Bridge Starter Checklist

1. Gather your supplies

• A standard 52-card deck of playing cards
• A partner and two opponents (four players in two teams)
• A flat table and four comfortable chairs
• A pencil and pad, or a simple scoring app, to keep score

2. Your first project

3. Your first month, step by step

• Week 1: Learn the goal of the game, how a deck is dealt into four hands, and how tricks are won. Play a few practice hands with no bidding, just turning cards, to get the feel of following suit and using trumps.
• Week 2: Start counting high-card points (Ace 4, King 3, Queen 2, Jack 1) and learn opening bids and simple responses. Practice opening 1 of a suit or 1 no-trump.
• Week 3: Add the basics of declarer play: when dummy comes down, make a plan and count your winners or losers before you play a card.
• Week 4: Try your first defense. Learn a sensible opening lead, then visit a local club's newcomer game or join a beginner table on Bridge Base Online.

4. Mistakes to avoid

• Forgetting to count your points before bidding; always add your high-card points first, then decide what to bid.
• Playing your first card before you have a plan; pause when dummy appears and count your winners or losers.
• Drawing trumps too early or too late; decide whether you need your trumps for ruffing before you pull them.
• Leading the wrong card on defense; against a suit contract, a safe top-of-a-sequence lead is usually better than leading away from an Ace.
• Ignoring your partner's signals; watch the cards they play, because high-then-low often means they like the suit.
• Bidding to game without the strength for it; a partnership usually needs about 25 to 26 combined points to bid game.