Whether it’s for money, competition or fun, there’s a bridge game to suit all levels of players

YOU'VE LEARNED BRIDGE basics, you’ve rustled up a partner and you’ve been invited to a few bridge sessions at other people’s homes.

Now it’s time for you to be the host.

The equipment is fairly simple: For duplicate bridge:

The type of bridge you choose to play depends on your mood and personality – rubber bridge, which is commonly played for money, or duplicate bridge for the serious-minded enthusiast.

Rubber: If you are a gambler by nature and high stakes is your preference, then rubber bridge is for you. You believe you have three things going for you: lady luck, skill and a good partner. Rubber continues to be popular around the world and even the best duplicate players enjoy high-stakes rounds at clubs like the Cavendish in New York and the TGR’s bridge club in London. (It can supplement their income.)

In rubber bridge, the first partnership that wins two games wins the rubber. A game is won by scoring 100 points either by making game contracts like 3NT, 4H, 4S, 5C, 5D or by combinations thereof, called part-scores. A side that has already won one game towards the current rubber is said to be “vulnerable” and subject to higher bonuses and penalties. Reaching 100 points can stretch over several deals, as the strategy of the game recommends that “non-vulnerable” opponents should “sacrifice” by over-bidding. As the penalties mount up, so does the ante.

Duplicate: The idea of duplicate bridge is to eliminate any element of luck. Every pair in the room plays the very same board and the scores are ranked, reflecting how optimally you bid the hand or how tactically you defended. The playing techniques are the same as in rubber; the only difference is in the scoring. Duplicate bidding requires more precision than rubber. There are no part-scores in duplicate; you have to bid the hand to its full potential.
If you are competitive by nature, duplicate bridge is for you. It doesn’t depend on whether you were dealt exciting or boring cards; it’s more important to know what the other pairs did with the exact same hands. Generally, social duplicate games are played for small wagers, just as added incentive.

There are two clues that tell whether rubber or duplicate is being played. Rubber scoring is kept on a piece of paper divided into two columns headed WE and THEY. In duplicate games, players do not throw their cards to the center of the table; instead, played cards are placed immediately in front of each player and turned face down once each trick has been completed. This allows each player to return his hand, intact, to the board after he has finished it, so subsequent tables can play the same deal unaltered. Depending on how many friends are coming over, there are several options for playing duplicate bridge.

At home with four friends, you can play Chicago Bridge or DOOP.

At home with eight friends, a Team Game is exciting.

At a farewell party for 12, you can play an Individual Movement, where everyone gets to partner everyone.

Chicago, DOOP and Team Games are the at-home favorites because they require minimal effort; other games require more planning, and that’s why they are played in clubs. Movement games are reserved for the directors of a club game, but the truth is that eight-to-12-people Movements can be held at home with some planning.

Chicago Bridge is a one-table, friendly game with duplicate scoring and with vulnerability changing every time in this fixed pattern:

Hand 1: North Dealer, no one Vulnerable
Hand 2: East Dealer, NS Vulnerable
Hand 3: South Dealer, EW Vulnerable
Hand 4: West Dealer, Both  Vulnerable

A multiple of four hands can be played, over and over, with the same partner or three different partners. The result is simply the total score over the deals played.

DOOP is a four-person bridge game. Each person gets a black plastic holder that displays an actual hand from a past tournament. (You have to assemble that hand from a deck of cards.) Although you bid and play at home, it feels like you are competing at one of the ACBL regional or national tournaments because you can compare your score against the actual tournament results.

And when you play at home, try including the kids so they can see how to get a real buzz, not only from video arcades and sniper rifles, but a mind game.