Bridge Glossary: Essential Terms Every Player Should Know
Bridge has its own language. This glossary covers the terms you’ll hear at the table, from basic concepts to advanced conventions. Each entry includes a clear definition, examples where helpful, and links to related terms.
A
Auction: The bidding phase where players communicate the strength and shape of their hands. Ends when three players pass in a row.
Attitude Signal: A defensive signal showing whether you like a suit. High card = encouraging, low card = discouraging.
Ace: The highest-ranking card in a suit. Worth 4 high-card points.
Alert: A notification to opponents that a bid has an artificial or unusual meaning. Required for many conventions.
B
Balanced: A hand with no singletons or voids, typically 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2, or 5-3-3-2 distribution.
Balancing: Bidding in fourth seat after two passes to prevent opponents from playing at a low level. Can be done with fewer points than normal.
Blackwood: A convention where 4NT asks partner how many aces they hold. Used when heading to slam. See also: Roman Key Card Blackwood.
Breaking a Transfer: Bidding something other than the expected suit after partner transfers. Shows super-acceptance or unusual shape.
Broken Sequence: A holding like KJ10 or QJ9, where the sequence has a gap in the middle.
Business Double: A penalty double intended to increase the score when opponents go down. Used less often in modern bridge than takeout doubles.
C
Captain: The player who knows more about the partnership’s combined strength and chooses the final contract. Usually responder after opener limits their hand.
Cash: To play a card that will win the trick (usually an ace or established winner).
Convention: An artificial bid with a special meaning agreed upon by the partnership. Examples: Stayman, Blackwood, Jacoby Transfers.
Count: The number of cards in a suit. Also, giving count = signaling how many cards you hold in a suit.
Cue Bid: Bidding the opponent’s suit (typically shows first-round control or asks for aces in slam auctions). Can also mean showing a control in your own suit.
Crossruff: A play technique where declarer ruffs in both hands alternately instead of drawing trumps.
D
Declarer: The player who plays both their own hand and dummy after winning the auction.
Discard: Playing a card from a suit different from the one led (when you can’t follow suit and aren’t trumping).
Distribution: The pattern of suits in a hand, expressed as four numbers (e.g., 5-4-2-2).
Double: A call that increases the stakes. Can be for penalty or takeout depending on context.
Doubleton: Holding exactly two cards in a suit.
Drury: A convention where 2♣ in response to a third- or fourth-seat major opening asks if opener has a full opening hand.
Dummy: The declarer’s partner. After the opening lead, dummy’s cards are placed face-up on the table and played by declarer.
Duck: Deliberately losing a trick you could win, often to preserve communication or entries.
E
Endplay: A technique where you force an opponent to lead, giving you an advantage (often a ruff-sluff or finesse position).
Entry: A card that allows you to reach a particular hand (yours or dummy).
Exit: To give up the lead to opponents, often after stripping them of safe cards to return.
F
Finesse: An attempt to win a trick with a card that’s not the highest in the suit, by playing it when the higher card is on your left.
Fit: When both partners have length in the same suit, creating an eight-card or better trump suit.
Forcing: A bid that partner must not pass. Can be forcing for one round, game-forcing, or forcing to slam.
Fourth-Best: The standard opening lead convention where you lead your fourth-highest card in a suit you’re leading from length.
Fragments: Small cards in a suit (spot cards like 2, 3, 4).
G
Garbage Stayman: Using Stayman with a weak hand to escape from 1NT into a major-suit part-score.
Gerber: A convention using 4♣ to ask for aces (instead of 4NT Blackwood), typically after notrump openings.
Grand Slam: Bidding and making all 13 tricks (7 of a suit or 7NT).
Game: A contract that scores 100+ points if made: 3NT, 4♥, 4♠, 5♣, or 5♦.
Game-Forcing: A bid that commits the partnership to reach game or higher.
H
Hand: The 13 cards dealt to each player.
HCP (High-Card Points): The point-count system for evaluating hands: A=4, K=3, Q=2, J=1.
