PlayDefenseRight from the very, very start.

Bridge From Scratch

Beginner
1h 4m · 6-part series

About this lesson

Bridge from the very beginning, with nothing assumed. Lorna takes the first-time player one small step at a time — from the cards in the deck to your first hands at the table — explaining every term as it comes up. No maths, no jargon, just a friendly, unhurried start that grows with you as the series goes on.

What you'll pick up

  • 52 cards, four suits, thirteen to a suit — and how the cards and suits rank in bridge
  • Who sits where: four players, two partnerships, and what declarer and dummy mean
  • What a trick actually is — everyone plays a card, highest of the led suit wins it
  • Following suit and why those small cards matter once the high ones are gone
  • Thinking like declarer: counting your winners suit by suit and making a simple plan
  • The trump suit, or "power suit" — an eight-card-plus fit where a small trump beats an ace in another suit, as long as you follow suit first
  • How the auction works: the dealer opens, bids climb the ladder from one to seven, and each one must outrank the last suit unless you raise partner or pass
  • The language of the deal: the contract as the final bid, the book of six tricks you must take before your bid counts, and what "making" it means
  • What game is — 3NT, 4♥/4♠, 5♣/5♦ — the levels worth 100 points that earn the game bonus, and how you get there