Bridge: The Auction

One of the most exciting parts of a game of bridge is the Bridge auction. During this process, the formal contract, as well as the declaring side is set in stone. One partner from the declaring side will move on after this with playing the hand, and the other person will sit back and pretty much watch. During the auction process, you should be aware that the contract has the ability to become doubled or redoubled. If this happens, the hand is even more important because the scoring will be increased.

There are four calls that each player can make during the auction process. They include: bid, pass, double, or redouble. With a bid, the player must declare a denomination and level. A pass is when a player does not want to bid, double, or redouble. A double can be done when the last call was a bid by an opposing player. A redouble can be done when the last call was a double by an opposing player. Knowing these four options will allow you to go through the auction process with ease.

The dealer is the one who starts off the auction process. From there, each player gets the chance to make their call after taking a close look at the hand that they have been dealt. One of the most common questions by new players is when the auction ends. For this to happen, three passes must occur in succession after a bid, redouble, or double.

If you want to make a bid, you must make it higher than the one that has come before you. How is this done, you may ask? A bid is considered higher in a game of bridge if it is a higher same level denomination or a higher level of any denomination.

Understanding when to double is an important part of playing bridge. The main reason to double is quite simple. If you are confident that the opposing team will not be able to reach their bid, you will then want to double. This way, you will double the penalty points that you receive if you are right. But remember, if you are wrong, they will receive double points. For this reason, you must be very careful about doing this. A double at the wrong time could cost you.

When the auction is finally over, the last bid is known as the contract. The bid is then assigned to a level, and this determines the amount of tricks that must be taken in order to satisfy the requirements of the contract.

Just like most trick taking games, the auction process is a lot of fun. This is when you get to use strategy, and really put your skills to the test. Fortunately, a few times through the auction process and you will have the knowledge that you need to continue.