Beginning Bridge

Written for complete beginners, this book is based on material that Barbara Seagram uses in her own classes to introduce hundreds of new players to the game every year. The book will take readers to the point where they can enjoy a social game with friends or begin to explore their local bridge club.

You can play bridge all over the world, and wherever you go, you can make new friends automatically by starting up a game of bridge. What exactly is it about bridge that fascinates countless millions, has fascinated countless millions, and will continue to fascinate countless millions? In a nutshell, Bridge is a social game: You play with a partner and two opponents. Right off the bat you have four people together. Inevitably, you meet a host of new friends with a strong common bond, the game of bridge. Bridge is a challenging game: Each hand is an adventure; each hand presents a unique set of conditions that you react to and solve. You have to do a little thinking. Bridge is a game of psychology: If you fancy yourself a keen observer of human behavior, look no further. You have found your niche. Players aren’t supposed to show any emotion during the play, but there are always a few leaks in the dam. Bridge is fun: Hours become minutes! Playing bridge can mean endless hours of pleasure, a host of new friends, and many laughs. If you’re an absolute bridge beginner, you need the hand-held tour of the game that Bridge For Dummies can give you. Take your time getting to know the fundamentals, carefully examine the real-life examples, and get a feel for the basics before you start to play. Even if you have played bridge before, this book still has much to offer you. Author Eddie Kantar condenses his fifty years of experience with the game into tips and hints that can make you a better player. Start with a birds-eye view of bridge and begin with techniques for taking tricks in a notrump contract. Move on from there to cover the following aspects of the game and more: Counting and taking sure tricks Working with trump suits Finessing for extra winners Grasping the importance of bidding Knowing when to pass and when to rebid Slam bidding Keeping score Playing defense After you play a few hands, you may find that you can’t stop playing bridge. If this happens, call a doctor – you may be a bridgeaholic. The only cure for your addiction is play, play, play. In order to satisfy your craving for bridge, Bridge For Dummies will help you connect with bridge clubs, tournaments, computerized games, and even online partnerships.

Bridge, as any player will tell you, is simply the best card game ever. It’s challenging—each hand presents a different set of conditions you must figure out and solve. It's very social—you play with a partner and two opponents. And best of all—it's fun. Bridge For Dummies, 2E gives you a step-by-step explanation of the fundamentals of the game in terms you can understand. It walks you through the different aspects of bridge, featuring real-life examples, so that you can feel comfortable with the basics before you ever start to play. And if you're already experienced at the game, you'll discover a wealth of tips and hints that can make you a better player. You'll learn all about: The basics of nontrump play How to play the hand in a trump contract Bidding for fun and profit Taking advantage of advanced bidding techniques Playing a strong defense and keeping score Playing bridge on your computer Playing in bridge clubs and tournaments Where to find other great bridge resources This newly revised edition features an expanded section on playing bridge online, with updated web addresses and other resources, along with new information on the latest bidding techniques. For anyone from novice to pro wanting to learn bridge or learn techniques to improve their game, Bridge For Dummies, 2E makes an ideal partner!

Starts at the beginning, introducing the mechanics of the games. It covers bidding, play and defense.

Here is the first book on Contract Bridge for beginners which introduces them at once to the generally accepted Point Count method of bidding used by the experts. Written by the leading authority, the foremost teacher, and the most successful bridge player in the world, it will prove a boon to the novice and the average bridge player alike.

A follow-up book from the author team that produced the award-winning and best-selling 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know. Aimed at the same novice/social player audience as their first book, this new title deals with competitive auctions in which the opponents have opened the bidding. This is the most complex area of bridge bidding, and has never up to now been dealt with comprehensively in a book that is understandable for non-experts.

Explains twenty-five bidding conventions, including the grand slam force, lead-directing doubles, negative doubles, new minor forcing, responsive doubles, reverse Drury, splinter bids, Stayman, takeout doubles, and weak two-bids.