What does dummy mean in bridge?

Dummy is declarer's partner, whose cards are laid face up after the opening lead. Declarer plays those cards as well as their own, and the dummy player may not suggest plays. The positions guide explains who becomes dummy on a given auction.

What is a yarborough?

A yarborough is a hand with no card above a nine. The chance of being dealt one is about 1 in 1,828.

What is a trick in bridge?

A trick is a round of four cards, one from each player. Each deal has thirteen tricks, and the contract states how many of them declarer's side must win.

What does double mean in bridge?

A double is a call that increases the score for an opponent's bid if it becomes the contract. At low levels most pairs use it as a takeout double or a negative double, asking partner to bid, while doubles of game contracts are usually for penalties.

What is a rubber in bridge?

A rubber is a set of deals that ends when one side has won two games. It is the unit of play in rubber bridge, and the scoring guide gives the bonuses.

What are the bridge acronyms HCP, LHO and RHO?

HCP means high-card points, LHO means left-hand opponent and RHO means right-hand opponent. Other common ones are NT for notrump, IMP for International Match Point and 2/1 for two over one game force.

What is the difference between a major and a minor?

Spades and hearts are the majors, and diamonds and clubs are the minors. Major tricks score 30 and minor tricks 20, so a game in a major needs ten tricks and a game in a minor needs eleven.

Bridge Terms and Terminology

Bridge has a vocabulary of its own, and most of it comes from three places: the auction, the play of the cards and the scoring. This glossary defines the terms a player meets in the first years, each in a sentence or two, with a link wherever a word has a guide of its own.

Updated 14 October 2026

This page collects the words players use at the table and in print, from the first call of the auction to the last line of the score sheet. Three short sections walk through the vocabulary in the order a newcomer meets it, and the A to Z list after them defines each term.

The words of the auction

Every deal begins with the auction. The dealer makes the first call, and the other players follow in clockwise order. A call is a pass, a bid, a double or a redouble. A bid names a level from one to seven and a strain, which is one of the four suits or notrump, and each bid must outrank the one before it.

The first player to bid is the opener and opener's partner is the responder. An opponent who bids after the opening makes an overcall, and the overcaller's partner is the advancer. Bids promise more or less. A forcing bid obliges partner to bid again, an invitational bid asks partner to go on to game with a little extra, and a sign-off asks partner to stop. Many calls carry an agreed meaning that differs from their natural sense. These are conventions, such as Stayman and the takeout double, and in club play the opponents learn about the unusual ones through an alert. Once three passes in a row follow a bid, the auction is over and the last bid becomes the contract.

The words of the play

The side that wins the auction supplies the declarer, the player of that side who first named the contract's strain. Declarer's partner becomes the dummy. The player on declarer's left, the LHO, makes the opening lead, and then dummy's thirteen cards go face up on the table for declarer to play. One card from each player makes a trick, and there are thirteen tricks in a deal.

Players must follow suit when they can. A player who cannot may discard a card of another suit or ruff with a trump. Declarer's craft has its own words. A finesse tries to win a trick with a card that is not the highest left, in the hope that a missing honor lies well. An entry is a card that wins a trick in the hand you need to reach. To duck is to lose a trick on purpose by playing low, and a hold-up is a duck in the opponents' long suit to cut their communication. The two defenders talk to each other through signals, the agreed meanings of the spot cards they play.

The words of scoring and the game

Declarer's side needs six tricks before it scores anything. Those six are the book, and each trick beyond book earns trick points, 20 in a minor suit, 30 in a major suit, and 40 for the first trick in notrump with 30 for each one after. A contract worth 100 trick points or more is a game, so 3NT, 4♥, 4♠, 5♣ and 5♦ are the lowest games. A contract below game is a part score. Twelve tricks bid and made is a small slam and all thirteen a grand slam, and both carry a large bonus.

Tricks made beyond the contract are overtricks. Tricks short of it are undertricks, and they score for the defenders. A side that is vulnerable collects bigger game and slam bonuses and pays bigger penalties. In a home game the deals add up to a rubber. In duplicate every pair or team plays the same deals and the results are compared, by matchpoints in pair games and by IMPs in team games. The numbers are set out in full in the scoring guide.

