Games - Trick-Taking Game Terms

the first card played by a player at the beginning of a trick, which sets the suit for that trick and determines the order in which other players must play their cards

(bridge) the process by which players bid on the right to name the trump suit and the number of tricks they expect to take in a particular hand

(bridge) the process by which players communicate information about their hand to their partner and determine the contract for the hand

(contract bridge) an agreement that determines the trump suit and the number of tricks a team must win to score points

the player who has won the auction and has the right to play the contract

the partner of the declarer who places their hand face-up on the table following the opening lead. The dummy's cards are then played by the declarer along with their own cards

a technique of attempting to win a trick with a lower card than an opponent's higher card in a particular suit

any of the top four cards (ace, king, queen, and jack) in a particular suit that are considered to be the strongest cards in that suit

a bidding convention used by the responder to show a five-card or longer major suit and to transfer the bid to the next higher ranking suit, usually at the 2-level, forcing the opener to bid the suit

(bridge) either the hearts or spades suits, which are considered stronger than the minor suits (diamonds and clubs) because they have more high-ranking cards

(bridge) either the diamonds or clubs suits, which are considered weaker than the major suits (hearts and spades) because they have fewer high-ranking cards

a bid made by the declarer that specifies no trump suit and indicates that the declarer intends to win tricks using only the strength and distribution of the cards, without relying on any particular suit

a person we do a particular activity with, such as playing a game

the points or score awarded to the defending side when they successfully prevent the declarer from making their bid

the partner of the opening bidder who makes the first bid after the opening bid and provides additional information about their hand to the opening bidder

a series of games in which one partnership must win two games, with the total score determining the winner

a bidding system used by the responder to ask the opener if they have a four-card major suit, typically either hearts or spades, after an opening bid of 1NT

a situation where a player has no cards in a particular suit, which means they cannot follow suit in that suit and must play a card from another suit instead

a suit in which a player holds a large number of cards, typically at least five or more, which can be an advantage in playing and winning tricks in that suit

a suit in which a player holds a small number of cards, typically fewer than three, which can be a disadvantage in playing and winning tricks in that suit

a contract bid in which the declarer aims to win all thirteen tricks, that is, to take all the remaining tricks after the opening lead

a contract bid in which the declarer aims to win all thirteen tricks, that is, to take all the remaining tricks after the opening lead, using the trump suit as the primary weapon

a unit of value, especially monetary value

(in bridge, whist, or other similar card games) to successfully fulfill their contract by taking the required number of tricks

the number of tricks won by the declarer that are over and above the number of tricks required to fulfill their contract

a trick won by the declarer in excess of the number of tricks required to fulfill their contract

the number of tricks that the declarer fails to take in attempting to fulfill their contract, and they can result in penalties for the declarer's side

a penalty or negative score incurred when a player exceeds a certain number of tricks or points that they initially bid or predicted to win during the game

a series of cards with decreasing numbers, all of the same suit, that comes after the main set of cards

a scoring system used in duplicate bridge tournaments that assigns points based on the margin of victory for each deal, with one IMP typically awarded for every 20 points scored above the opponents' result

to fail to follow suit when a player should have, violating the rules of the card game being played

in card games, particularly in games like Spades, refers to the act of bidding zero tricks and attempting to win no tricks during a round

to play a trump card in a trick-taking game when unable to follow suit, usually with the intention of winning the trick or avoiding losing a higher-value card

to play a card of a suit that outranks the current suit, usually used in trick-taking card games to win a trick and gain an advantage over other players