The table, cards and partnerships
Bridge uses familiar playing cards, but its table positions and partnership structure are central to everything that follows.
The four seats
The players are named by compass direction: North, East, South and West. North and South form one partnership; East and West form the other. Play and bidding move clockwise around the table.
The deck and card order
Bridge uses one standard pack of 52 cards with no jokers. Each player receives 13 cards. Within every suit, the order from highest to lowest is:
A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
| Suit | Symbol | Colour |
|---|---|---|
| Spades | ♠ | Black |
| Hearts | ♥ | Red |
| Diamonds | ♦ | Red |
| Clubs | ♣ | Black |
A bridge hand is usually written in the order spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. For example, ♠ A Q 7 4 ♥ K 8 3 ♦ J 9 ♣ Q 10 6 2 contains four spades, three hearts, two diamonds and four clubs.
Dealer and vulnerability
One player is marked as dealer and makes the first call in the auction. The deal then moves clockwise. In Duplicate bridge, each board also states whether neither side, one side or both sides are vulnerable. Vulnerability changes the size of some bonuses and penalties; it does not change which cards may be played.
Your partnership
Your partner is not trying to beat you. Your combined result belongs to the partnership. During the auction, your bids describe your hand according to an agreed bidding system. During the play, defenders use the cards they lead and follow with to help each other make good decisions.
Table talk about the cards is not permitted. The auction and the cards themselves carry the information. This is one reason bridge remains interesting: partners solve a shared problem while holding different information.
Remember: opposite players are partners, everyone has 13 cards, aces are high, and both bidding and play move clockwise.