Bridge terms from A to Z

2/1: Short for two over one game force, a bidding system in which a new-suit response at the two level to a one-level suit opening, such as 1♠ - 2♣, commits the partnership to game. It applies to an unpassed responder when the opponents have not bid. Guide
ACBL: The American Contract Bridge League, the governing body for bridge in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda. It sanctions club games and tournaments, awards masterpoints and publishes the laws for North America. Guide
Acol: The bidding system most played in Britain and Ireland: four-card majors, a weak 1NT of 12 to 14 points, and natural bidding with few conventions.
Advancer: The partner of a player who has overcalled or made a takeout double. Advancer's bids describe support for the overcall or the best suit in answer to the double. Guide
Alert: A warning to the opponents that partner's call carries a conventional meaning they might not expect. Clubs differ on the method, but most use a spoken "Alert" or an alert card from the bidding box. Guide
Attitude signal: A defender's card that says whether they like the suit partner has led. In standard methods a high spot card encourages and a low one discourages, and upside-down signals reverse that. Guide
Auction: The bidding phase of a deal, in which the four players call in turn until the contract is settled. It ends when three passes follow a bid, or when all four players pass at the start. Guide
Balanced hand: A hand with no void, no singleton and at most one doubleton. The three balanced shapes are 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2 and 5-3-3-2. Guide
Balancing: Bidding or doubling in the last seat when a pass would end the auction. A player in the balancing seat can act on less strength because partner is marked with some values.
BBO: Bridge Base Online, the largest site for playing bridge online, with free tables, tournaments and a hand viewer that bridge writers use to share deals.
Bid: A call that names a level from one to seven and a strain, promising to take that many tricks over six with that strain as trumps. A bid must be higher than the previous bid. Guide
Bidding box: A box of printed cards, one for every possible call, that players use instead of speaking their bids. It is standard equipment in duplicate clubs and keeps the auction silent. Guide
Blackwood: A convention in which a bid of 4NT asks partner how many aces they hold, so the partnership can tell whether a slam is missing two of them. Most modern pairs play the Roman Key Card version, which counts the trump king as a fifth ace. Guide
Board: In duplicate, the tray with four pockets that holds one deal and travels from table to table. The board is marked with its number, the dealer and the vulnerability. Guide
Bonus: Points scored in addition to trick points, for making a part score, a game or a slam, for winning a rubber, or for making a doubled contract. The game and slam bonuses are larger when vulnerable. Guide
Book: The first six tricks won by the declaring side, which score nothing. A contract of two hearts asks for book plus two, eight tricks in all. Guide
Broken sequence: Touching honors with one gap, such as KQ10 or QJ9. The lead from a broken sequence is the top card, the same as from a solid one. Guide
Call: Any action in the auction, whether a bid, a pass, a double or a redouble. Every player makes at least one call on each deal. Guide
Carding: A partnership's agreed signals and leads, written on the convention card: which card is led from each holding and what a high or low card means when following suit. Guide
Cash: To play a winner and take the trick with it. Declarer cashes the aces before the opponents can ruff them.
Chicago: Four-deal bridge: a home game scored deal by deal over a fixed cycle of four hands, with the vulnerability set in advance, so a session has a known length. The third form of the game beside rubber and duplicate. Guide
Claim: A statement by a player that they will win a stated number of the remaining tricks, made by showing their cards and saying how they will play. Play stops at once, and if the opponents dispute the claim the director rules. Guide
Contract: The final bid of the auction, which fixes the trump suit or notrump and the number of tricks declarer's side must take. It may be doubled or redoubled. Guide
Control: A holding that stops the opponents from taking the first or second trick in a suit. An ace or a void is a first-round control, and a king or a singleton is a second-round control. Guide
Convention: A call whose meaning is agreed by the partnership and differs from the natural meaning of the bid. Stayman, Blackwood and the takeout double are all conventions. Guide
Convention card: A form that lists a partnership's system and conventions, filled out before play and placed where the opponents can read it. Duplicate clubs expect every pair to have one. You can build one in the convention card editor.
Count signal: A defender's card that shows whether they hold an even or odd number of cards in the suit. In standard methods high then low shows an even number, low then high an odd number. Guide
Cover: To play a higher honor on an honor led by the opponents, usually to promote a lower card for your side. The traditional advice is to cover an honor with an honor. Guide
Cross-ruff: A way of playing a trump contract in which declarer takes ruffs in both hands in turn, using the trumps separately instead of drawing them. It works best when each hand is short in a suit the other holds.
Cue bid: A bid of a suit the bidder does not intend to play in, with an agreed artificial meaning. The two families are the cue bid of the opponents' suit in competition and the control cue bid on the way to slam. Guide