Hold-Up: Refusing to win a trick early (usually holding up an ace) to cut communication between opponents.
Honor: A, K, Q, J, or 10 (though 10 is a minor honor).
I
Invite: A bid that suggests game but lets partner decide (typically shows 10-12 HCP).
Interference: When opponents bid during your auction, disrupting your normal agreements.
Intermediates: Cards like 10s and 9s that aren’t honors but add trick-taking potential.
J
Jacoby 2NT: After a major opening, 2NT shows a game-forcing raise with four-card support.
Jacoby Transfer: Bidding 2♦ over 1NT to transfer to hearts, or 2♥ to transfer to spades.
Jump Shift: A jump in a new suit (like 1♠-3♣), showing 17+ HCP and typically forcing to game.
Junk: Very weak cards with no trick-taking potential.
K
King: Second-highest card in a suit. Worth 3 high-card points.
Knock Out: To force out an opponent’s high card (like leading a suit to knock out the ace).
L
Law of Total Tricks: A guideline that the total tricks available on a deal roughly equals the total trumps held by both sides.
Lead: The first card played to a trick. Opening lead = the first card of the entire hand.
Length: Having many cards in a suit (five or more is typically good length).
Limit Bid: A bid that defines your hand within a narrow range (like a limit raise showing 10-12 HCP).
Limit Raise: Raising partner’s suit to the three-level with 10-12 HCP and support.
Loser: A card likely to lose a trick.
M
Major Suits: Spades and hearts (worth more in scoring).
Michaels Cue Bid: Cue-bidding opponent’s suit to show both majors (over a minor) or the other major plus a minor (over a major).
Minor Suits: Clubs and diamonds (worth less in scoring).
Moysian Fit: A 4-3 trump fit (named after Alphonse Moyse Jr.).
N
Natural Bid: A bid that shows cards in the suit bid (opposite of artificial/conventional).
Negative Double: A double showing unbid suit(s) after partner opens and opponents overcall.
Notrump: A contract with no trump suit. Highest card in the suit led wins the trick.
O
Offside: When a key card is in the wrong opponent’s hand for a finesse to work.
Onside: When a key card is positioned favorably for declarer.
Opener: The first player to make a bid other than pass.
Opening Lead: The first card led to the first trick.
Overcall: A bid made after opponents have opened the bidding.
Overtrick: A trick won beyond what was needed to make the contract.
P
Part-Score: A contract below game level.
Pass: Declining to bid. Three consecutive passes end the auction.
Pass-Out Seat: Fourth position after three passes (also called balancing seat).
Penalty: Points scored when opponents fail to make their contract.
Penalty Double: A double intended to increase the penalty when opponents go down.
Preempt: An opening bid at the two-level or higher with a weak hand and long suit, designed to obstruct opponents.
Preference: Choosing between two suits partner has shown, usually returning to their first suit.
Q
Quantitative: A natural notrump bid asking partner to bid slam with maximum values (typically 4NT or 5NT).
Queen: Third-highest card in a suit. Worth 2 high-card points.
Quick Tricks: High cards that will take tricks on the first or second round (A=1, AQ=1½, KQ=1).
R
Raise: Supporting partner’s suit by bidding it at a higher level.
Rebid: Opener’s second bid. Also, bidding the same suit twice.
Redouble: A bid made after your side has been doubled, multiplying the score again.
Responder: Partner of the opening bidder.
Restricted Choice: A probability principle suggesting that when opponent plays an honor, they’re more likely to have been forced to play it than to have chosen it from equals.
Reverse: A non-jump rebid in a higher-ranking suit that shows extra strength (promises 17+ HCP).
Roman Key Card Blackwood (RKC): A version of Blackwood that treats the trump king as a fifth “ace.”
Ruff: To trump when void in the suit led.
Ruff-Sluff: A situation where opponents lead a suit you’re void in (in both hands), letting you ruff in one hand and discard a loser from the other.
Rule of 11: Subtract the opening lead’s spot card from 11 to determine how many higher cards are in the other three hands.
