Bridge Rules: a simple beginner’s guide

Bridge is one of the world’s most famous and strategic card games.
It is played by four players divided into two partnerships and requires logic, memory and teamwork.

Required materials

To play bridge you need:

• a standard 52-card deck
• 4 players
• a card table

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Goal of the game

The objective is to win as many tricks as possible while respecting the contract declared during the bidding phase.

How the game works

Bridge consists of two main phases:

1. Bidding

Players declare how many tricks they believe they can win with their partner.

During this phase players establish:

• the number of tricks
• the trump suit or no-trump game

2. Playing the hand

After bidding, the actual play begins.

Each player places one card on the table and the highest card of the suit led wins the trick.

Suits ranking in bridge

In bridge, suits follow a specific order:

1. No Trump
2. Spades ♠
3. Hearts ♥
4. Diamonds ♦
5. Clubs ♣

What is a trick?

A trick is made of 4 cards:

• one card from each player

The trick is won by:

• the highest card of the suit led
  or
• a trump card if one is played.

Practical example

Cards played:

• A♠
• K♠
• 10♠
• 4♠

The trick is won by the Ace of Spades.