DD: Short for double dummy, the analysis of a deal with all four hands in view, which shows the best result each side can reach with perfect play. A double dummy solver computes it in seconds.
Deal: The 52 cards as dealt to the four hands, and the act of dealing them. In duplicate each deal is a board, played at every table in turn. Guide
Dealer: The player who deals the cards and makes the first call of the auction. The dealer moves one seat clockwise on each deal, and in duplicate the board names the dealer. Guide
Declarer: The player who plays the contract, the first member of the winning side to have bid its strain. Declarer plays both their own cards and the dummy's. Guide
Defender: Either of the two players on the side that did not win the auction. The defenders try to take enough tricks to defeat the contract. Guide
Denomination: The formal word in the laws for the strain of a bid, one of the four suits or notrump. Most players say strain or suit in conversation. Guide
Director: The official who runs a duplicate game, sets the movement and rules on irregularities such as revokes and leads out of turn. Players call the director to the table whenever something goes wrong. Guide
Direct seat: The seat immediately after an opponent's bid. A double or overcall in direct seat is made before partner has had a chance to speak. Guide
Discard: A card of a side suit played when a player cannot follow suit and chooses not to trump. A discard can never win the trick. Guide
Distribution: The number of cards a hand holds in each suit, also called its shape, such as 5-4-3-1. It also means the way a suit is divided among the four hands. Guide
Distribution points: Points added for shape: three for a void, two for a singleton and one for a doubleton in most counts, or one for each card past four in a long suit. Guide
Double: A call made over an opponent's bid that raises the score of that bid if it becomes the contract. By agreement it is used for penalties or, more often at low levels, as a request for partner to bid. Guide
Doubleton: A holding of exactly two cards in a suit. A doubleton is worth a ruff or two in a trump contract once the trumps are found. Guide
Draw trumps: To lead trumps until the opponents have none left, so they cannot ruff declarer's winners. Declarer usually does it early unless the trumps are needed for ruffs.
Drop: To win an outstanding honor by playing out top cards until it falls, instead of finessing for it. The rule of thumb is eight ever, nine never for a missing queen. Guide
Duck: To play a low card and give up a trick deliberately, usually to keep control of a suit or preserve an entry. Both declarer and the defenders duck. Guide
Dummy: Declarer's partner, and also the hand that partner places face up on the table after the opening lead. Declarer plays dummy's cards, and the dummy player takes no part in the play. Guide
Duplicate: The form of bridge in which the same deals are played at every table and each result is compared with others who held the same cards. It takes most of the luck of the deal out of the game. Guide
EBU: The English Bridge Union, the national governing body for bridge in England. It runs national competitions, sets which systems and conventions may be played in its events and keeps its own master point scheme. Guide
Endplay: A play that throws an opponent on lead at a moment when every card they can play gives declarer a trick. The usual setup strips the opponent's safe exits first. Guide
Entry: A card that wins a trick in a particular hand and so gives the lead to that hand. Planning entries between declarer and dummy is a large part of card play.
Establish: To drive out the opponents' higher cards in a suit until the remaining cards are winners. Declarer often establishes a long suit in notrump, and defenders do the same with their opening lead suit.
Falsecard: A card played to mislead an opponent about one's holding, such as a defender dropping the queen from QJ. Falsecards are legal, and only a deliberate false explanation of an agreement is not.
Finesse: An attempt to win a trick with a card that is not the highest outstanding, by leading toward it and hoping the higher card sits in front of it. The classic case is leading toward AQ and playing the queen when the king is in the right place. Guide
Fit: A suit in which the partnership holds enough cards to make it a good trump suit, usually eight or more between the two hands. An eight-card major fit is the usual target in the auction. Guide
Five-card majors: The agreement that an opening bid of 1♥ or 1♠ promises at least five cards in the suit. Standard American and 2/1 play it, and Acol does not. Guide
Follow suit: To play a card of the suit that was led. A player must follow suit whenever they can, and failing to do so is a revoke. Guide
Forcing bid: A bid partner may not pass. A new suit by responder at the one level, for example, is forcing for one round in standard methods. Guide
Game: A contract worth 100 or more trick points, which earns the game bonus when made. The lowest games are 3NT, four of a major and five of a minor. Guide
Game force: An agreement or a bid after which neither partner may stop below game. A 2/1 response and a strong 2♣ opening are the usual examples. Guide
Game try: A bid after a raise that asks partner whether to go on to game, usually by naming a suit where help is needed. Guide
Goulash: A deal made without shuffling after a passed-out hand, so the suits come out long and the hands wild. A rubber bridge custom that duplicate does not allow.
Grand slam: A contract of seven, which needs all thirteen tricks. It earns a bonus of 1,000 not vulnerable or 1,500 vulnerable. Guide
Hand: The thirteen cards dealt to one player, and also the player holding them. Players also say "a hand" to mean a whole deal.
