Auction bridge

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Auction Bridge (card game)
Image:Card shuffling.jpg
Type trick-taking
Players 4
Deck 52-card
Cards Anglo-American
Play Clockwise
Card rank
(highest to lowest)
A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Related games Whist, Contract Bridge

The card game auction bridge was developed from straight bridge in 1904 and was a precursor to contract bridge (Frey, Morehead, and Mott-Smith 1956).

The main difference between auction bridge and contract bridge is that in auction bridge a game is scored whenever the required number of tricks (9 in No Trump, 10 in Hearts or Spades, 11 in Clubs or Diamonds) is scored. In contract bridge the number of points from tricks taken past the bid do not count towards making a game. Because of this, accurate bidding becomes much more important in contract bridge: partners have to use the bidding to tell each other what their suits and strengths are, so a judgement can be made as to what the chances are of making a game.

Contents

[edit] Play

The bidding, play and laws are the same as contract bridge.

[edit] Scoring

A scoring table for Auction Bridge, from the Official Rules of Card Games, 1973 is as follows:

Odd-tricks: no trumps are worth 10; spades 9; hearts 8; diamonds 7; clubs 6.

Game was 30 points, and only odd-tricks counted towards game. The first side to win two games won the rubber and scored a 250 point bonus.

Each under-trick was worth 50 points to the opponents.

Small slam was worth 50 points; grand slam was worth 100 points.

Honours were scored as follows: 4 trump honours in one hand 80; 5 trump honours or 4 aces in no trumps in one hand 100. For an addition honour in partner's hand, or for 3 or more honours divided between both hands 10 each.

Contracts could be doubled and redoubled, which doubled or quadrupled the odd-trick and under-trick amounts. In addition there was a bonus of 50 points for making a doubled contract and for each over-trick, this was doubled if the contract was redoubled.

[edit] Reference

Morehead, Albert H.; Richard L. Frey, Geoffrey Mott-Smith (1956). The New Complete Hoyle. Garden City, New York: Garden City Books, p. 118. 

[edit] External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Bridge.