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Plain Sailing Introduction

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  1. 004 - High Card Points
  2. 005 - Long Suit Distribution Points
  3. 006 - Short Suit Distribution Points
  4. 010 - The Ranking of Bridge Bids
  5. 012 - The Minor Suits
  6. 011 - The Major Suits
  7. 003 - Tricks To Make Your Bid
  8. 014 - Quiz 1 Hand Evaluation
  9. 008 - Trump Suits
  10. 009 - No Trumps
  11. 000 - How to make your contract
  12. 002 - Definition of Terms
  13. 105 - Vulnerability
  14. 401 - Defensive Bids Overcalls and Doubles
  15. 406 - Overcalling 1NT
  16. 402 - Overcalling With Stronger Hands
  17. 629 - Opening Leads - Overview
Plain Sailing Introduction 002 – Definition of Terms
Lesson 12 of 17
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002 – Definition of Terms

002

Bridge Terms

These beginner Bridge lessons are for absolute beginning players and contain essential information you will need as you learn to play Bridge – later lessons will be much harder if you don’t learn these basics.

After reviewing the overview below, complete the rest of the 12 beginning lessons then take the Bridge quiz at the end. If you don’t get close to 100%, review the relevant beginner lessons again. Once you are close to 100% in the quiz you can begin learning a bidding system. Especially if you already have some card game experience in games like ‘500’, ‘Whist’ or ‘Euchre’ you will then, by using the in-built bidding hints in our online game you will be able to start playing Standard American Bridge or Acol Bridge straight away.


Bridge Terms Online – Learn <span class="glossary-tooltip glossary-term-27065" tabindex="0"><span class="glossary-link"><a href="https://members.60secondbridge.com/glossary/sayc/" class="glossary-only-link">Standard American</a></span><span class="hidden glossary-tooltip-content clearfix"><span class="glossary-tooltip-text">A bidding system and it is an acronym for 'Standard American Yellow Card' which is the system most North American Players use. Also known as Five Card Majors or Goren by other players.</span></span></span> and <span class="glossary-tooltip glossary-term-27008" tabindex="0"><span class="glossary-link"><a href="https://members.60secondbridge.com/glossary/acol/" class="glossary-only-link">Acol</a></span><span class="hidden glossary-tooltip-content clearfix"><span class="glossary-tooltip-text">This is the bidding system that is more popular in the UK, Europe and Australasia. ACOL is according to The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge - "standard in British tournament play and widely used in other parts of the world". Largely a natural bidding system us...</span></span></span> Bridge Online
Review these but don’t worry about memorising them all now, as they will be explained in detail in upcoming lessons.

The Cards

There are 52 cards, comprising 4 suits each of 13 cards, evenly dealt to the four players. The suits, ranked in descending order, are Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs.
Every player holds 13 cards dealt from a deck of 52 cards. Cards are from highest  to the lowest: Ace (A), King (K), Queen (Q), Jack (J), and 10 (T), 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. 

The Game

<strong>The Objectives To win a contract with bids, and then play the hand getting the number of tricks you bid for, based on the cards in your hand. The minimum you can bid is for 7 tricks,  so counting of bids starts at 7 eg. a ‘1’ bid means you promise to win 7 tricks.

Positions
There are two partnerships North South and East West. In 60secondbridge, by default you will be South (S), so your partner is North (N) and your opponents are East (E) West (W)

The Bidding

Dealer: The Dealer (D) who is the player with the first turn to bid. If Dealer chooses not to bid and passes (P) bidding proceeds taking turns in a clockwise direction. If four players in the first round of bidding  Pass (P), then the hand is not played. The bidding phase ends once three players have consecutively passed.

Trump Suit: can be Spades, Hearts, Diamonds or Clubs.
NoTrumps:  The contract can be in NoTrumps, with no trump suit and the highest card of the suit led, wins the trick.    
Bidding is Finished when three players in a row have passed the bidding.
The Contract: won by the player who makes the highest bid.
The Defense: is the partnership that does not win the contract  known as the defenders (or the defense) they try to play well and take the opponents down.

Playing the Game

The Opening Lead The defense are the first to start the play. The player next to play after declarer is allowed to play any card of their choice, the other players must follow suit if they can. A player who cannot follow suit may discard, or trump if the contract is in a trump suit.
Declarer is the person who gets to play the hand. The first person who bids the winning  suit is the declarer. 
Dummy is declarer’s partner and after the opening lead, puts all their cards on the table face up taking no more part in that game. The declarer then plays two hands – both Dummy and their own hand.

The Defense

Overcaller a defender who has not made the first bid but is not the partner of the opening bidder
Overcallers partnerThe partner of the first defender ‘overcaller’ to make a bid after the opening bid
It is the job of the defender to the left of declarer to make the opening lead, choosing a card and a suit of his choice




Instant Progress Quiz – Check the correct answer



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Practice Playing Bridge

Bid Game in a suit

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The Acol Bidding System

*If you live in the UK, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand Acol is the most widespread system Acol has the following characteristics:
  • It is a natural system: most opening bids, responses and rebids are made with at least 4 cards in the suit bid, and most no trump bids are made with balanced hands.
  • It is a four-card major system: only four-card suits are required to open 1♠ or 1♥, unlike Standard American and many other systems where five-card suits are typically required.
  • It makes extensive use of limit bids: limit bids describe the hand so closely, in terms of high card points (HCP) and shape, that the one who makes the limit bid is expected to pass on the next round, unless partner makes a forcing bid.
  • Understanding and correct use of limit bids and forcing bids is fundamental to applying the system: all no trump bids below the level of 4NT are limit bids, as are all suit bids that merely repeat a suit already bid by the partnership; changes of suit may be forcing or not depending on the approach bids.
  • The level of the 1NT opening bid influences other bids: the normal choice is between a “weak no trump” (12–14 HCP) and a “strong no trump” (15–17 HCP).
  • All 1 of a suit opening bids then promise at least 4 cards in the bid suit
  • Notrump follow-up conventions include Stayman, Jacoby transfers Blackwood and Gerber Convention.
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