HCP: Short for high-card points, the standard count of a hand's honor strength. Players write "15 HCP" for a hand with fifteen points in aces, kings, queens and jacks. Guide
High-card points: The standard measure of a hand's strength, counting 4 for an ace, 3 for a king, 2 for a queen and 1 for a jack. The deck holds 40 points in all, so an average hand has 10. Guide
Hold-up: Declining to win a trick in the opponents' suit for a round or two, so one defender runs out of the suit. It is a standard play in notrump when declarer has a single stopper. Guide
Honor: Any of the five top cards in a suit, the ace, king, queen, jack and ten. The ten is an honor for the honors bonus but carries no high-card points. Guide
Honors bonus: A bonus in rubber and Chicago bridge for holding top trumps in one hand, 100 for four of the five trump honors and 150 for all five. Holding all four aces in a notrump contract also scores 150, and duplicate does not use honors. Guide
Honor sequence: Three or more touching honors, such as KQJ or QJ10. The standard lead from a sequence is its top card. Guide
IMP: Short for International Match Point, the unit of team scoring. The difference between two scores on a board is converted to IMPs on a fixed scale that runs from 0 to 24. Guide
IMPs: The scoring method of team games, in which each board's score difference is converted to International Match Points and the totals decide the match. Large swings count for more than small overtricks. Guide
Insufficient bid: A bid that is not higher than the previous bid, such as 1♦ after 1♥. The laws let the offender correct it, sometimes at the cost of silencing partner. Guide
Invitational: Describing a bid that asks partner to go on to game or slam with a maximum and to stop with a minimum. A raise of 1NT to 2NT is invitational. Guide
Jump bid: A bid at a level one higher than needed to name that strain, such as 1♥ - 2♠ when 1♠ was available. Depending on the auction it shows a strong hand or a weak, preemptive one. Guide
Jump shift: A jump bid in a new suit, such as 1♦ - 2♠. Traditionally it shows a strong hand, though many pairs now play responder's jump shift as weak. Guide
Key card: In Roman Key Card Blackwood, one of the four aces or the king of trumps. The 5♣ and 5♦ replies count key cards rather than aces. Guide
Kibitzer: A spectator at the table. A kibitzer may watch one hand or all four but must not comment, signal or react to the play.
Lead: The first card played to a trick, and the act of playing it. The player who won the previous trick leads to the next one. Guide
Lebensohl: A convention after the opponents overcall partner's 1NT, in which an artificial 2NT bid asks partner to bid 3♣ and separates weak hands from strong ones. It is also used by advancer after partner doubles an opponent's weak two. Guide
LHO: Short for left-hand opponent, the opponent sitting on a player's left. Declarer's LHO makes the opening lead. Guide
Limit raise: A jump raise of partner's suit that shows invitational values, usually 10 to 12 points with trump support, such as 1♥ - 3♥. Opener passes with a minimum and bids game with more. Guide
Long suit: A suit of five or more cards. Length is where the extra tricks come from, which is why the longest suit is bid first and led against notrump. Guide
Loser: A card that is expected to lose a trick. In the losing trick count a player counts up to three losers per suit, judged by the missing ace, king and queen. Guide
Loser on loser: Discarding a losing card on a losing trick instead of ruffing, to keep control of a suit, avoid an overruff or set up an endplay. Guide
Major: Spades or hearts, the two higher-ranking suits. Each trick bid and made in a major scores 30, so four of a major is a game. Guide
Masterpoints: Ranking points awarded by a bridge organization for winning or placing in sanctioned events. In the ACBL they accumulate over a career toward ranks such as Life Master. Guide
Matchpoints: The scoring method of most pair games, in which a pair earns one point for every other pair it beats on a board and half a point for each tie. Results are compared, so an overtrick can matter as much as a game. Guide
Michaels cue bid: A direct cue bid of the opponent's opening suit that shows a two-suited hand, such as both majors over a minor opening. Over a major it shows the other major and a minor. Guide
Minor: Clubs or diamonds, the two lower-ranking suits. Each trick bid and made in a minor scores 20, so a minor-suit game needs five of the suit, eleven tricks. Guide
Misfit: A deal on which the two hands of a partnership hold length in different suits and support for neither. Misfits play badly, and the usual advice is to stop bidding early.
Movement: The plan that tells the pairs and the boards where to go after each round of a duplicate game. The Mitchell and the Howell are the two standard movements. Guide
MP: Short for matchpoints, the pair-game scoring method, and on some score sheets for masterpoints. The context usually makes clear which one is meant. Guide
MUD: Short for middle-up-down, a way of leading from three small cards by playing the middle card first and then the higher one. It lets partner tell three cards from a doubleton in time. Guide
Negative double: A double by responder after partner opens and the next player overcalls, showing the unbid suits and some values instead of a wish to penalize. When a major is still unbid, it usually promises four cards there. Guide
Non-forcing: A bid partner is allowed to pass. Most raises and most rebids of a suit already bid are non-forcing.
Notrump: A strain in which there is no trump suit and the highest card of the suit led wins every trick. The first trick over book scores 40 and each later trick 30, so 3NT is a game. Guide
NT: Short for notrump, used in writing bids and contracts such as 1NT and 3NT. Players read 3NT aloud as "three notrump".
