Bridge Rules — All the Basics on One Page
This page collects the rules of bridge in plain language: from the fundamental rule of following suit to scoring, vulnerability and slams. Completely new to the game? Start with how to play bridge first.
The structure: hands, tricks, two phases
- Four players in two partnerships; each player is dealt 13 cards.
- Every hand has two phases: the auction (bidding), then the card play.
- Each round, every player plays one card — the highest wins the trick. A hand has 13 tricks.
The most important rule: follow suit
You must play a card of the suit that was led, as long as you hold one. If you have none, you may ruff with a trump or discard from another suit. Breaking this rule is called a revoke — the most serious offence in the game.
Trumps
The suit named in the contract is the trump suit. Any trump — even the lowest — beats every card of the other suits. In a no-trump (NT) contract, the highest card of the led suit simply wins.
Declarer and dummy
The side that wins the auction plays the contract: one of them is the declarer, and the other — the dummy — spreads their cards face-up on the table. The declarer plays both hands while the defenders try to defeat the contract.
High-card points and hand evaluation
- Ace = 4, King = 3, Queen = 2, Jack = 1 — 40 points in the deck, about 10 in an average hand.
- Open the bidding with about 12+ points; aim for game with about 25 combined points.
- Finer evaluation: a long suit adds value, while a lone honour (a bare king or queen) is worth less.
Contracts, game and slam
The contract states how many tricks your side commits to winning, always beyond the first six: a level-2 contract means 8 tricks. Game is a big bonus contract — for example 4♥ or 3NT. A small slam (level 6) means 12 tricks, and a grand slam (level 7) — all 13, for the biggest bonus of all.
Scoring and vulnerability
Make the contract and you score by its level, with overtricks adding more. Go down and the defenders score for every undertrick. Each hand sets which side is vulnerable: when vulnerable, both bonuses and penalties are larger. A double raises both the risk and the reward.
Ready to try?
The best way to absorb the rules is a real hand. The game is free, with no ads — and the computer has endless patience.