Bridge For Dummies

by Eddie Kantar

Overview

Try a hand at bridge—and outsmart your opponents

Bridge is the most popular card game in the world—and, as any player will tell you, is simply the best card game ever. Whether you're new to the game or a long-time player looking for new tricks, this new edition of Bridge For Dummies walks you through the intricacies of the game and arms you with tried-and-true tips and strategies for being a better player and beating your opponents from the very first draw.

Covering not only traditional contract bridge, but other popular variations of the game—including ACOL, Rubber, and Duplicate Bridge—this hands-on, friendly guide takes the guesswork out of this beloved game and arms you with the knowledge and know-how to make your game mates your minions. From knowing when and how high to bid to bringing home the tricks when you end up in a trump contract, it'll take your bridge skills to the next level in no time!

• Strategize with your bridge partner
• Confidently play bridge in clubs and tournaments
• Use basic and advanced bidding techniques
• Find bridge clubs and tournaments all over the world

Are you ready to trump the competition? Success is a page away with the help of Bridge For Dummies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781119247821
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	05/31/2016
Series:	For Dummies Books
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	44,345
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Eddie Kantar is a Grand Master in the World Bridge Federation and a two-time world bridge champion. He wrote Complete Defensive Play, a book listed as a top ten all-time bridge favorite, and is the author of the first three editions of Bridge For Dummies.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part 1: Getting Started with Basic Notrump Play 7

CHAPTER 1: Going to Bridge Boot Camp 9

CHAPTER 2: Counting and Taking Sure Tricks 19

CHAPTER 3: Using Winning Trick Techniques at Notrump Play 27

CHAPTER 4: Outsmarting Your Opponents at Notrump Play 45

Part 2: Playing the Hand in a Trump Contract 63

CHAPTER 5: Introducing Trump Suits 65

CHAPTER 6: Creating Extra Winners to Discard Losers 81

CHAPTER 7: Setting Up the Dummy’s Long Suit 91

CHAPTER 8: Getting Rid of Losers by Using the Dummy’s Trump Cards 103

Part 3: Bidding for Fun and Profit 111

CHAPTER 9: Starting with Bidding Basics 113

CHAPTER 10: Making a Successful Opening Bid 123

CHAPTER 11: Responding to an Opening Bid 147

CHAPTER 12: Rebidding by the Opener 181

CHAPTER 13: Rebidding by the Responder 207

Part 4: Forging Ahead with Advanced Bidding Techniques 229

CHAPTER 14: Creating Interference: Defensive Bidding 231

CHAPTER 15: Double Trouble: Doubling and Redoubling 249

CHAPTER 16: Hitting Hard: Slam Bidding 267

Part 5: Playing a Strong Defense and Keeping Score 279

CHAPTER 17: Defending against Notrump Contracts 281

CHAPTER 18: Defending against Trump Contracts 299

CHAPTER 19: Playing Second Hand on Defense 317

CHAPTER 20: Wrapping Up with Scorekeeping 329

Part 6: Feeding Your Addiction to Bridge 345

CHAPTER 21: Joining Bridge Clubs and the Tournament World 347

CHAPTER 22: Playing Bridge on Your Computer and Online 357

Part 7: The Part of Tens 363

CHAPTER 23: Ten Ways to Be a Better Bridge Partner 365

CHAPTER 24: Ten Great Bridge Resources 369

Appendix: Acol Bidding System 375

Index 389

Interviews

Cheat Sheet for Bridge For Dummies

From Bridge For Dummies, 3rd Edition by Eddie Kantar

Arguably, bridge is the greatest card game ever. It not only is a lifelong friend, it also enables you to make lifelong friends because it's a partnership game. From the four phases of playing a bridge hand to some expert advice on bidding, this Cheat Sheet helps you get started with playing bridge and then refine your game to increase your chances of winning.

The Four Phases of a Bridge Hand
Each hand of bridge is divided into four phases, which always occur in the same order: dealing, bidding for tricks, playing the hand, and scoring.

1. Dealing
Someone (anyone) shuffles the deck, and then each player takes one card and places it face-up on the table. The player with the highest card is the dealer. He shuffles the cards and hands them to the player to his right, who cuts them and returns them to the dealer. The cards are dealt one at a time, starting with the player to the dealer's left and moving in a clockwise rotation until each player has 13 cards.

2. Bidding for tricks
In this phase, players bid for the number of tricks they think they can take. (It's like being at an auction.) Because each player has 13 cards, 13 tricks must be fought over and won in each hand. The bidding starts with the dealer and moves to his left in a clockwise rotation. Each player gets a chance to bid, and a player can either bid or pass when it's his turn. The least you can bid is for seven tricks, and the maximum you can bid is for all 13. The bidding goes around and around the table, with each player either bidding or passing until three players in a row say "Pass" after some bid has been made.

