Bridge

Bridge is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards, played by four players in two competing partnerships.

In contract bridge you always play with a partner against another pair. All the 52 cards are dealt out, each player receiving 13 cards.

For most recreational players, bridge is simply an interesting and fun game that never gets boring and is always challenging. However, with practice and experience, any person with a good memory can, during the course of a game, pretty much work out who holds which cards.

What makes bridge different from many other card games is its bidding system. Bidding often takes up half of a game, while the other half comprises the actual playing of the cards. The side that “wins” the bidding is contracting to take a certain number of tricks in the play, and will be rewarded in the scoring if they do so, but punished if they fail.

We teach the Acol bidding system.

In a typical session of play there may be 16 tables (so 32 pairs playing). All pairs play the same boards over the session (a “board” is a deal of the cards) and then their scores are compared on each board. Interestingly you don't have to be in a contract to do well — if you can restrict your opponents on a board while others in the same position on other tables don’t defend as well, then you will score highly. Consequently being dealt a poor hand isn’t a penalty, the skill is in the bidding and playing whatever your cards.