Bridge is a partnership game played at a table with four players using a shuffled deck of 52 cards. Each player is dealt 13 cards. Bridge is a trick-taking game. In the play, each player will play a single card to each "trick" and the highest ranking card will win the trick. The basic object of the game is to win tricks for your side.

Before the play of the cards, there is a phase called the "auction" or the "bidding" that will set the stage for three key aspects of the play: 1) which side will undertake a goal to make a certain number of tricks, 2) whether there will be a special suit called the trump suit that can beat cards in any of the other suits, 3) and what the trick goal will be. The player who dealt the cards gets to go first in the auction and may make a "bid" for the dealer's side to win a certain number of tricks with a designated suit as trumps. Alternatively, the dealer may pass. The bidding proceeds counter-clockwise, with each player choosing to make bid or to pass. Each bid must either be a bid to take a higher number of tricks than the last bid stated or must be a bid to take the same number of tricks but with a higher ranking suit as trumps or without a trump suit. The bidding proceeds until there have been three successive passes and the last legal bid then determines those three key aspects for the play: 1) which side will try to meet the trick goal, 2) what the trump suit will be, if any, 3) and what the trick goal is.

From the side that won the auction, the first player who made a bid in whatever will be the trump suit or in "no trump," if there is no trump suit, becomes the "declarer." The opponent to the left of declarer may lead any card to start the play of the first trick. After the opening lead, declarer's partner places all of their cards face-up on the table and becomes "dummy." Thereafter, declarer will designate which cards will be played from dummy. Play proceeds clockwise, with each player contributing one card to the trick. If a player has one or more cards in the suit that was led, they must play a card in that suit. If a player has no cards in the suit that was led, they may play any card from another suit. Whoever wins the trick will lead to start the next trick. Play continues in this way until all 13 tricks have been completed. A score for the deal is achieved based on what the trick goal was and whether it was achieved.

The cards are then shuffled, the player to the left of the previous dealer deals the cards, and the new dealer makes the first call in the auction for the new deal. This process continues until the players have played however many deals they want to play.

The form of bids and their ranking

Each bid contains two parts. The first states the trick goal. In bridge, the trick goal is stated as the number of tricks *beyond* the first six. The second part of the bid states the trump suit, if any, that the bidder proposes for the play of that deal. A bid of 1♠ , for instance, nominally means that I think our side can make 7 tricks with spades as trumps. 2NT nominally means that I think our side can make 8 tricks without a trump suit.

Each bid must be "higher" than the last legal bid. That means it either has to be for a higher number of tricks or it has to be for the same number of tricks but in a higher ranking suit or in notrump. The lowest ranking suit is clubs, then diamonds, then hearts, then spades. No trump outranks all of the suits. If the last legal bid was 1♥ , for instance, I may now bid 1♠  or 1NT, but if I want to make a bid in clubs, I must bid for more tricks by bidding 2♣  or some higher number of clubs.

The "real" meaning of bids

Since the last bid of an auction determines what the contract is, it has to be a genuine offer to make a certain number of tricks with a designated trump suit or without a trump suit, but the earlier bids in an auction generally have other meanings that are part of the bidding language through which a partnership can assess their high card and potential trump suit assets and reach a joint decision as to what the best contract will be.

Key terms

Auction - the bidding phase of the game that will set the stage for the play by determining which side will try to meet a trick goal, what that goal is, and what the trump suit is, if any

Bid - a statement that is nominally a commitment to make a certain trick goal with a designated suit as trumps or without a trump suit

Contract - the more formal name for trick goal

Declarer - the player from the side that won the auction who will play the cards for declarer's side and try to reach the trick goal

Dummy - declarer's partner, whose cards will be placed face up on the table after the opening lead

Trick goal - a goal for the number of tricks taken that is stated as part of a legal bid and that must be met during the play in order to receive a positive score

Trump - the suit that has been specified as the trump suit for that deal as a result of the auction

No trump - a bid to undertake a trick goal without any trump suit

FAQ (email me your question if you have one!)

     Why is there a dummy?

If all four hands were concealed, it would be very hard for either side to assess what their best card-playing strategy would be. With the dummy placed face up, declarer can see all of their side's assets and can plan the strategy for the play. The defender's can't see each others' hands, but it is still a great help for them to be able to see the dummy, too. With all four hands face up (a great way to start, when you're first learning, some key strategic elements of the game would be rendered unnecessary. With all four hands concealed, the card play would be extremely difficult to plan! Having one hand face up as dummy strikes a great compromise.

     Are there calls other than pass and the 35 bids ranging from 1♣ to 7NT?

Yes. When you are first learning, I recommend you not worry about them and exactly what they mean, but there are two other calls. One is "double," which nominally means "I don't think you can make that contract and I want to increase the penalties when you fail." The second is "redouble," which nominally means "I think I *can* make my contract and I want to increase the bonuses when I succeed."