How Do You Know What Contract to Bid in Bridge? Use Our Calculator

How Many Points Do You Need for Game in Bridge?

One of the most important decisions in bridge is deciding when to push on to game and when to stop at a partscore. Bid game when you should not and you go down. Miss game when the points are there and you hand the opponents a gift. The combined point count of both hands gives you a clear starting point, though suit fits and distribution also play a role.

What is a partscore hand?

When your combined high-card points total 22 or fewer, you almost certainly do not have enough to make a game contract. The opponents probably hold the balance of power. Your goal is to compete sensibly at the lowest level that wins the contract, or to let the opponents play and defend tightly. In rubber bridge, a partscore still counts toward your game. In duplicate, every trick matters, so bidding accurately at the two or three level is just as important as bidding game.

When should you invite game?

With 23 or 24 combined points, you are close to game but not certain. The right approach is to make a game try: a bid that invites partner to bid game if they have a maximum hand and to stop short if they are minimum. For example, if you have 14 points and partner opens 1♠, you know the combined total is somewhere between 20 and 34. Raising to 3♠ invites partner to go on with 14 or 15 but pass with 12 or 13. This back-and-forth is what makes bridge both a science and an art.

How do you know which game to bid?

Once you have the points for game, choosing the right denomination is the next question. The priority is always to find an eight-card major suit fit first. If you and your partner together hold eight or more hearts, bid 4♥. If you hold eight or more spades, bid 4♠. Major suit games score more per trick and are easier to make than minor suit games.

If there is no eight-card major fit, 3NT is your default game. It only requires nine tricks instead of the ten needed for a major or the eleven needed for a minor. Minor suit games at 5♣ or 5♦ are a last resort: bid them only when you truly cannot play in notrump, for instance when you have a void or a weak stopper that an opponent can attack.

When should you explore a slam?

With 33 or more combined points, a small slam becomes realistic. Before bidding six, always check that you hold all the aces, or at most are missing one. A slam missing two aces will almost certainly go down on the opening lead. The Blackwood convention (4NT) and Roman Key Card Blackwood (also 4NT) are the standard tools for checking aces before committing to a slam. Grand slams at the seven level, requiring all 13 tricks, need around 37 combined points and all the key cards.