Card Games Articles

Article / Updated 08-03-2022

Bridge scoring revolves around the final contract (as determined by the bidding) and the number of tricks actually taken by the side buying the contract. If your final contract is 3, your goal is to win at least nine tricks and clubs are trump, the “wild” suit. If you take exactly nine tricks, you make your contract. If you take ten tricks, you have made your contract plus an extra trick, called an overtrick. In bridge, as the side buying the contract, you score points only if you make your contract or if you make your contract with overtrick(s). Overtricks score points for your side but don’t contribute toward completing a game contract of 100 or more points. To calculate the number of tricks you need to take to fulfill your final contract, add six to the number, or level, of the bid. For example, if your final contract is 5♠, you need to take 11 tricks to make your contract (5 + 6 = 11). If you don’t make your contract, the bad guys (the opponents) rack up penalty points and your side gets nada for your efforts. For example, if you take eight tricks in your contract of 3, you would be one trick short of making your contract (and concede one undertrick); your opponents would get to add points to their score. Your goal on every hand is to make your contract; overtricks are icing on the cake, and undertricks, though inevitable, are something you try to avoid. Understanding the importance of bidding in bridge In bridge, the pressure is on the partnership that gets (or buys) the final contract — that side has to win the number of tricks it contracts for. If the partnership fails to win that number of tricks, penalty points are scored by the opponents. If the partnership takes at least the number of tricks it has contracted for, it then scores points. In addition to determining how many tricks a partnership needs to fulfill the contract, the bidding also determines the following: The declarer and the dummy for the hand: For the partnership that buys the final contract, the bidding determines who plays the hand for the partnership (the declarer) and who gets to watch (the dummy). The number of tricks the partnership needs to make the final contract: Each bid is like a stepping stone to the number of tricks that a partnership thinks it can take. The goal of the partnership that buys the final contract is to take at least the number of tricks contracted for. The trump suit (if the hand has one): Depending on the cards held by the partnership that winds up playing the hand, there may be a trump suit (or the bidding may end in a notrump contract). Proper bidding also allows the partners to exchange information about the strength (the number of high-card points) and distribution of their cards. Through bidding, you and your partner can tell each other which long suits you have and perhaps in which suits you have honor cards (aces, kings, queens, jacks, and 10s). Based on the information exchanged during the bidding, the partnership has to decide how many tricks it thinks it can take. The partnership with the greater combined high-card strength usually winds up playing the hand. The declarer (the one who plays the hand) tries to take the number of tricks (or more) that his side has contracted for. The opponents, on the other hand, do their darndest to prevent the declarer from winning those tricks. Partnerships exchange vital information about the makeup of their hands through a bidding system. Because you can’t tell your partner what you have in plain English, you have to use a legal bridge bidding system. Think of it as a foreign language in which every bid you make carries some message. Although you can’t say to your partner, “Hey, partner, I have seven strong hearts but only one ace and one king,” an accurate bidding system can come close to describing such a hand. The bidding (or auction) consists of only the permitted bids; you don’t get to describe your hand by using facial expressions, kicking your partner under the table, or punching him in the nose. Your partner must also understand the conventional significance of your bids to make sense of what you’re trying to communicate about your hand and to know how to respond properly. If not, it’s the Tower of Babel all over again! Of course, everyone at the table hears your bid and everyone else’s bid at the table. No secrets are allowed. Your opponents are privy to the same information your bid tells your partner. Similarly, by listening to your opponents’ bidding, you get a feel for the cards that your opponents have (their strength and distribution). You can then use this information to your advantage when the play of the hand begins. Bridge authorities agree that bidding is the most important aspect of the game. Using a simple system and making clear bids is the key to getting to the proper contract and racking up the points. Bidding incorrectly (giving your partner a bum steer) leads to lousy contracts, which, in turn, lets your opponents rack up the points when you fail to make your contract. Of course, you have to know how to take the tricks you contracted for, or else even the most beautiful contracts in the world lead nowhere. Not to worry; the play-of-the-hand techniques can help pull you through.

