| Two partnerships of two players each are
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| | each game, usually going clockwise around
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| needed to play bridge. The four players
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| | the table.
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| sit around a table with partners opposite
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| | In rubber bridge (or other non-duplicate
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| one another. The compass directions are
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| | games), the cards are shuffled before
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| often used to refer to the four players,
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| | every game, and the dealer distributes
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| aligned with their seating pattern. Thus,
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| | all the cards clockwise one at a time,
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| South and North form one partnership and
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| | starting with his left-hand opponent and
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| East and West form the other.
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| | ending with himself, so each player
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| A session of bridge consists of several
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| | receives a hand of thirteen cards. At the
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| deals (also called hands or boards). A
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| | same time, for convenience, the dealer's
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| hand is dealt, the bidding (or auction)
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| | partner usually shuffles a second deck,
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| proceeds to a conclusion and then the
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| | to be ready for use on the following
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| hand is played. Finally the hand's result
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| | deal. The dealer's left-hand opponent
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| is scored.
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| | will deal next. Each hand in rubber
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| The goal of a single deal is to achieve
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| | bridge is therefore random and unrelated
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| the highest score with given cards. The
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| | to other hands played, and a lot of the
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| score is affected by two principal
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| | time the score depends on the cards as
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| factors: the number of tricks bid in the
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| | well as the skill of play.
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| auction, and the number of tricks taken
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| | In duplicate bridge, the hands are
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| during play. Broadly speaking, there is
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| | shuffled only once, at the beginning of
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| an incentive to accurately bid to the
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| | the session, and dealt into the same four
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| optimum contract and then to play to make
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| | hands of 13 cards, and these deals are
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| the contracted number of tricks (or more
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| | preserved for the entirety of the
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| if good play or luck allows). Thus, in
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| | tournament. In this way, each time they
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| the bidding stage, the pairs compete to
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| | are played, the results for different
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| see who proposes the highest number of
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| | players will be comparable and any
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| tricks, and the side which wins the
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| | element of chance due to some players
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| bidding must then fulfill that bargain by
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| | having better cards is eliminated. Cards
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| taking at least the contracted quantity
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| | in duplicate are passed around from table
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| of tricks in play to obtain a score. The
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| | to table in bridge boards, plastic
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| number of tricks bid and the trump suit
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| | containers which clearly mark the hands,
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| (or lack thereof) are referred to as a
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| | identifies who holds which cards, and
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| contract. The trump suit, or its absence
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| | also contains a folded slip of paper to
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| (no trumps) is referred to as
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| | record each teams' scores after the game.
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| denomination or strain. If the side which
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| | In some competitions, boards are
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| wins the auction then takes the
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| | pre-dealt prior to the competition,
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| contracted number of tricks (or more), it
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| | especially if the same hands are to be
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| is said to have fulfilled the contract
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| | played at multiple locations (for example
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| and is awarded a score; otherwise, the
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| | in a large national or international
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| contract is said to be defeated and
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| | tournament). There are also special
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| points are awarded to the defenders.
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| | machines for pre-dealing on large
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| In finding an optimum contract, it can
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| | tournaments. At each subsequent table,
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| sometimes pay to bid slightly too high
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| | the four players pull their cards from
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| (or bluff), and lose a small number of
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| | the board and count them to ensure that
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| points, rather than allow the opposing
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| | there are 13 cards in their hand.
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| side to bid and make a larger score. This
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| | Unlike rubber bridge, in duplicate games
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| is known as a sacrifice, and is quite
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| | players do not put their cards in the
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| common if both sides are contesting the
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| | middle of the table as usual; instead
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| final contract. This aspect is more
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| | played cards are placed immediately in
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| common in duplicate bridge (as played in
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| | front of each player and turned face down
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| competitions and many clubs) where the
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| | once each trick has been completed. This
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| goal is to get a better score than any
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| | is to allow each player to return his
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| other partnership facing the same hands,
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| | hand, intact, to the board after he has
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| by however small a margin and in whatever
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| | finished it, so subsequent tables can
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| way possible.
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| | play the same deal, unaltered. It also
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| Dealing
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| | means that in case of a query or other
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| The game is played with a deck of 52
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| | irregularity during a competition, it is
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| cards. On each game, one player is the
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| | clear exactly who played which cards, and
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| dealer, who distributes the cards and
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| | the order in which they were played.
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| also bids first. The dealer changes on
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