Novice: first steps

[99_lvl]

Hi, everyone! How do you think, what is the most suitable age to start playing bridge? What are the first steps? Thanks in advance :)

[helene_t]

Hi 99_Ivl, welcome to the forum :)

 

Age: as early as possible! If you want to teach bridge to 3-years old who haven't got a basic understanding of numbers yet it is of course more difficult but on the other hand, since the cards show their ranks by means of a number of card symbols in addition to the digits, it may be a great way to introduce children to numbers.

 

The first step is to introduce the trick-taking concept. Simplify the game to two players, one suit, eight cards, for example:

W: 9632

E: 8754

 

Explain the rules (West leads first) and see if the students can figure out that West's winning strategy is to lead a small card and duck the return of the 8!

 

Next step will be two suits (16 cards), then three suits (24 cards). Then introduce a trump suit.

 

Then start playing with 52 cards (four hands) double dummy.

 

Next step is mini bridge.

 

And finally the real game, including bidding.

[Vampyr]

do you really think that going from one to four suits is necessary? I think that if the children are, say, nine or older, or have played any card games before, they will easily grasp the notions of following suit and will be able from the start to play hands single-dummy..

[billw55]

We taught our kids to play at about 11 and 13. They were quite able to understand following suit, taking tricks, and trumping. Bidding legally was only slightly more trouble. I assume from this that they could have started younger.

 

We took them to the club a few times, and ultimately they just weren't interested. But it is still in there somewhere, maybe that will be enough for them to pick it up again as adults.

[barmar]

FYI, the current record for the youngest ACBL Life Master is held by Zach Garrison. He achieved it 3 years ago when he was 9 years old.

[Cyberyeti]

I was taught to play the cards at the age of 7 or 8 by my grandfather when I already had a fair amount of experience of other card games. Bidding followed a couple of years later. I think that's probably about right.

[99_lvl]

First of all I’d like to thank to everyone of you! ;) The ideas are really very nice, I’ve never thought about it) To be honest, that was the question about myself ) I’m 16 year-old and I’ve already learnt the basics, I mean I’m able to play with robots as well as with real people, I’ve even taken part in some tournaments  And I like the game very much, it makes me THINK – and that’s really appealing. Unfortunately, I don’t understand the strategy to the core, so to speak, yet… And when I face some 50-year-old experts, well… I feel a little bit nervous, and I know that me playing vexes them, my nickname is just some kind of joke))) But of course I know, that everyone was a novice once and it all comes with practice. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT – that’s my life motto) But nevertheless you need someone, who will explain your mistakes and just help to analyse (lucky me, I have a mentor). How did your get your start ? Was there someone, who helped you? Please, share with me your experience))

[Vampyr]

First of all I’d like to thank to everyone of you! ;) The ideas are really very nice, I’ve never thought about it) To be honest, that was the question about myself ) I’m 16 year-old and I’ve already learnt the basics, I mean I’m able to play with robots as well as with real people, I’ve even taken part in some tournaments  And I like the game very much, it makes me THINK – and that’s really appealing. Unfortunately, I don’t understand the strategy to the core, so to speak, yet… And when I face some 50-year-old experts, well… I feel a little bit nervous, and I know that me playing vexes them, my nickname is just some kind of joke))) But of course I know, that everyone was a novice once and it all comes with practice. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT – that’s my life motto) But nevertheless you need someone, who will explain your mistakes and just help to analyse (lucky me, I have a mentor). How did your get your start ? Was there someone, who helped you? Please, share with me your experience))

 

If you ask the better players in the club to play with you, many will be happy to give you a game. Offer to buy them a drink afterwards and you will have a chance to go over the hands. Also, if there is a regular group that go to,the pub afterwards, make friends with these people and soon they will invite you along. In our regular club, it is implicit that everyone is welcome and no one need be asked to come along, but I imagine that the etiquette might vary in other places.

 

If you are a pleasant partner and a keen learner, you may get a chance to play regularly with a player who is significantly better than you. This will help your game enormously. But so will finding a partner at your own level and working together on a serious partnership.

 

Oh, and read.

 

EDIT: oh, you say you have a mentor. So you are doing fine with much of the above. But still read.

[ggwhiz]

I was lucky when I started in that I played a lot of poker etc. with a group that moved into bridge 2 years before I did.

 

That meant a lot of mentors and the best played a Friday night game with me once per month where we played NOTHING! Not even stayman. Lots of fun and inventing auctions on the fly led to a lot of tactical understanding.

