The Book of Card Games: The Complete Rules to the Classics, Family Favorite and Forgotten Games (9 page)

(d)
In the first hand of the second game, We win the bid with a contract of two no trump. We only win seven tricks and do not complete the contract. We receive no points, and They receive fifty points for the undertrick because We are not vulnerable.

(e)
In the second hand, We win the bid with a contract of four spades. We win the contract exactly, receiving 120 points under the line. We also held the four honors of A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ and receive 100 bonus points above the line. We win the second game, and now both teams are vulnerable.

(f)
In the first hand of the third game, They win the bid with a contract of two no trump. They win nine tricks, completing the contract with one overtrick. They score seventy points below the line plus a forty-point bonus for the overtrick.

(g)
In the second hand, They win the bid with a contract of four hearts. They complete the contract exactly, scoring 120 points below the line. This ends the rubber and They receive a 500-point bonus above the line for winning two games.

(h)
Both sides are totaled, and then the loser’s score is subtracted from the winner’s score. This gives They a score of +6 Rubber (560/100 and rounded up to 6).

In order to win at the game of bridge, you must understand and successfully play the bidding phase of the game. It is universally agreed upon that bidding is the most important part of bridge. You must make clear bids and bid correctly in order to allow you and your partner to complete the contracts and win.

Bidding allows you to show your partner the strength of your cards and what suits you hold. You can even signal whether you have any long suits and honor cards through a bidding system. You are not allowed to describe your hand through words, gestures, or facial expressions—so bidding is your only chance to give your partner clues. Of course, your partner must understand the communication in your bids in order to make proper responses.

If you and your partner decide to use a bidding system to signal your hands, this system must be declared to the opponents before the game begins. If the system is complicated, you should write up a “convention card” and give that to your opponents for reference. This card contains all of the meanings and suggestions that you will be using in bidding. At the end of bidding, your opponents may also ask you about the bidding agreements that you used during the bid.

In creating a successful bid, the most basic method of natural bidding is the “point count system.” This system requires you first to assign points to different areas, suits, and cards in your hand. First add up your high-card points (HCP) by counting four points for each ace, three points for each king, two points for each queen, and one point for each jack. Next, you’ll add three points for each void you have in your hand (no cards of a particular suit), two points for only having a single card in one suit, and one point for only having two cards in one suit. Usually, a total of twenty-six points wins you the game, thirty-three points gives you a small slam, and thirty-seven points gives you a grand slam.

The common opening bids are the following:

• Thirteen or more points and five cards in a suit—open with that one and that suit.
  
• Thirteen to fifteen points but no five cards in a suit—open with one and the stronger minor suit.
  
• Fifteen to seventeen high-card points and no voids or single cards in one suit—open with one and no trump.
  

Some less common opening bids are the following:

• Twenty to twenty-four points and a balanced hand—open with two no trump.
  
• Twenty-five to twenty-seven points and a balanced hand—open with three no trump.
  
• Fewer than thirteen points but seven cards in one suit—open with three and that suit.
  
• Six cards in one suit with at least two honors—open with two and that suit.
  

If your partner has opened a hand with a one suit or no trump, you should only respond if you have six or more points in your hand. You should raise your partner’s suit if you have four cards in the same suit, bid a different suit if you have four or more cards in that suit and you cannot support your partner’s suit, or bid no trumps.

If you are going to overbid your opponent’s bid, you should only bid a suit you have five or more cards in. You should have eight or more points to overbid at the one level, and at least eleven points to overbid at the two level. You should double your opponent’s bid if you have ten or more points without five cards in one suit.

There are many variations that have been introduced to the game of bridge over the years. Chicago is a game that is completed in just four hands, so you can play with five or six players and rotate in the other player(s) much faster than when playing a rubber. Honeymoon Bridge is a game for two players, when you just can’t seem to find another pair of partners who want to play when you do!

