Beginner Bridge lessons

Learn To Play Bridge Completely Online

When you first start learning Bridge, your very first step should be to learn how to evaluate your Bridge hand. Experienced players with decades of Bridge playing experience have developed powerful techniques for evaluating the strength of a hand. You can not only use these techniques when playing Bridge, but also adapt them to improve your performance in other card games like Euchre and 500. The following short lessons (with learning activities and practice hands) will introduce you to these techniques.

After completing the Bridge Basics lessons below, you can then learn how to bid your hand using our Standard American or Acol bidding system lessons.

LESSON 1.Bridge Lessons Overview : Lessons Are In Five Sections

60 SecondBridge is designed to give Beginners, Junior and Intermediate level Bridge players a complete learning and playing environment with practice hands on the computer, interactive lessons on bidding, playing and defending. You'll find hundreds of Bridge hands to play, additional learning activities and self assessment quizzes. ... [MORE] To view and play this lesson CLICK HERE to Login or Register

LESSON 2.Bridge Terms : Brief Description of a Bridge Game

These beginner lessons are for absolute beginning Bridge players and are essential information as you learn how 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 quiz. After getting 100% on the quiz (repeat it and review the relevant lessons if you get less than 100%) then you will begin learning a bidding system. Especially if you already have some card game experience in games like '500', 'Whist' or 'Euchre' you will then be able to start learning Standard American straight away.

... [MORE] To view and play this lesson CLICK HERE to Login or Register

LESSON 3.Tricks to make your contract : I've won the contract - how many tricks do I have to win?

Bridge is a trick-taking game and is a card game in which playing the trick is based on 13 rounds of play, each called tricks, which has a winner or "taker" of that trick. When all cards have been played, the number of the tricks won by each pair is counted for scoring. The winner of a trick is the one who plays the highest-ranked card of the suit led, unless another player has trumped it.... [MORE] To view and play this lesson CLICK HERE to Login or Register

LESSON 4.High Card Points (HCP) : How can I count my points?

Counting up the High Card Points in your hand is the first step towards knowing whether your hand is strong enough to bid... [MORE] To view and play this lesson CLICK HERE to Login or Register

LESSON 5.Long Suit Distribution Points (LSDP) : What are my distribution points when I first look at my hand?

There are two different techniques used for counting your distribution points. The first when you have no idea what your partner's hand contains is using extra length over and above 4 cards in a suit in called 'Long Suits' to calculate distribution points (LSDP's). ... [MORE] To view and play this lesson CLICK HERE to Login or Register

LESSON 6.Short Suit Distribution Points (SSDP) : What are my distribution points after finding a fit?

There are two different techniques used for counting your distribution points. The second method is when you have know that between you and your partner's hand you have at least 8 cards in the same suit. This is known as 'finding a fit' - if you have less than three cards in a suit can you give yourself extra points... [MORE] To view and play this lesson CLICK HERE to Login or Register

LESSON 7. Total Points (TP) : What is my hand really worth?

Most bidding systems use a point-count system for hand evaluation using a combination of high card points and distributional points... [MORE] To view and play this lesson CLICK HERE to Login or Register

LESSON 8.Suit Contracts : What is a trump suit?

A trump suit is a way of winning a trick in Bridge and in other trick taking games. The trump suit can be either spades, hearts, diamonds or clubs and is decided by the bidding (also called 'auction'). Typically, an entire suit is nominated as a trump suit these cards then outrank all cards of plain (non-trump) suits... [MORE] To view and play this lesson CLICK HERE to Login or Register

LESSON 9.No Trump Contracts : What does playing in no trumps mean?

A No Trump contract is created when the highest bid made during the auction is a No Trump bid. Notrump means that the highest of the 4 cards played in the suit led to a trick, wins.... [MORE] To view and play this lesson CLICK HERE to Login or Register

LESSON 10.Bid and Suit Ranking in Bridge : What is the highest suit in Bridge?

During the bidding of a hand of bridge, players can’t make a bid unless their bid is higher than the previous bid. In bridge, two factors determine whether your bid is legal - the suit you’re bidding and how many tricks you’re bidding for in that suit... [MORE] To view and play this lesson CLICK HERE to Login or Register

LESSON 11.The Major Suits : Why do I need to know about major suits?

In Bridge, the heart and spade suit are major suits and often referred to as 'the majors'.
Of the two suits, Spades ♠ ranks higher than Hearts ♥... [MORE] To view and play this lesson CLICK HERE to Login or Register

LESSON 12.The Minor Suits : Why do I need to know about the Minors?

In Bridge, the diamond suit and the club suit are the minor suits and are often referred to as 'the minors'.
Of these two suits Diamonds ♦ ranks higher than Clubs ♣. With an opening hand, you should if possible open 1 of a major or 1NT, only opening 1 in a minor suit if those bids are not available to you.... [MORE] To view and play this lesson CLICK HERE to Login or Register

LESSON Quiz 1.Bridge Basics Quiz : Check your Hand Evaluation knowledge

This quiz is the last Bridge lesson in the Beginners section and is designed to show you your knowledge so you can begin learning Bridge bidding.

This is also the first of the Standard American bidding lessons in the Junior section. If you live in the UK, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand, then you will want the Acol Bidding lessons as that is the standard bidding system in those countries.

If you cannot answer these questions then start with our Beginner Bridge Lessons.... [MORE] To view and play this lesson CLICK HERE to Login or Register

NOTE: Our beginner Bridge lessons have the unique Bridge terms linked to an online glossary so you can just click on the word and immediately see the definition and a link back to the full lesson if you require it.

Try clicking on HCP to test this feature.

Many lessons include interactive Bridge Hands (members only) and learning activities where you can practice what you have just learned.

Our interactive quizzes will give you instant feedback on right and wrong answers, reinforcing your learning even further.