Welcome to Double Dummy Bridge!

Hey there! I want to tell you all about Double Dummy Bridge, a fun card game for two players. The goal of this game is pretty simple – you want to reach a certain number of points to win. And you do that by making bids and completing them to score points. It’s like a little competition, but in a friendly way! We’ll play multiple rounds, and the first person to reach the required score wins.

But before we jump into the game, we need to decide on the target score. It’s important to agree on this before we begin playing.

Now, here comes the exciting part – there will be two dummy hands in this game. Each player gets to control one dummy hand. It’s like having two extra helpers, which is pretty cool, right?

Let’s Get Set Up!

First, we need to decide who will be the dealer. We’ll keep it fair and choose randomly. And for the next rounds, we’ll take turns being the dealer. The dealer will shuffle the deck of 52 cards and deal 13 cards to each player, one at a time, going counterclockwise. That’s it – we’re all set to start playing!

When I play a game of Double Dummy Bridge, there are a few important things I need to keep in mind. First, after the hands are dealt, I can take a look at the cards in my actual hand, but not at the ones in my dummy hand. That way, I can strategize and plan my moves accordingly. But before the game officially begins, there’s a round of bidding where each player gets a chance to declare how many tricks they think they can win.

The Hierarchy of Cards and Trumps

In Double Dummy Bridge, cards are ranked in a specific order. The Ace is the highest card, followed by the King, Queen, Jack, and so on, all the way down to the lowly 2. This order determines the value and strength of the cards during the game.

Additionally, each suit has its own rank, but this ranking only comes into play during the bidding process. The suits, in ascending order of value, are: clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades, and no trumps, which holds the highest rank.

The Art of Bidding

Once the cards are dealt, it’s time for the bidding round to begin. It all starts with the dealer and then moves on to their opponent. Each player has a choice to make – they can either bid on the number of tricks they believe they can win in this round and select a trump suit, or they can simply pass and not make a bid. It’s important to keep in mind that you must win at least 6 tricks, so when you make a bid, you’re bidding on how many tricks you will win over the minimum of 6. The minimum bid is 1 (which means winning 7 tricks), while the maximum bid is 7 (which means winning all 13 tricks). The players will go back and forth, trying to outbid each other, until one of the players decides to pass. Keep in mind that a higher number of tricks always outbids a lower bid, as well as a higher-ranked suit with the same number of tricks.

When playing a game, I have the option to call for a double or redouble instead of increasing my bid. If my opponent makes a bid, I can choose to double it on my turn, which means doubling the score at the end. Similarly, if a double has been made on my bid, I have the option to redouble it. However, once a new deal is made, the double and redouble disappear and must be chosen again. If a player passes, the other player has won the bid and must collect at least as many tricks as they bid with the trump suit they called in order to score.

GAMEPLAY

Once the bidding is over, we get to see both dummy hands. Now it’s time to play the 13 tricks. The first player is the opponent of the winner from the bidding, and they can choose any card to lead. The other players must follow suit if they can. To win a trick, you either play the highest trump or the highest card of the suit that was led. The winner gets to keep the tricks they’ve won and leads the next trick.

During their turn, a player plays a card from their hidden hand and also a card from their dummy’s revealed hand. The turns go in a clockwise order.

Some players prefer to not reveal their hands. After the bidding, each player can look at their dummy hand without showing it to their opponent.

When the final trick is won, it’s time to calculate the scores.

SCORING

After all the tricks have been played, it’s time to tally up the points.

When I play the card game called Bid, a successful bid means that I earn points for each trick I win over 6. The number of points I earn depends on the trump suit that was chosen. If the trump suit is spades or hearts, each trick I win over 6 is worth 30 points. For diamonds and clubs, each trick over 6 is worth 20 points. And if we’re playing with no trumps, the first trick over 6 is worth 40 points, and each trick after that is worth 30 points.

If I decide to double the bid, my end score will be doubled. And if I choose to redouble the bid, my score will be quadrupled.

The Game Ends

The game ends when one player reaches or goes beyond the predetermined number of points. The player who achieves this first is the winner.

I’m Amber (They/Them), a writer from Austin who loves playing games. I consider myself a gaming master, and I also have a soft spot for dogs, plants, and playing D&D.