Chicago originated at the Standard Club in Chicago. It is completed in four hands, with vulnerability being dictated based on which hand is being played. Chicago Bridge is played with four players forming two partnerships, using a standard pack of fifty-two cards. Aces are high, and twos are low. Chicago Bridge is dealt and played like contract bridge; the only difference is that the vulnerability changes with each hand, as follows:

• Hand 1:
  The dealer is North, and neither side is vulnerable.
  
• Hand 2:
  The dealer is East, and the dealer’s team is vulnerable.
  
• Hand 3:
  The dealer is South, and the dealer’s team is vulnerable.
  
• Hand 4:
  The dealer is West, and both sides are vulnerable.
  

Score for tricks, overtricks, undertricks, honors, bonuses, double, and redouble are played normally. Scores for tricks bid and made count toward game bonuses, with 300 points for a nonvulnerable game and 500 points for a vulnerable game. A part score on the fourth hand may reach game with a previous score. If it does not, the team gets a bonus of 100.

Honeymoon Bridge is played with two players using a standard pack of fifty-two cards. The dealer deals thirteen cards, face down, one at a time to each player. The remaining cards are turned face down to form the stockpile.

The game begins with the dealer’s opponent leading the first card. The dealer must follow suit if able. The winner of that trick takes the top card from the stockpile and the opponent takes the second card. The winner then leads the next trick. After the stockpile is depleted, a round of bidding occurs as in standard bridge. When bidding is complete, the declarer leads the first trick and the remaining tricks are played as before, only now a trump suit is involved if the contract contained a trump. Scoring is the same as in bridge.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS:
Four

EQUIPMENT:
Four standard decks of fifty-two cards

TIME:
Two hours

PARTNERSHIP:
Yes

COMPLEXITY:
Medium to high

The objective of Calypso is to score points by building suit stacks, called calypsos, from ace to king in your own trump suit. This game can get complicated because each player has his own trump suit. Don’t forget to pay attention when your opponents throw down their cards. The game is typically played with four people in two teams, with partners sitting across the table from one another. You’ll use four standard packs of fifty-two cards, with aces high and twos low.

Calypso opens with each player cutting one deck to determine individual trumps and seats. The player with the highest card picks his chair and his trump. His partner takes the seat and trump opposite him. Spades and hearts are partners and diamonds and clubs are partners. The dealer shuffles all four decks together and deals thirteen cards to each player.

The player to the dealer’s left plays his first card, laying down any card from his hand. Play continues clockwise around the table. When it’s your turn, you must follow suit if possible, or otherwise play another card from your hand. The winner of the hand is the player who plays the highest card in the trick led, who plays his trump, or who overtrumps by playing a higher card in his own trump. The exception is if someone leads with a card from his own trump. He automatically wins the trick even if another player plays a higher card in that suit, unless another player trumps or overtrumps. If two players lay identical trump card values, the first card wins and that player has the advantage. If two players lay identical cards, the first beats the second unless the second player to lay down is playing a card from his own trump. For instance, if the player before you lays down a 10♣ and you also lay down a 10♣, he beats you unless clubs is your trump suit. Your goal in winning these tricks is to obtain cards in your own trump suit to build calypsos.

When you win a trick, you take any cards from that trick that will help you build your calypso. A calypso is a suit stack (ace to king) in your trump suit. You may only build one calypso at a time, so if you already have a four in your trump suit, and you win another four (since you’re using multiple decks of cards), you must discard it. You keep your calypso stack in front of you, easily accessible for adding cards. After you take any cards that help you to build your calypso, you may pass any cards that help your partner build his calypso. You then discard the remaining cards. When you complete one calypso, you may start a second, but you may not use any of your discarded cards to help build it.

After the first thirteen tricks have been played, the player to the dealer’s left deals the next thirteen cards without shuffling the deck. Play continues with you building on your original calypsos until each player has dealt and the four decks have been played through.

After all the tricks have been played, each player wins 500 points for his first calypso, 750 points for his second calypso, and 1,000 points for any third or fourth calypsos. You also win twenty points for each card in an incomplete calypso and ten points for each card in your discard pile. You and your partner add your totals together and compare them to your opponent’s combined score. The team with the most points subtracts their opponents’ points, and the difference between those scores becomes the final score of the winning team.