Lesson 4.1: Introduction
to Scoring
For each bid that you actually make, you get a certain number of
points. How many points you get depends on which suit is trump.
Minor suit scoring:
For example, if you bid and make 1C or 1D, you get 20 points. For each
additional level you get an additional 20 points. So, if you bid and make 3D you get ( 3 tricks x 20 points = ) 60 points.
Major suit scoring:
Hearts and spades are worth 30 points. If you bid and make 2H, you also
get ( 2 x 30 = ) 60 points.
No Trump scoring:
No trump works like spades and hearts, except for the very first level.
You get 40 points if you bid and make 1NT, but only 30 points for each
additional level.
Lesson 4.2: What if we get more tricks than
we bid?
If you win more tricks than you contracted for, you get extra points.
In fact, for each overtrick, you get the score that is appropriate
for the suit (You know what I mean: 20 points for each diamond or club
trick, 30 points for any other type of overtrick). However, the overtrick score
goes in a different position on the scorepad.
The traditional bridge score pad has a horizontal dividing line. Points
for tricks which were bid and made will go "below the line". Overtrick
points go "above the line".
So, if "we" bid 3D, we contract to make 9 tricks (the book of
6, plus 3). However, if we actually make 4D (i.e. if we won 10 rather than
just 9 tricks), our score would look like this:
Lesson 4.3: What's
a game?
The term game has a special meaning in bridge. It's when you bid
as many tricks as are needed to get 100 points (There's really no special
significance to 100. It's just a nice, round number!).
The tricky part is that game means different things for
different suits. O.K. Look at it this way: how many club or diamond tricks
would you need to win to get 100 points?
How many heart or spade tricks would you need to win to get 100 points?
How many no trump tricks would you need to win to get 100 points?
So a game in bridge is:
Lesson 4.4: Vulnerability
When your side wins a game, it is said to be vulnerable. This
can sometimes affect your score. For example, if you don't make your contract,
your opponents get 50 points for each trick you contracted to win,
but didn't (These are called undertricks). But, if your side was
vulnerable at the time, their side gets 100 points for each undertrick!
Vulnerability is also relevant for bidding slams (which I discuss in
Lesson
4.6), and for getting double points (see Lesson 4.8).
Lesson 4.5: Majors
and minors
It is somewhat easier to win a game in spades or hearts than in clubs or
diamonds (remember that a game is 4S or 4H but 5D or 5C). For this reason,
spades and hearts are called the major suits, while diamonds and
clubs are called the minor suits.
Some players bid major suits differently from minor suits. Ask your
partner whether they bid major and minor suits differently.
You can gain additional points if you bid and make 6 of something. This
is called a small slam. A grand slam is when you bid and make 7 of something.
You get a lot of extra points for bidding slams:
|
Not vulnerable
|
Vulnerable
|
|
Small slam
|
500
|
750
|
|
Grand slam
|
1000
|
1500
|
Unless you play an awful lot of bridge, you will probably only get to
bid a grand slam once every 5 or 10 years!
If your side has the contract, and you hold the top 4 (A, K, Q, J) or 5
(A, K, Q, J, 10) trump cards in your hand, you get extra points if you
declare
this. That means that you announce that you deserve to get 100 honours
(or 150 honours, as the case may be). This is what you get:
4 honours in one hand: 100 points
5 honours in one hand: 150 points
If you are playing no trump, you can also get honour points if you have
all four aces:
4 aces in one hand:
150 points
Honour points go "above the line". They don't count towards making up
a game score. However, you can count them whether you make your contract
or not. The easiest points ever made!
If your opponents have doubled your bid, and you don't make your contract, your opponents get extra points. It works like this:
| | | Not vulnerable | Vulnerable |
| Not doubled: | | 50 | 100
| Doubled: | 1st undertrick: | 100200
| | 2nd & 3rd undertricks: | 200 each300 each
| | subsequent undertricks: | 300 each| 300 each
| | | | | | |
On the other hand, if your opponents have doubled your bid, and you make more tricks than you contracted for, you can really rake in the points:
| Overtrick premiums/bonuses: |
| | Doubled | Redoubled |
| Not vulnerable: | 100200
| Vulnerable | 200| 400 | | | |
You also get a bonus of 50 points, just for making a contract that
was doubled (or redoubled). Among my friends this is referred to as: "And
50 for the insult!".
Lesson 4.9: Rubber bonuses
The side that first wins two games, wins a rubber. This is good
because you get extra point for winning a rubber:
Bonus, if won in two games:
700
Bonus, if won in three games: 500
If you have to quit playing before either side completes a particular
rubber, both sides can still get some points:
Bonus for unfinished rubber: 300
Part score:
50
Lesson 4.10: Get
a bridge set!
Typically bridge is played with 2 packs of cards. This helps speed
up the game: while one person is dealing out a hand from one pack, another
one can be shuffling the second pack, to get it ready for the next deal.
As a result, bridge sets usually consist of 2 packs of cards, and a
scoring tablet. Almost all scoring tablets come with directions on
how to score, located on the inside of the front cover.
So, if you get a bridge set, you can just read the right score off the
tablet cover, and away you go! (Also the packs usually come with
nice, complementary backs to them. Very decorative!).
O.K. so now you have the basics of bridge. Not too painful, was
it? If you want to learn more, I've provided some internet links, so you can continue your exploration of the Wonderful World of Bridge!
Page created and maintained by A. Steinbergs. Last revised April19, 2001.
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