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