Sitting around the table, the player directly opposite you is your partner for the game. Each seat is assigned a cardinal direction, so North and South are one partnership, and East and West are the other.
Draw a Bridge scoring table on your paper.
| Round | Bid | (N/S) | (E/W) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ____ | ____ | ||
| ____ | ____ | ||
| ____ | ____ | ||
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| Total |
The table is divided into four areas, the left/right sides for either team, and the top/bottom sides for bonus points and trick points respectively.
Choose a dealer by whichever means. The dealer deals 13 cards to each player.
Cards rank (from low to high): 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A.
Suits rank (from low-to-high): No Trump-Spades-Hearts-Diamonds-Clubs.
Starting with the player left of the dealer, each player, in turn, makes a bid for the amount of tricks they and their partner think they can make (starting at 6), and a trump suit. Each subsequent bid must be higher than the previous. Players may also pass bidding if they wish. Passing does not remove the player from the bidding round.
Example: Alice (West) bids 1 Heart, meaning Alice thinks Charlie (East) and her can win 7 tricks, with Hearts as the trump. Bob then cannot bid 1 Club, but can bid 2 Clubs, 2 Hearts, or 1 Spades.
If a player believes that one of the opposing players has bid too high, they may pass and call 'double', which increases the trick and penalty points for the round. After a 'double', the next player may 'redouble', further increasing points. 'Redoubles' are only possible directly after a 'double'.
Once three consequtive players have passed, bidding stops. The winner of the contract is the player who made the highest bid and is now the declarer. In order to win the round, the declarer's partnership must win at least the amount of tricks specified by the contract, with the suit being the round's trump.
Example: Bob (North) wins the bid with 4 Hearts, meaning he and David (South) must win 10 tricks, with Hearts as the trump. Bob is then the declarer for the round.
Play begins with the player left of the declarer placing 1 card in the center; leading the trick. The next player (opposite the declarer) then lays their hand down face up for everyone to see. This is known as the dummy hand. For the duration of the round, the declarer may play from their own hand, or the dummy hand.
Every player must, if possible, follow the lead suit. If a player cannot play the lead suit, they may play any card. Each player plays 1 card.
The winner of the trick is the player who played the highest card. Cards in the trump suit beat cards in the turn suit, which beats cards in the other suits. If two or more trump or turn suits are played, the higher card wins.
Example: With the trump suit as Hearts, Bob, Charlie, David, and Alice plays 7♣, J♣, 4♦, Q♠ respectively. The winner is Charlie, as they played the highest turn suit. If instead the trump suit was Diamonds, the winner would be David, as they played the trump suit.
The winner of the trick takes the cards and places them face down to one side to keep score. The player who wins the trick leads the next.
Play continues until all cards have been played.
A match of bridge is played over 3 games; best 2 out of 3. Once a team has won two games, the match is over. Matches only advance to the next game if the winning partnership scores 100 or more points. If the winning team scored under 100 points, another round is played. The points are not carried over between rounds but do count towards the final total.
There are a few stages to scoring in Bridge. On the score sheet, trick points are placed in the winning team's trick area, bonuses are placed in the winning team's bonus area, and penalties are placed in the losing team's bonus area.
Each team also has a status: Vulnerable, and Not Vulnerable. A team is Vulnerable if they have 1 game win. Otherwise, they are Not Vulnerable. Vulnerable teams are subject to higher bonuses and penalties.
For each trick over 6 that a team wins:
| Trump suit | Points | Doubled |
|---|---|---|
| Diamonds/Clubs | 20 for each | 40 for each |
| Spades/Hearts | 30 for each | 60 for each |
| No Trump on 1st | 40 | 80 |
| No Trump on Add'l | 30 for each | 60 for each |
For each trick over the contracted/bid amount (overtrick):
| Trump suit | Points |
|---|---|
| Diamonds/Clubs | 20 for each |
| No Trump/Spades/Hearts | 30 for each |
...if the contract is doubled/redoubled:
| Status | Doubled | Redoubled |
|---|---|---|
| Vulnerable | 200 | 400 |
| Not Vulnerable | 100 | 200 |
If a team bids and wins 6 tricks to win 12 (a small slam):
| Status | Points |
|---|---|
| Vulnerable | 750 |
| Not Vulnerable | 500 |
If a team bids and wins 7 tricks to win 13 (a grand slam):
| Status | Points |
|---|---|
| Vulnerable | 1500 |
| Not Vulnerable | 1000 |
If a team wins the match 2-0, they earn 700. If a team wins the match 2-1, they earn 500.
If a team win a doubled contract, they earn 50.
For each trick under the contracted/bid amount (undertrick):
| Status | Points |
|---|---|
| Vulnerable | 100 |
| Not Vulnerable | 50 |
...if the contract is doubled/redoubled:
| Status | Doubled | Redoubled |
|---|---|---|
| Vulnerable on 1st | 200 | 400 |
| Vulnerable on Add'l | 300 | 600 |
| Not Vulnerable on 1st | 100 | 200 |
| Not Vulnerable on Add'l | 200 | 400 |