NV: Not vulnerable, as written on score sheets and in hand records. Its partner is Vul, for vulnerable. The pairing on a board is given as None, NS, EW or Both. Guide
Offside: An honor is offside when it sits over the finesse, in the hand that plays after the card led toward it, so the finesse loses. Guide
One-suiter: A hand built around one long suit, six cards or more, with no second suit worth bidding.
Onside: An honor is onside when it sits in front of the finesse, in the hand that plays before the card led toward it, so the finesse wins. Guide
Opener: The player who makes the first bid of the auction, other than a pass. Opener's partner is the responder. Guide
Opening bid: The first bid of an auction, made by the opener. In standard methods one of a suit shows about 12 to 21 points and 1NT a balanced 15 to 17. Guide
Opening lead: The first card of the play, led by the player to declarer's left before dummy is faced. It is made with only one's own hand and the auction to go on. Guide
Overcall: A bid made after an opponent has opened the bidding. A simple overcall at the one level usually shows a good five-card suit and about 8 to 16 points. Guide
Overtrick: Any trick declarer wins beyond the number the contract required. Overtricks score their trick value, or a fixed amount when the contract is doubled. Guide
Part score: A contract worth less than 100 trick points, such as 2♥ or 1NT. In duplicate a made part score earns a 50-point bonus, and in rubber bridge part scores add up toward game. Guide
Partnership: The two players who sit opposite each other and play as a side, North and South against East and West. Partners share their agreements on a convention card. Guide
Pass: A call that makes no bid. Three passes in a row after a bid end the auction, and four passes at the start throw the deal in. Guide
Passed out: Describing a deal on which all four players pass at the start. The cards are thrown in and the deal scores zero for both sides. Guide
Penalty double: A double made in the expectation of defeating the contract and collecting the increased penalty. Most partnerships play doubles of high-level contracts and of 1NT openings this way. Guide
Preempt: A high opening bid or overcall made on a long suit and a weak hand, meant to use up the opponents' bidding space. Weak two bids and openings at the three level are preempts. Guide
Psych: A bid made on a hand that does not hold what the bid promises, to mislead the opponents. Legal if partner is as surprised as they are, and rare in club play.
Quick tricks: A count of the tricks a hand should take in the first two rounds of each suit. An AK counts two, an AQ one and a half, an ace or a KQ one, and a guarded king one half. Guide
Raise: A bid of the suit partner has already bid, showing support for it. A single raise is the weakest, and higher raises show more strength or more trumps by agreement. Guide
Rebid: A player's second bid in the auction, most often opener's bid after responder has answered. The rebid is where opener narrows the point range and the shape. Guide
Redouble: A call made over an opponent's double that increases the scoring of the contract again. After a takeout double, opener's partner usually redoubles to show 10 or more points. Guide
Responder: The partner of the opening bidder. Responder's first bid, the response, tells opener about support, length and strength. Guide
Reverse: A rebid by opener in a new suit that ranks higher than the first suit, at the two level, such as 1♦ - 1♠ - 2♥. It shows a strong hand with the first suit longer than the second. Guide
Revoke: Failing to follow suit when able to. Once established, a revoke usually costs the offending side one or two tricks under the laws. Guide
RHO: Short for right-hand opponent, the opponent sitting on a player's right. Declarer's RHO is the partner of the opening leader. Guide
Rubber: In rubber bridge, a match that ends when one side has won two games. The winners collect a bonus of 700 for a two-game rubber or 500 when the other side also won a game. Guide
Ruff: To play a trump on a trick when unable to follow suit. A ruff wins the trick unless a higher trump is played after it. Guide
Ruff and discard: A lead of a suit in which both declarer and dummy are void while both hold trumps, which lets declarer ruff in one hand and throw a loser from the other. Guide
Rule of 11: A guide for reading a fourth-best opening lead. Subtract the card led from 11 to find how many higher cards in that suit are held by the other three hands. Guide
Rule of 20: A guide for opening light hands. Add the high-card points to the number of cards in the two longest suits, and open at the one level if the total is 20 or more. Guide
Sacrifice: A contract bid in the expectation of going down, because the penalty will cost less than letting the opponents make their own contract. Sacrifices pay best at favorable vulnerability. Guide
Safety play: A way of playing a suit that gives up a possible extra trick to guard against a bad break that would cost the contract. It is played when the contract matters more than the overtrick. Guide
SAYC: Short for Standard American Yellow Card, the ACBL's standard system with five-card majors, a 15 to 17 1NT and a short list of conventions. Players who have never met can agree to it in one sentence. Guide
Second hand low: The defensive rule of thumb that the player second to a trick plays a small card, leaving partner, who plays last, to beat dummy's or declarer's card.
Semi-balanced: A hand with a doubleton in two suits, 5-4-2-2 or 6-3-2-2. Often opened or rebid in notrump when the long suits are minors. Guide
Shape: The lengths of the four suits in a hand, written longest first, as in 5-4-3-1. Shape counts for as much as points once a fit is found. Guide
