BridgeTricks vs Tricky Bridge
BridgeTricks is our own product. Every other app is described from its own site and store listing, checked on 18 October 2026.
Learning bridge on your own often starts with an app or a course, and Tricky Bridge and BridgeTricks both offer a way in. Tricky Bridge is a phone app that teaches the game through a story of short lessons led by robot characters, then lets you play deals. BridgeTricks is a website with a free beginner course and trainers for the decisions that come after the basics.
At a glance
| BridgeTricks | Tricky Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| How you learn | A free course of lessons, then trainers that work on one decision at a time | A storyline of lessons and challenges, then deals you play with robot partners |
| Lessons for beginners | 26 free lessons, plus free guides on conventions and play | 57 lessons and challenges on bidding, play and strategy, all free |
| What your result is measured against | The best play over the possible layouts, 4,000 double dummy layouts for every opening lead and exact odds for suit play | Leaderboards in duplicate tournaments played with robots, with players grouped by skill |
| Playing whole deals | No full-deal play against robots, but a free double dummy solver to play out any deal you enter | Unlimited practice deals with robot partners and a hint button, plus Quick, Daily and Knockout tournaments |
| Opening leads | The Lead Trainer: every card graded at IMPs and matchpoints, with a daily set, practice, survival, rush and duels | No separate lead practice listed. You lead when you defend a deal |
| Declarer play | The Suit Trainer for suit combinations, with a free suit solver | Lessons on card play and practice deals with hints |
| Bidding | Write your system in the Bidding Architect and drill it with flashcards, plus 100-hand drills on 46 conventions and systems | Bidding lessons and challenges in the course, and robots that play SAYC or 2/1, which you can adjust |
| Playing with other people | Duels on the same puzzles, leaderboards and a community chat, but no table play | No play with other people. Tournament scores are compared on leaderboards |
| Free plan and prices | Free daily sets, duels, lessons and solvers. Pro $7 a month or $60 a year, Master $12 a month or $99 a year | Lessons and solo practice free, no pop-up ads. 50 deals $3.99, unlimited deals $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year |
| Where it runs | In any browser on a computer or phone, plus iOS and Android apps with the double dummy solver | iOS and Android apps, which also run on Apple silicon Macs and on Windows through Google Play Games. No web version |
Prices and features checked on 18 October 2026. Sources: Tricky Bridge, the Tricky Bridge App Store listing and its Google Play listing, and BridgeTricks pricing. Tricky Bridge prices are its in-app prices on the US App Store, in US dollars.
How Tricky Bridge works
Tricky Bridge is made by Forklift Studios, mainly for people who have never played, though experienced players use it to practice and compete. Its course is told as a story, and robot characters guide you through the lessons and challenges. The lessons cover bidding, card play and strategy, and there are no pop-up ads while you learn.
Once you know the rules, you can play as many practice deals as you like with robot partners, and press a hint button when you are stuck. There are also Quick, Daily and Knockout duplicate tournaments open at any hour, with results on leaderboards. Quick tournaments and Knockouts group players by skill. Forklift Studios says the app is recommended by the ACBL and supported by the ACBL Educational Foundation.
It is very well rated. The App Store listing has a rating of 4.9 from about 4,500 ratings, and Google Play shows 4.7 from about 6,800 reviews and more than 100,000 installs. There is no play against other people and no double dummy solver. You can choose SAYC or 2/1 for the robots and adjust it, but there is no place to write down a full system of your own.
How BridgeTricks works
BridgeTricks starts beginners with a free course of 26 lessons, and has free guides on conventions, card play and scoring for later. It does not give you hands to play against robots, so it is not the place to play your first full deals.
Its trainers are built for the next step, when you know the rules and want to make fewer mistakes. In the Lead Trainer you see a hand and an auction, choose a lead, and find out how every card you could have led does over 4,000 deals of the hidden hands, at IMPs and at matchpoints. The Suit Trainer grades how you play one suit as declarer, card by card, and both have a daily set that is the same for everyone and duels against other players.
For bidding there are drills of 100 hands on 46 conventions and systems, quizzes, and the Bidding Architect, where you write down your system, share it with your partner on Pro or Master, and turn it into flashcards.
Free plans and prices
On Tricky Bridge all the lessons and the solo practice deals cost nothing. Deals are sold in the app, 50 for $3.99 (sometimes offered for $0.99), or unlimited for $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year. The store listing does not say exactly which deals the packs are for.
On BridgeTricks the lessons, guides, daily sets, duels and solvers are free. A free account also gets 3 practice hands and 3 arcade runs a day in each trainer, 3 drill or quiz answers a day and 10 flashcards a day. Pro raises the daily limits and Master removes them, and players under 26 can get half price.
Which one to choose
Pick BridgeTricks if
- you know the basics and want to stop losing tricks on the opening lead or in one suit
- you want each decision checked against the best play over thousands of layouts
- you play conventions with a partner and want to learn your system together
- you want to practice in a web browser, on a computer or a phone
Pick Tricky Bridge if
- you are new to bridge and want lessons that feel like a game
- you want to play full deals with robot partners
- you like tournaments and leaderboards at any hour
- you would rather learn in an app on your phone
A natural path is to learn the game on Tricky Bridge and move to BridgeTricks when single decisions, such as leads or suit play, start to cost you points.
Common questions
Short answers to what readers ask most.
- Is Tricky Bridge free?
- The 57 lessons and the solo practice are free, with no pop-up ads. Packs of deals are sold in the app, 50 for $3.99, or unlimited for $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, and the listing does not say exactly which deals they are for.
- Is Tricky Bridge good for complete beginners?
- Yes, it is made for them. The lessons start from the rules, and the robots guide you through each step. BridgeTricks also has a free course of 26 lessons for beginners.
- Can I use Tricky Bridge on a computer?
- Yes, but not in a browser, because there is no web version. The App Store says the app also runs on Macs with an Apple M1 chip or later, and Google Play offers it on Windows through Google Play Games. BridgeTricks runs in any browser, on a computer or a phone, and its iOS and Android apps have the double dummy solver.
- Can I play full deals against robots on BridgeTricks?
- No. BridgeTricks trains one decision at a time and has no robot table. You can enter any deal in the free double dummy solver and play it out card by card.
- What should I use after Tricky Bridge?
- To keep playing, an app where you can also play with people, such as Bridge Base Online or Funbridge. To work on the parts of the game that cost you most, BridgeTricks has the Lead Trainer, the Suit Trainer and bidding drills.
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