THE LADDER
One to seven, clubs to no trumps
A bid names 1 to 7 odd tricks (tricks over six) and a denomination. Clubs rank lowest, then diamonds, hearts, spades and no trumps at the top. Each new bid must outrank the last.
Size a contractBefore a card is played, the table holds an auction.
Each bid names a number of tricks and a trump suit, or no trumps. Partners use the auction to describe their hands, and the last bid standing becomes the contract they must make.
- Tricks over six
- Higher bids outrank
- Three passes end it
- The auction in three rules
THE SHORT ANSWER
A bid names tricks
and a trump suit.
Under the Laws of Duplicate Bridge,
every bid has the same simple shape.
THE CONTRACT
Three passes end it
When a bid is followed by three passes in a row, the auction is over and that bid becomes the contract. If all four players pass at the start, the hand is not played.
See the numbers
THE CONVERSATION
No secret codes
Partners may agree what their bids mean, but the Laws say each partnership must make those agreements available to the opponents. In EBU events that means a system card.
Where to start
FOUR STEPS FOR A BEGINNER
Learning to bid,
the English way.
The English Bridge Union says the basics can be learned comfortably over a weekend; duplicate takes longer and depends on practice.
Count your points
The usual high-card count gives ace 4, king 3, queen 2 and jack 1. There are 40 points in the whole pack.
Learn Acol
The EBU's Bridge for All course teaches Acol, which it calls the most common bidding system in England and recommends for beginners.
Know the basic openings
On the Bridge for All foundation card, one of a suit shows 12 to 19 points with at least four cards, and 1 no trump shows a balanced 12 to 14.
Bring a system card
In EBU-licensed duplicate events, both partners are expected to have a completed system card that explains their bidding.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
A short ladder,
a clear finish line.
One figure on how many bids exist,
one on what counts as a game.
35 bids
Different bids in the whole auction
Seven levels times five denominations gives 35 possible bids, from 1 club up to 7 no trumps. Pass, double and redouble are calls, not bids.
THE LADDER · LAW 18
100 points
Trick points that make a game
A trick score of 100 or more on one board is a game; less is a partscore. Making a game earns a premium of 300, or 500 if vulnerable, against 50 for a partscore.
GAME · LAW 77
The first Laws of Duplicate Bridge were published in 1928. The current edition took effect in March 2017 and is issued by the World Bridge Federation.
SIZE A CONTRACT
How many tricks
does it need?
Pick a final contract to see how many of the 13 tricks the declaring side must win and what it scores if made. The bar shows how much of the hand it demands.
Trick values from Law 77 of the Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2017: clubs and diamonds 20 a trick, hearts and spades 30, no trumps 40 for the first trick and 30 after. 100 trick points or more is a game.
DOUBLE AND REDOUBLE
Raising
the stakes.
A player may double only the opponents' last bid, and the correct form is the single word Double. The doubled side may then redouble. Both change the score, not the number of tricks needed.
Doubling doubles the trick values and raises the penalties for going down: not vulnerable, the first doubled undertrick costs 100 points instead of 50. Making a doubled contract adds a bonus of 50, or 100 if redoubled.
In conversation
Questions people ask
What does a bid of 2 hearts mean?
It promises that your side will win two odd tricks, eight in total, with hearts as trumps, if it becomes the contract. A bid always counts tricks over six.
Which suits are higher in the auction?
From the top the order is no trumps, spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs. A new bid must name more tricks, or the same number in a higher denomination.
When does the bidding stop?
When a bid is followed by three consecutive passes. That bid becomes the contract. If all four players pass without bidding, the hand is thrown in and not played.
Is pass a bid?
No. The Laws call pass, double and redouble calls, not bids. Only a number plus a denomination is a bid.
Can partners use private signals?
No. Partnerships may agree what their bids mean, but they must disclose those agreements to the opponents, for example on a system card.
Sources
Each figure on this page comes from the sources below.
- World Bridge Federation: The Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2017 (PDF)
- English Bridge Union: The Bridge for All programme
- English Bridge Union: Start to play bridge
- English Bridge Union: System cards, editors and system files
- English Bridge Union: Bridge for All Acol, foundation level system card (PDF)
- Wikipedia: Hand evaluation (high-card points)