Short suit: A suit of two cards or fewer. Shortness is worth points once a trump fit is found, because the hand can ruff. Guide
Side: One of the two partnerships at the table, North-South or East-West. Scores are kept by side, and vulnerability is a property of a side, not a player. Guide
Sign-off: A bid that asks partner to pass, showing that the bidder sees no further prospects. After 1NT, a transfer followed by a pass is one way to sign off. Guide
Signal: An agreed message carried by the choice of spot card a defender plays. The three standard signals are attitude, count and suit preference. Guide
Singleton: A holding of exactly one card in a suit. A singleton is worth more in a trump contract, where it allows ruffs, than in notrump. Guide
Slam: A contract at the six or seven level, which earns a bonus on top of the game bonus. Players say slam on its own to mean a small slam. Guide
Small slam: A contract of six, which needs twelve tricks. It earns a bonus of 500 not vulnerable or 750 vulnerable. Guide
Splinter: An unusual jump in a new suit that agrees partner's suit and shows a singleton or void in the suit bid, such as 1♠ - 4♣. It helps partner judge whether the hands fit well for slam. Guide
Spot card: Any card from the two to the nine. The nine and eight matter more than they look, since they often decide who wins the third round of a suit. Guide
Squeeze: A play that forces a defender to discard a card they need to keep, because they are guarding two suits and must give one up. It usually comes near the end of the deal when declarer runs winners. Guide
Stayman: A convention in which responder bids 2♣ over a 1NT opening to ask whether opener holds a four-card major. Opener answers 2♦ with no major, or bids a four-card major. Guide
Stopper: A holding that stops the opponents from running a suit in notrump, such as an ace, Kx or QJx. Before bidding 3NT, a partnership checks it has a stopper in every suit the opponents have bid. Guide
Strain: The suit or notrump named in a bid. The five strains rank clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades and notrump, from lowest to highest. Guide
Suit combination: The cards a partnership holds in one suit between the two hands, studied on its own to find the best way to play it. Books of suit combinations give the play and its odds for each holding. Guide
Suit preference: A defender's signal that points to one of the two other suits, with a high card asking for the higher-ranking suit and a low card the lower. It is most often used when giving partner a ruff. Guide
Takeout double: A double of an opening bid that asks partner to bid one of the unbid suits. It promises opening values and support for the suits not yet named, or a hand too strong to overcall. Guide
Tenace: A holding of two honors with a gap between them, such as AQ or KJ. A tenace takes most tricks when the opponents lead the suit to it, or when a finesse succeeds. Guide
Third hand high: The defensive rule of thumb that the player third to a trick plays their highest card when partner's lead is not winning, to force out declarer's honors.
Transfer: A bid that shows length in the next suit up and asks partner to bid that suit, such as 2♦ over 1NT to show hearts. Transfers make the stronger hand the declarer. Guide
Trick: One card from each of the four players, played in clockwise order to the same round. The highest trump wins it, or the highest card of the suit led when no trump is played. Guide
Trick points: The points scored for the tricks bid and made beyond book, which count toward game. They are worth 20 a trick in a minor, 30 in a major, and 40 then 30 in notrump. Guide
Trump: The suit named in the contract that ranks above the other three for that deal, and a card of that suit. A player who cannot follow suit may win the trick by playing a trump. Guide
Two-suiter: A hand with two suits of five cards or more. Michaels and the unusual 2NT show two-suiters in one call. Guide
Unbalanced: Any hand with a void, a singleton or two doubletons. Such hands are bid in suits and usually want to play in a trump contract. Guide
Undertrick: Each trick by which declarer falls short of the contract. Undertricks score for the defenders, 50 each not vulnerable and 100 each vulnerable when undoubled, and more when doubled. Guide
Unusual 2NT: A jump overcall of 2NT over an opponent's opening that shows at least five cards in each of the two lowest unbid suits. Over a major opening it shows both minors. Guide
Upside-down signals: Carding in which a low card encourages and a high card discourages, the reverse of standard attitude. Common among tournament players. Guide
Vacant places: A way of counting the odds of a missing card: the hand with more unknown cards is the more likely to hold it, in proportion to the unknown cards each still has. Guide
Void: A holding of no cards at all in a suit. A void lets a player ruff the first round of the suit in a trump contract. Guide
Vulnerable: The state that raises the game and slam bonuses and the undertrick penalties for a side. In duplicate the board sets it, and in rubber bridge a side becomes vulnerable by winning a game. Guide
WBF: The World Bridge Federation, founded in 1958, the international body for bridge. It runs the world championships such as the Bermuda Bowl and issues the Laws of Duplicate Bridge. Guide
Weak two: An opening bid of 2♦, 2♥ or 2♠ showing a good six-card suit and about 5 to 10 points. It is a preempt that still describes the hand well. Guide
Winner: A card that will take a trick when led or played, such as a top honor or the last card of a suit once the others are gone.
Yarborough: A hand that holds no card higher than a nine. It is named after an Earl of Yarborough who is said to have bet 1,000 to 1 against being dealt one, when the true odds are about 1,827 to 1. Guide