Article / Updated 05-23-2022

When you get hooked on the game, you may want to reach out for bridge information. Here’s some help! Keep reading for ten great references and resources that you may find handy. The American Contract Bridge League Joining the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) is a must-do. The ACBL is an excellent source of information about current events in the bridge community. The league can help you find bridge clubs throughout the country as well as locate local and national tournaments all over America. At times it even offers sanctioned bridge cruises at sea. The ACBL also maintains a fabulous website with a wealth of information for new players. Bridge Bulletin is the official publication of the ACBL and is worth many times more than the yearly dues. The magazine includes a special “New Players Section” as well as sections for intermediate and advanced players with monthly articles by various bridge writers, including yours truly. Membership is $29 for the first year. After that, membership runs $39 per year or $111 for three years. If you are 26 years old or younger, membership costs only $15 per year. (The ACBL encourages younger players as much as it can.) You can contact the ACBL by phone at 662-253-3100. Your local bridge club The local bridge club is a great place to go when you’re starting out with bridge. Clubs offer all kinds of enticements, including beginning and intermediate lessons, but best of all you can get together and play with people who are at approximately your skill level. Nothing can supplant actual play for gaining experience. Suddenly the books you read make more sense because you actually experience what you read about. Visit the ACBL website for more information about how to contact bridge clubs in your area. Adult education classes Some adult schools offer bridge classes at modest prices and give you an opportunity to meet newer bridge players like yourself. Check your local high school or parks and recreation department for adult education classes in your area. You may get lucky. Your local library and bookstore Most libraries have a reasonable selection of bridge books, and borrowing a book is cheaper than buying one, especially if you’re just starting out with the game. Of course, your local bookstore also may have the latest bridge books if you want one of your own. The Daily bridge column in your newspaper Some people who don’t even play bridge read the bridge columns because they’re amusing. A good column is informative, instructive, and entertaining. The major bridge columnists usually come through on all three counts. Here are four good bets, in no particular order (they’re all winners): “Bridge” by Frank Stewart “Goren on Bridge” by Tannah Hirsch “The Aces on Bridge” by Bobby Wolff “Bridge” by Steve Becker Shop around in other major newspapers if you can’t find the column you want to read in your regular newspaper. Bridge magazines Some of the information in the following magazines may go a tad over your head until you have played a little bridge, but all of them offer articles for beginners. Bridge Bulletin This fabulous magazine comes from the ACBL. The Bridge World The Bridge World is the granddaddy of all bridge publications and is the most respected bridge publication in the world. Unfortunately, the magazine is aimed primarily at advanced players. However, don’t despair; The Bridge World offers information for players of all levels, including beginners, at its website. You can contact The Bridge World at the website or email [email protected] for current subscription information. Better Bridge by Audrey Grant Audrey Grant, a top international instructor, offers a bi-monthly 24-page magazine. Each issue is full of useful information brought to you by the world’s best players and writers. Many up-to-date tips will have you playing better bridge. The price is $29. Check out BaronBarclay.com or phone 800-274-2221 for more information. Bridge software programs Many excellent teaching programs are available for the computer. The internet You can surf the Net to find all kinds of bridge information and to play bridge online. By the way, kantarbridge.com, is loaded with tips, quizzes, books, travel plans, and even a section on bridge humor. Check it out. Bridge supply sites Want a bridge book, bridge software, or a bridge-related gift? Here are a couple of proven suggestions for obtaining these items. Baron Barclay Bridge Supplies 3600 Chamberlain Ln., #206 Louisville, KY 40241 Phone: 800-274-2221 You can ask for a free catalog before you make any command decisions. Amazon.com also offers many bridge-related items, including books, cards, special bidding boxes, and other useful paraphernalia to enhance your game. Bridge travel Would you like to go on a bridge cruise? Would you like to spend a week at a beautiful five-star hotel and be surrounded with bridge activities? Read on. Bridge instruction on cruise ships Cruise ships offer an unequaled opportunity to immerse yourself in bridge activities. Many major cruise ships set sail with a bridge teacher on board. When the ship is at sea, you get a lesson in the morning and the chance to enter a friendly tournament in the afternoon. However, you can simply play bridge in the card room, if you prefer. Check with the cruise line you’re interested in to verify whether it offers a bridge program. Bridge tours Bridge tours offer great opportunities to play bridge to your heart’s content at some really great places. There are several travel agencies that deal specifically with bridge groups, but you can type “contract bridge tours” into your favorite search engine for more options. Liz Nixon’s World of Cruise and Travel Phone: 800-548-2789 Email: [email protected] Bridge Holidays with Roberta and Arnold Salob Phone 800-807-7009 Alice Travel Phone: 800-229-2542 Finesse West Tours Phone: 800-548-8062