 

I just introduced the grandkids, 9 and 7 (not quite ready yet) to hearts but progressing to Bridge will be tough. Their father is lights out in scrabble, trivial pursuit etc. but may be the worst card player of all time.

 

In 2008 I taught an Elementary school grade 1 class to play Whist with all 4 hands face up on the table and they LOVED it but some really good Bridge potential came from the grade 5-8 classes.

[99_lvl]

Hi 99_Ivl, welcome to the forum :)

 

Age: as early as possible! If you want to teach bridge to 3-years old who haven't got a basic understanding of numbers yet it is of course more difficult but on the other hand, since the cards show their ranks by means of a number of card symbols in addition to the digits, it may be a great way to introduce children to numbers.

 

The first step is to introduce the trick-taking concept. Simplify the game to two players, one suit, eight cards, for example:

W: 9632

E: 8754

 

Explain the rules (West leads first) and see if the students can figure out that West's winning strategy is to lead a small card and duck the return of the 8!

 

Next step will be two suits (16 cards), then three suits (24 cards). Then introduce a trump suit.

 

Then start playing with 52 cards (four hands) double dummy.

 

Next step is mini bridge.

 

And finally the real game, including bidding.

 

Thanks)I liked the idea of simplifying the game very much! ;)

[99_lvl]

FYI, the current record for the youngest ACBL Life Master is held by Zach Garrison. He achieved it 3 years ago when he was 9 years old.

WOW! That's just amazing! I'm even a little bit jealous :D

[99_lvl]

I was lucky when I started in that I played a lot of poker etc. with a group that moved into bridge 2 years before I did.

 

That meant a lot of mentors and the best played a Friday night game with me once per month where we played NOTHING! Not even stayman. Lots of fun and inventing auctions on the fly led to a lot of tactical understanding.

 

I just introduced the grandkids, 9 and 7 (not quite ready yet) to hearts but progressing to Bridge will be tough. Their father is lights out in scrabble, trivial pursuit etc. but may be the worst card player of all time.

 

In 2008 I taught an Elementary school grade 1 class to play Whist with all 4 hands face up on the table and they LOVED it but some really good Bridge potential came from the grade 5-8 classes.

 

Lucky you are! Mainly I play online and I like it, but I suppose LIVE game is very important... Probably, I should try to visit some bridge clubs. As far as I know, there's only one in my town :D

[99_lvl]

If you ask the better players in the club to play with you, many will be happy to give you a game. Offer to buy them a drink afterwards and you will have a chance to go over the hands. Also, if there is a regular group that go to,the pub afterwards, make friends with these people and soon they will invite you along. In our regular club, it is implicit that everyone is welcome and no one need be asked to come along, but I imagine that the etiquette might vary in other places.

 

If you are a pleasant partner and a keen learner, you may get a chance to play regularly with a player who is significantly better than you. This will help your game enormously. But so will finding a partner at your own level and working together on a serious partnership.

 

Oh, and read.

 

EDIT: oh, you say you have a mentor. So you are doing fine with much of the above. But still read.

Thanks a lot! Liked your post) Though it's a little bit early for me to visit pubs :D ;) But I got the idea))

[Vampyr]

Lucky you are! Mainly I play online and I like it, but I suppose LIVE game is very important... Probably, I should try to visit some bridge clubs. As far as I know, there's only one in my town :D

 

See if this club offers lessons, or knows where you can take lessons. This will introduce you to other players at your level, and as a bonus they will play the same bidding system as you. This could prove very fruitful in terms of finding someone to start a serious and/or long-term partnership with, or just a number of people you can play with.

[99_lvl]

See if this club offers lessons, or knows where you can take lessons. This will introduce you to other players at your level, and as a bonus they will play the same bidding system as you. This could prove very fruitful in terms of finding someone to start a serious and/or long-term partnership with, or just a number of people you can play with.

I already have a partner, who's significantly better than I, and he will introduce me to the club;) Thanks!)

[suokko]

In begin just a lot playing teaches basic understand of card play. I did start playing without knowing pretty much anything. I only started finding basic reading after fooling around quite many boards just for fun.

 

But just playing doesn't teach a lot of important knowledge about biding, signals, leads or card play technique. That information is easier to get from a mentor. Alternative is to look for books or good online sources. This game has so much different technical details that without reading one can't simple learn enough.