3. Playing the hand
The player who buys the contract, determined by the bidding, is called the declarer. The declarer is the one who will play the hand. The player seated to the left of the declarer puts down the first card face up in the middle of the table; this is the opening lead. The play moves clockwise. The next player, the dummy, places her cards face-up on the table in four vertical rows, one row for each suit, and completely bows out of the action. In other words, only three people are playing.

Once the lead is on the table, the declarer plays any card from dummy in the suit that was led; third hand does the same, and fourth hand, the declarer, also does the same. Whoever has played the highest card in the suit wins the trick and leads any card in any suit desired to the next trick. The same process goes on for all 13 tricks. The rule is you have to follow suit if you have a card in the suit that has been led. If you don't have a card in that suit, you can throw away (discard) any card you wish from another suit, usually some worthless card. After 13 tricks have been played, each team counts up the number of tricks it has won.

4. Scoring
After the smoke clears and the tricks are counted, you know soon enough whether the declarer's team made its contract by taking at least the number of tricks they bid. You then register the score. The deal moves in a clockwise manner; the player to the left of the person who has dealt the previous hand deals the next one.

Bidding Tips for Winning Bridge Games

In bridge, bidding is considered the most important aspect of the game. It's a given that a good bidder equals a winning bridge player. Here are a few bidding tips to start you off:
• Before opening, add your high card points (HCP): Ace = 4, King = 3, Queen = 2, Jack = 1. With 12 or more HCP, open the bidding.
• To open 1♥ or 1♠, you need at least five cards in the suit.
• With two five-card suits, open in the higher-ranking suit first. The rank of the suits, from highest to lowest, is spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs.
• With two four-card suits, one a major (hearts or spades), one a minor (diamonds or clubs), open in the minor. With two four-card minors, open 1♦.
• Open 1NT with 15 to 17 HCP plus a balanced hand (no voids, singletons, or two doubletons).
• If your partner opens, pass with fewer than 6 HCP. With 6 or more HCP, bid your longest suit at the one level, if possible. Responding at the two level in a new suit requires 11 or more HCP. A response of 1NT shows 6 to 10 HCP and denies a four-card major if your partner opens 1♣ or 1♦.
• Supporting your partner's first bid major suit requires three or more cards in the suit; supporting any second bid suit requires four or more cards in the suit.
• A primary objective in bidding is to locate an eight-card or longer major suit fit between your hand and your partner's.

Bridge Etiquette: Bidding Do's and Don'ts

In bridge, bidding is an exchange of information. During bidding, you're trying to telegraph details about your cards to your partner. Your first impulse may be to develop some special bidding conventions that only you and your partner know. According to the rules of the game, however, you can't have any bidding secrets with your partner; the same goes for your opponents. So even though the opponents may be bidding their heads off, you at least will know what their bids mean.

Here are some tips to help you keep your bidding on the straight and narrow:
• Do try to use the minimum number of words possible when you bid. If you want to pass, say just one word: "Pass." If you want to bid 3♣, say "Three clubs." No more, no less.
• Do be careful about how you use your voice. You may be tempted to bid softly if you have a weak hand or loudly if you have a strong one. Remember to keep all your bids at the same decibel level.
• Don't use body language. If your partner makes a bid you don't like, don't throw any looks across the table and don't use any negative body language. If your partner makes a bid that you do like, you also must refrain from any telltale signs of glee.
• Don't give in to emotional reactions or breakdowns, no matter what happens during the bidding. Bridge is too great a game to mess it up with illegal signals, so keep an even keel.

Points Scored by Making Your Contract in Bridge

This handy table for bridge players shows how many points you score if you make your contract. Your bridge score depends upon which suit you end up in (including notrump) and how many tricks you take. For example, if spades are trumps and you bid for 8 tricks and you take exactly 8 tricks, read across the spade line to see that you scored 60 points. If you don't make your contract, you don't have to worry about this table because you don't score any points, the opponents do!

Note: Game = 100 points. There are bonuses for bidding and for making 100 points or more on one hand.

Tricks Taken	7      8       9      10     11      12     13
Notrump	40    70    100   130   160   190   220
Spades	30    60    90     120   150   180   210
Hearts	30    60    90     120   150   180   210
Diamonds	20    40    60     80     100   120   140
Clubs	20    40    60     80     100   120   140

Editorial Reviews

"For the beginner or near-beginner, the revised Bridge for Dummies  by Eddie Kantar is the best choice." (The New York Times, December 16, 2006)

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