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

Rummy is a card game in which you try to improve the hand that you’re originally dealt. You can do this whenever it’s your turn to play, either by drawing cards from a pile (or stock) or by picking up the card thrown away by your opponent and then discarding a card from your hand. You can play rummy with two or more players (for six or more players, you need a second deck of cards). You'll also need a paper and pencil for scoring. Learn how to play rummy and other basics including rules, scoring, and how to win! The objective of rummy Your aim is to put (or meld) your cards into two types of combinations: Runs: Consecutive sequences of three or more cards of the same suit Sets (or books): Three or four cards of the same rank. If you are using two decks, a set may include two identical cards of the same rank and suit. This figure shows some legitimate rummy combinations. This figure shows an unacceptable combination. This run is illegal because all cards in a run must be of the same suit. In most rummy games, unlike the majority of other card games, aces can be high or low, but not both. So, runs involving the ace must take the form A-2-3 or A-K-Q but not K-A-2. The first person who manages to make their whole hand into combinations one way or another, with one card remaining to discard, wins the game. How to play rummy Follow the rules and instructions below to understand how to play rummy from start to finish: Each player is dealt a certain number of cards from the deck. When playing rummy with two, three, or four players, each player gets ten cards; when playing with five players, each player gets six cards. With more than five players, you must use two decks of cards and a hand of seven cards. The two-player game can also be played with seven cards each. Designate a scorer and a dealer at the start of the game. Then, the dealer deals out the hands and puts the undealt cards face-down on the center of the table as the stock, placing the top card, turned upward, beside the stock as the first card of the discard pile. The player to the left of the dealer plays first. They can either pick up the card on the discard pile or the top card from the stock. If they can put some or all of their hand into combinations, they may do so. If not, they discard one card from their hand, face-up onto the discard pile, and the turn of play moves to the next player. The next player can either pick up the last card the previous player discarded or the top card from the stock. They can then meld some or all of their cards down in combinations. The play continues clockwise around the table. When the stock runs out, shuffle the discard pile and set it up again. Other rummy rules and tips Now that you know the objective of the game and the basic instructions to play, here is a small list of additional rummy rules and common tips to abide by: You cannot pick up the top discard and then throw the card back onto the pile. If you pick up two cards from the stock by accident and see either of them, you must put the bottom card back, which gives the next player an additional option. They can look at the returned card and take it if they want it. If they don't want it, they put it back into the middle of the stock and continue with their turn by taking the next card from the stock. When you pick up a card from the stock that you don’t want, don’t throw it away immediately. Put the card into your hand and then extract it. No player, regardless of skill level, needs to give gratuitous information away. Rummying with wild cards You can play rummy with wild cards by adding jokers to the deck, or you can make the 2s or some other number wild. You can substitute the card represented by a wild card when it is your turn to play. So, if a combination including a joker, standing in for the king of clubs is put on the table, the next player can put in the king of clubs and pick up the joker for use elsewhere. If you put down two 8s and a joker, you do not have to announce which 8 the joker represents, but with a run, such as 5-6-joker, the assumption is that the joker represents the 7. When playing with wild cards, you may not want to put combinations containing wild cards down immediately; you don’t want to give another player the use of a wild card by way of the substitution. Of course, if you feel obliged to put down the set or run, try to ensure that the card your wild card replaces has already been played in some other set or run. Once you've mastered the game of rummy, you might want to try the slightly more interesting and challenging gin rummy.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-14-2022

Arguably, bridge is the greatest card game ever. Not only is it a lifelong friend, it also enables you to make lifelong friends because it's a partnership game. From the four phases of playing a bridge hand to some expert advice on bidding, get started with playing bridge and then refine your game to increase your chances of winning.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-14-2022

The variety of card games means that you can find one to suit most any situation. Most card players are familiar with some type of poker, though they may need to be reminded of how the hands are ranked. You can play some card games as long as all the players are happy to continue; others end at a particular score, and all are made more enjoyable when players adhere to card-game etiquette.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-04-2022

Texas hold’em poker is everywhere these days — on TV, online, and in clubs and casinos. Before you sit down to a game of Texas hold 'em, make sure you’re in good shape to be successful — take care of non-poker issues and check your physical, mental, and financial status. During the game, you need to understand basic odds and playable hands, as well as how to bluff successfully and follow proper poker etiquette. Texas hold 'em also has its own abbreviations for online play.

Article / Updated 01-26-2022

When playing rummy, the first player to be able to put all but one of the cards in their hand into combinations (places all their cards on the table) wins the hand. This is called, "going out." You discard your remaining card as you go out, usually having made the others into one combination of four and one combination of three, if you're playing 7-card rummy. You do not have to make the plays at one turn; you may have put down some cards into sets already, of course. If your last two cards are two 7s, and you pick up a third 7, most people play that you can go out by making a set, without needing a final discard. The winner collects points from all the other players. The winner bases their point total on the remaining cards in the other players’ hands, regardless of whether the cards make up completed combinations or not — which is a good reason to put down melds as soon as you get them. The players put their cards face-up on the table and call out how many points they have left for the winner. You score the cards according to the following scale: 2s through 10s get their face value, meaning that a 5 is worth 5 points. Jacks, queens, and kings receive 10 points apiece. Wild cards cost you 15 points each, if you are playing with them (jokers are usually wild cards, and can complete any set; meaning, the joker can be a substitute for any other card in the deck). Aces, in keeping with their lowly status during the game, charge you 1 point only. Laying all your cards down in one turn is called going rummy, which doubles your score. Obviously, the availability of this bonus affects your decision to put down combinations earlier rather than later. If you think that you can claim this bonus, you may want to delay putting down your combinations. The first player to score 100 points is the winner. For a longer game, you can play to 250 points.

