Distribution (bridge)

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Distribution in contract bridge denotes the suit length in a hand by means of four numbers separated by hyphens. For example, 4-3-3-3 tells the reader that the hand has one four-card suit and three three-card suits.

Unfortunately, this approach has a built-in ambiguity: it doesn't tell the reader which suit has four cards.

Since the 1990s, some bridge publications (including The Bridge World magazine) have adopted the following convention:

• The use of four numbers separated by hyphens does not specify which suit is which. So, for example, 4-4-4-1 means a hand with a singleton in any one of the four suits: four spades, four hearts, four diamonds and one club; or one spade, four hearts, four diamonds, and four clubs.

• The use of four numbers separated by equal signs does specify which suit is which; the order of the numbers is the same as the suit rank. So, for example, 4=4=4=1 specifies a hand with a singleton club and three four-card suits, and 2=5=3=3 specifies a hand with two spades, five hearts, and three each in the minors.