. The game is played in pairs. … Read the rest