FAQ

Common questions

Short answers to what readers ask most.

What does dummy mean in bridge?: Dummy is declarer's partner, whose cards are laid face up after the opening lead. Declarer plays those cards as well as their own, and the dummy player may not suggest plays. The positions guide explains who becomes dummy on a given auction.
What is a yarborough?: A yarborough is a hand with no card above a nine. The chance of being dealt one is about 1 in 1,828.
What is a trick in bridge?: A trick is a round of four cards, one from each player. Each deal has thirteen tricks, and the contract states how many of them declarer's side must win.
What does double mean in bridge?: A double is a call that increases the score for an opponent's bid if it becomes the contract. At low levels most pairs use it as a takeout double or a negative double, asking partner to bid, while doubles of game contracts are usually for penalties.
What is a rubber in bridge?: A rubber is a set of deals that ends when one side has won two games. It is the unit of play in rubber bridge, and the scoring guide gives the bonuses.
What are the bridge acronyms HCP, LHO and RHO?: HCP means high-card points, LHO means left-hand opponent and RHO means right-hand opponent. Other common ones are NT for notrump, IMP for International Match Point and 2/1 for two over one game force.
What is the difference between a major and a minor?: Spades and hearts are the majors, and diamonds and clubs are the minors. Major tricks score 30 and minor tricks 20, so a game in a major needs ten tricks and a game in a minor needs eleven.

Practice: bridge terms

Eight quick questions on what you just read. For a longer session, take the hundred-question quiz.