Rule of 15: In fourth seat, add your HCP to your spades. If 15+, open; otherwise pass.
Rule of 20: For borderline opening hands, add your HCP to your two longest suits. If 20+, open.
S
Sacrifice: Bidding a contract you expect to fail because the penalty will be less than what opponents would score.
SAYC: Standard American Yellow Card, a standardized set of conventions for pickup partnerships.
Sequence: Three consecutive honors in a suit (like KQJ or QJ10).
Singleton: Holding exactly one card in a suit.
Slam: A contract at the six-level (small slam) or seven-level (grand slam).
Small Slam: Bidding and making 12 tricks (6 of a suit or 6NT).
Splinter: A jump in a new suit showing shortness (singleton or void) and support for partner’s suit.
Spot Card: A low card (2-9), not an honor.
Squeeze: An endplay where you force an opponent to discard a winner.
Stayman: A 2♣ response to 1NT asking if opener has a four-card major.
Stopper: A holding that will prevent opponents from running a suit (like Axx, Kx, or Qxx).
Strip: To eliminate suits from a hand before exiting (often part of an endplay).
Super-Accept: Jumping when accepting a transfer, showing four-card support and a maximum.
T
Takeout Double: A double asking partner to bid, showing support for unbid suits.
Tenace: Two honors not in sequence in the same hand (like AQ or KJ).
Transfer: An artificial bid asking partner to bid the next suit up (typically Jacoby Transfers: 2♦=transfer to hearts, 2♥=transfer to spades).
Trick: Four cards played, one from each player. The highest card in the suit led (or highest trump) wins.
Trump: The suit chosen in the contract. Trump cards beat other suits.
Two-Over-One (2/1): A bidding system where a two-level response to a one-level opening is game-forcing (requires 13+ HCP).
U
Unbalanced: A hand with a singleton or void.
Underbid: To bid too conservatively, ending in a part-score when game would make.
Undertrick: A trick short of what was needed to make the contract (results in a penalty).
Unusual Notrump: Bidding 2NT over opponent’s opening to show both minor suits (typically 5-5).
Uppercut: Ruffing with a high trump to promote partner’s trump holding.
V
Void: Holding no cards in a suit (0 cards).
Vulnerability: A scoring condition that increases bonuses for making contracts and penalties for going down. Shown on the board or screen.
W
Weak Two: An opening bid of 2♦, 2♥, or 2♠ showing 6-10 HCP and a six-card suit.
Winner: A card that will win a trick.
Working Honor: An honor in a suit where partner has length (makes the honor more valuable). Opposite of wasted honor.
X-Y-Z
Yarborough: A hand with no card higher than a 9 (0 HCP). Named after an English lord who bet against getting such hands.
Zonal Defense: Defensive agreements for leads and signals that depend on which suit is trump.
Quick Reference by Category
Point Count:
- HCP (High-Card Points)
- Quick Tricks
- Rule of 20
Hand Types:
- Balanced
- Unbalanced
- Singleton
- Doubleton
- Void
Conventions:
- Stayman
- Jacoby Transfers
- Blackwood
- Roman Key Card Blackwood
- Gerber
- Michaels Cue Bid
- Unusual Notrump
- Negative Double
- Takeout Double
- Jacoby 2NT
- Drury
- Splinter
Bidding Concepts:
- Forcing
- Game-Forcing
- Invite
- Limit Bid
- Jump Shift
- Reverse
- Preempt
- Sacrifice
Play Techniques:
- Finesse
- Duck
- Hold-Up
- Crossruff
- Squeeze
- Endplay
- Ruff-Sluff
- Uppercut
Signals:
- Attitude
- Count
- Suit Preference
Scoring:
- Game
- Part-Score
- Small Slam
- Grand Slam
- Vulnerability
- Overtrick
- Undertrick
Use this glossary as a reference when you encounter unfamiliar terms at the table or in bridge articles. Understanding the language helps you follow discussions, read bridge literature, and communicate clearly with partners.