• Object of the game
Each partnership attempts to score points by making its bid (or contract), or by setting (defeating) the opposing partnership's bid. At the end of play, the side with the most points wins, and the difference in points between the two partnerships is the margin of victory.

• The pack
The standard 52-card pack is used divided in four suits. The rank of these suits, from high to low, is: spades (high), hearts, diamonds, and clubs.

Players usually have two packs with contrasting back designs. While one pack is being dealt, the dealer's partner shuffles the other pack for the next deal.

• Number of players
Four people play, as partners, two against two. To avoid any discussion, the positions of the four players at the table correspond to the compass points, North, South, East and West, with North and South playing as partners against East and West. In the scoring, partners share equally in every result so that only one score is kept for each side.

• Rank of cards
The rank of cards, from high to low, is: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. When there is a trump suit, the A, K, Q, J and 10 of trumps are "honours".

• The deal
Each player draws one card and the player drawing the highest one deals first. The player to the dealer's left shuffles the cards and places them on the dealer's left. The dealer, after shuffling again, if he desires, sets the cards down on the right to be cut.

The player at dealer's right must lift off a portion of the pack, not fewer than four cards nor more than 48, and set it down toward the dealer. The dealer completes the cut, distributing thirteen cards to each player, one card at a time, face down, beginning with the player on his left.

The turn to deal, to bid, and to play always passes to the left, from player to player.

• The bidding
Once the cards are dealt, each player picks up his hand. Then, the auction or bidding begins.

Calls
Each player in rotation, beginning with the dealer, makes a call, passing, bidding, doubling or redoubling.

Passing
When a player does not wish to bid, to double or to redouble, he says "Pass". If all four players pass in the first round, the deal is "passed out," and the next dealer in turn deals a new hand.

Bidding a Suit
Each bid must name a certain number of tricks in excess of six, called "odd-tricks", that the bidder contracts to win, and a suit that will become the trump suit, if the bid becomes the final contract. Thus, One Spade is a bid to win seven tricks (6+1) with spades as trumps. A bid may be made in Notrump, meaning that there will be no trump suit. The lowest possible bid is one, and the highest possible bid is seven.

Each bid must name a greater number of odd tricks than the last preceding bid, or an equal number but in a higher denomination. Notrump is the highest denomination, outranking spades. Thus, a bid of Two Notrump will overcall a bid of Two Hearts, and a bid of Four Clubs is required to overcall a bid of Three Notrump.

Doubling and Redoubling
Any player in turn may double the last preceding bid if it was made by an opponent. The effect of a double is to increase the value of the points at stake if the doubled bid becomes the contract. Any player in turn may redouble the last preceding bid if it was made by his side and doubled by an opponent. A redouble again increases the scoring values. A doubled or redoubled contract may be overcalled by any bid which would have been sufficient to overcall the same contract undoubled.

When a bid, double, or redouble is followed by three consecutive passes in rotation, the bidding is closed. The final bid in the auction becomes the contract. The player who, for his side, first bid the denomination named in the contract becomes the declarer. If the contract names a trump suit, every card of that suit becomes a trump. The declarer's partner becomes the dummy, and the opposing players become the defenders.

• The play
Each player places one of its cards in the centre of the table. Four cards so played, one from each hand in rotation, constituting a trick. The first card played to a trick is a lead. The leader to a trick may lead any card. The other three hands must follow suit if they can. If a player is unable to follow suit, he may play any card.

For the first trick, the defender on the declarer's left makes the first lead, the opening lead. As soon as the opening lead has been made, the dummy then spreads his hand face up, grouped in suits, with each suit vertically arranged so that the other three players can easily view all 13 cards. The suits may be placed in any order as long as the trump suit (if any) is placed to the declarer's left. There is no particular order for placing the suits down in a Notrump bid.

A trick containing a trump is won by the hand playing the highest trump. A trick not containing a trump is won by the hand playing the highest card of the suit led. The winner of each trick leads next. The declarer plays his own cards and the dummy's cards, but each in proper turn, since the dummy does not take an active part in the play.

The declarer plays a card from his own hand when he places it on the table or when it is named as an intended play. When the declarer touches a card in the dummy hand, it is considered played, except when he is merely arranging the dummies cards.

Alternatively, the declarer may name a card in the dummy and such a card must be played. A defender plays a card when he exposes it so that the other defender can see its face. A card once played may not be withdrawn, except to correct a revoke or other irregularity.

A completed trick is gathered and turned face down on the table. The declarer and one of the defenders should keep all tricks won in front of them, and the tricks should be arranged so that the quantity and the order of the tricks played are apparent.

• The scoring
When a side has scored 100 or more points, it has won a game. A game may be made in more than one deal or it may be scored by making a larger bid and earning 100 or more points in a single deal. Once the next game begins, if the opponents had a score below the line for making a bid, this score does not carry over, and each side needs the full 100 points to win the next game.

When the last trick has been played, the tricks taken by the respective sides are counted, and the points earned are then entered to the credit of that side on the score sheet. Any player may keep score. If only one player keeps score, both sides are equally responsible to see that the score for each deal is correctly entered.

The following scoring table indicates the point values.

◊ Trick Score
If the declarer fulfils his bid by winning as many or more odd-tricks as the contract called for, his side scores below the line for every odd-trick named in the contract.

Trick Score
Value per trick	Un-doubled	Doubled	Re-doubled
If trump is:
	20	40	80
	30	60	120
No-trump contract:
First trick over 6	40	80	160
Each additional trick over 6	30	60	120

◊ Overtricks
Odd-tricks won by the declarer in excess of the contract are called "overtricks" and are scored to the credit of his side as premium score.

◊ Vulnerable
A side that has won its first game becomes vulnerable, and that side's objective is to win a second game and thus earn a bonus for the rubber. When a side scores its second game, the rubber is over, and the scores are totalled. The winning partnership is the side with the most points. A vulnerable side is exposed to increased penalties if it fails to fulfil a future bid, but receives increased premiums for certain other bids that are fulfilled

◊ Honours
If a player holds four of the five trump honours, that partnership scores 100; all five honours in one hand score 150. If the contract is in Notrump, a player holding all four aces scores 150 points.

◊ Unfinished Rubber
If the players are unable to complete a full rubber and only one side has a game, that side scores a 300 bonus. If only one side has a part score, that side earns a 100 bonus.

◊ Back Score
After each rubber, each player's standing, plus (+) or minus (-), in even hundreds of points, is entered on a separate score called the "back score." An odd 50 points or more count 100, so if a player wins a rubber by 950 he is +10, if he wins it by 940 the player is +9.