Article / Updated 01-25-2022

Gin rummy is very similar to regular rummy, but gin has some additional wrinkles that make it a more interesting and challenging game. To play gin rummy, you need the following: Two players: If more than two people want to play, you may want to send the extras out for ice cream or a walk. A standard deck of 52 cards; no jokers are allowed in the gin house. Paper and pencil for scoring. Getting a fair deal Both players get ten cards. The dealer turns the rest of the cards into the stock by placing them in the center of the table and turning over the first card. The upcard, the card turned up to start the game, is offered to the nondealer first. If they don't want the upcard, the dealer may take it, and then play continues. Gin rummy play resembles regular rummy, except for how you go out, and the fact that you do not put down combinations mid-hand. The first upcard is a free card; be prepared to take it, even if it has no relevance to your hand because the option reverts to your opponent if you don’t take advantage of it. If nothing else, taking the card misleads your opponent about the combinations in your hand. You cannot take up the discard and then immediately put it down — just as at rummy. Going gin and tallying your score The most difficult (and therefore rewarding) way to go out and win the game is to put all your cards into melds, which is called going gin. If you go gin, you score 25 points, plus the sum of whatever your opponent fails to make into complete combinations — their unconnected cards, or deadwood. You must pick up a card, either from the stock or the discard pile, before you go gin. To better understand how to score points after you win, take a look at the cards in this figure. The winner collects points from the deadwood in the loser’s hand. The example opponent has 18 points left: two 4s and two 5s add up to 18 points. Together with the 25 points you get for going gin, you score 43 points. You can play to 100 or 250 points, depending on how long you want the contest to last. Knock, knock! Another way to go out The most intriguing facet of the rules of gin rummy, compared to the standard rummy rules, is that you have more than one way to go out. Instead of forming all your cards into combinations, you have the option to knock (which involves literally tapping the table). You knock when You’ve put almost all your cards into combinations and The cards that don’t make melds total less than or equal to 10 points. If you meet these criteria, you can knock (just once will do — no matter how happy it makes you feel) and then put your cards down on the table. After you knock, play stops, and the tallying begins. Your score comes from the deadwood — the cards that aren’t part of combinations. If your opponent’s deadwood exceeds yours, you pick up the difference between your total and theirs. If your opponent’s deadwood doesn’t exceed yours, you must face the consequences. Sometimes your opponent can outdo you when you knock because they have an additional way to get rid of his deadwood. They can put down their melds, and those cards don’t count toward their score. They can also add their loose cards to your combinations. After your opponent adds any loose cards, only their remaining cards count. Take a look at the cards in this figure to get an idea of how to score after you knock. If you count up all the cards in this figure, you see that your 5 points against the opponent's 28 leaves you with 23 points. If you knock, you don’t get 25 points for going out.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 01-20-2022

Whether you play poker for fun or money, you can use bluffing strategies and the rules of etiquette for games at home. If you play for money, tips for managing your poker chips may come in handy.

Article / Updated 12-07-2021

In bridge, you can create winning tricks in a suit, even if you don’t have the ace. When you have all the honors in a suit except the ace, you can attack that suit early and drive out the ace from your opponent’s hand. Lead an honor card in the suit in which you’re missing the ace. To get rid of the ace when you have all the honors except the ace, lead the highest honor. (If the equal honors are in the dummy where everyone can see them, which one to play is optional.) So, if you have the KQJ, lead the king to drive out the ace. If you lead a low card, such as the 6, 7, or 8, your opponent doesn’t have to play the ace to take the trick. He can simply take the trick with a lower card, such as the 9 or 10, and he still has the ace! Continue playing the suit until your opponents play the ace and take the trick. After the ace is out of the way, use your remaining equal honor cards to take sure tricks. Driving out the ace is a great way of setting up extra tricks. The cards in this figure provide an example of a suit you can attack to drive out the ace. You can’t count a single sure spade trick because your opponent (East) has the ♠A. Yet the four spades in the dummy — ♠KQJ10 — are extremely powerful. (Any suit that contains four honor cards is considered powerful.) Say that the lead is in your hand from the preceding trick, and you lead a low spade (the lowest spade you have — in this case, the ♠3). West, seeing the dummy has very strong spades, plays her lowest card, the ♠2; you play the ♠10 from the dummy; and East decides to win the trick with the ♠A. You may have lost the lead, but you have also driven out the ♠A. The dummy remains with the ♠KQJ, all winning tricks. You have established three sure spade tricks where none existed.