 

Good online sources are:

• This forum
  
• Richard Pavilcek's bridge site http://www.rpbridge.net/
  
• Phillip Martin's blog http://thegargoylechronicles.blogspot.com
  
• Wikipedia Articles in Contract bridge template links (The folded link list in the bottom of page) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contract_bridge
  
• Bridge winners http://bridgewinners.com/
  
• Later on good source of many biding systems is Daniel's system pages http://www.bridgewithdan.com/systems/
  

[PhilG007]

Hi, everyone! How do you think, what is the most suitable age to start playing bridge? What are the first steps? Thanks in advance :)

I would agree the earlier the better. I found the most suitable game for teaching children trick taking games

is KNOCKOUT WHIST where the number of cards each player receives is reduced by one card each deal. The player who fails to win at

least one trick is eliminated round by round. GERMAN WHIST is another good curtain raiser....

[lamford]

The first step is to introduce the trick-taking concept. Simplify the game to two players, one suit, eight cards, for example:

W: 9632

E: 8754

 

Explain the rules (West leads first) and see if the students can figure out that West's winning strategy is to lead a small card and duck the return of the 8!

Isn't that West's drawing strategy? But a nice example for beginners nonetheless.

[Mbodell]

I would agree the earlier the better. I found the most suitable game for teaching children trick taking games

is KNOCKOUT WHIST where the number of cards each player receives is reduced by one card each deal. The player who fails to win at

least one trick is eliminated round by round. GERMAN WHIST is another good curtain raiser....

 

That sounds like a game that I think is good for folks if they aren't at bridge yet:

 

Oh, Hell (AKA Screw the Dealer, also a commercial variety that is semi-popular is Wizard)

 

You can play with any number of players (although really probably need at least 3, and no more than 8. It is best with 3-6).

 

You start out dealing each player 1 card, and cut the deck for a trump card which is revealed (this suit is trump). Left of the dealer will lead. Each player in turn "bids" how many cards they will win. The sum of all the players bids can not be the number of cards dealt (1 in the first round), so the player to bid last might be constrained. Then you play the hand out and if people take exactly the number of tricks they said they get 10 + the number of tricks. If they fail to take the number they said (either took less OR more), they get 0 (there are other scoring systems possible, this is what I learned it as). The deal now rotates, but this time everyone gets 2 cards, then next round 3 cards, etc. until you run out of numbers that can be dealt (so for 3 people, you go to 17; for 4 people to 13; for 5 people to 10; etc.). If the last round works out exactly (like in the 4 person case), then there is no trump. Optionally, you can play it up and down (so 1, 2, 3, ..., 12, 13, 12, 11, ..., 2, 1 in the 4 person way). All the tricks are individual, but otherwise normal bridge/trick rules apply (the highest card in the led suit wins the trick, unless there is a trump in which case the highest trump wins. You have to follow suit if you can. If you won the most recent trick, you lead to the next trick. A is high, 2 is low.)

 

There are no teams in this, but it is a good starter game because it teaches people trick taking and trumping. Plus it teaches people how to estimate the strength of holdings. Plus it teaches people to strategize about how to play suits and cards. And also teaches people to remember which cards have been played and who showed out of what. Needing to figure out both how to lose tricks and how to win tricks improves general card skills. And having a number of the hands have a smaller number of cards in the hand, makes some of the decisions easier to understand for a newer player.

 

Wizard has a custom deck that is similar to a normal deck (the suits are differently named, and go 1-13 instead of 2-A, but it is still 52 normal cards in 4 suits), but also introduces 4 jesters and 4 wizard cards. The Jesters and Wizards are a bit weird as a Jester and Wizard can always be played (they count as following any suit), a Jester can never win a trick (unless all cards in the trick are a Jester, in which case the first Jester wins), a wizard will always win a trick - unless it is played to a trick that already has a wizard (first wizard wins), if a Jester is led, the first non-jester sets the suit of the trick. If a wizard is led, any suit is legitimate (and no one can win as the first wizard will win). If the Jester is turned face up to determine trumps, then it is a no-trump hand. If the wizard is turned face up to determine trumps, then it is dealer's choice what is trumps. The scoring suggested is 20 points for exactly making your contract + 10 points for tricks that you contracted for (assuming you made it exactly), else if you didn't make your exact amount -10 times the number of tricks you missed by. So if you bid 4 and win 4 then you get 60 points (20 + 4 * 10), but if you bid 4 and win 6 then you get -20 (abs(6-4)*-10).

 

If you can get people to play bridge, great, do that. But these other games can be good gateway games and do teach transferable skills (and are fun) and are available if you have 3 or 5 or 6 or 7 people.