How Do You Play Bridge Online? A Simple Guide for First-Timers

How Does Online Bridge Work?

Online bridge is the same game you know, played on a screen. The website or app does all the handling for you. It shuffles and deals, and shows you your thirteen cards. It gives you a box of bids to choose from, and it counts the tricks and the score at the end.

You sit in one of the four seats, just as you would at a card table. Your partner sits opposite you and the two opponents sit on either side. Any of those three seats can be filled by a real person or by a robot, which is simply the computer playing that seat. Robots are there so you never have to wait for a fourth player, and so you can practice alone whenever you like.

Most sites have a lobby, which works like the entrance hall of a club. From there you choose what to do: practice against robots, sit down at a table with other people, join a tournament, or open a private table for friends. Nothing happens until you click, so you can look around as long as you like.

The software only lets you make legal bids and plays. If you have to follow suit, the cards you can't play simply won't move. That takes away a lot of the worry for new players.

What Do You Need to Play Bridge Online?

You need a computer, tablet or smartphone, an internet connection, and an email address to create a free account. You don't need to buy anything, and many bridge sites run straight in your web browser, so there's often nothing to install.

• A tablet or laptop is the most comfortable choice. The cards and the bidding box are easier to read on a bigger screen. A phone works well for a few quick hands, but it can feel small for a whole session.
• Any normal home internet is enough. Bridge uses very little data. Only sites with video, such as RealBridge, need a steadier connection, and ordinary home wifi handles that fine.
• A web browser or an app. BBO, IntoBridge and World of Card Games work in a browser. Apps such as NeuralPlay are downloaded free from the App Store (iPhone and iPad) or Google Play (Android). We compare the options in our guide to the best bridge apps.
• A camera and microphone, only for video games. RealBridge, which many clubs use, lets you see and hear the other players, so you'll need both. Almost every laptop and tablet has them built in.

Which Way of Playing Bridge Online Is Right for You?

There are four main ways to play bridge online: against the computer, with strangers, with your own friends, or with your club. Many people start with the computer for a few days, then move on to real people when they feel ready.

Not sure yet? Our guide to the best online bridge sites for beginners compares the friendliest options in more detail.

How Do You Play Your First Game of Bridge Online?

To play your first game, choose one site, create a free account, and start with a practice game against robots. These seven steps work on almost every bridge site and app, and the whole thing takes about ten minutes.

1. Choose one site to start withPick just one, so you only have one screen to learn. For practice on your own, try NeuralPlay or World of Card Games. To play with people, try IntoBridge or BBO.
2. Open the website or download the appType the address into your browser, or search for the app by name in the App Store or Google Play. Check that the maker's name matches the site before you install it.
3. Create a free accountYou'll need an email address, a username and a password. No credit card is needed for any of the free options on this page. Write your username and password down somewhere safe, because you'll need them next time.
4. Start a practice game against robotsLook for words like "Practice", "Play with robots" or "Solitaire". On BBO, the free unlimited robot game is called Just Play Bridge. The robots will be your partner and your opponents, so you can take as long as you like.
5. Make your bids with the bidding boxWhen it's your turn, a box of bids appears. Choose the level (1 to 7), then the suit or NT, or press Pass. If the site has a setting to confirm each bid before it counts, turn it on. It stops accidental clicks.
6. Play your cards with a click or a tapWhen it's your turn to play, click or tap the card you want. Only legal cards will move. If you become declarer, you play the dummy's cards too, by clicking them in the dummy's hand.
7. Look at the result, then deal againAt the end of each hand the site shows the score, and often how other players did with the same cards. Play a few more hands against robots before you join a table with people.

Keep our free bridge bidding cheat sheet next to you while you play. If you're still learning the rules, start with how to play bridge, then come back.

What Will You See on the Screen?

Every bridge site looks a little different, but the layout is almost always the same. Your cards are at the bottom, your partner is at the top, and the opponents are on the left and right. The cards played to each trick appear in the middle.

Is Online Bridge Different From Playing at the Table?

The rules, the bidding and the scoring are exactly the same. What changes is how some things are done, and a few of them surprise experienced club players the first time.

• You alert your own bids. At the club your partner alerts for you. On most online sites, when you make an artificial bid, you type a short explanation yourself. Only the opponents see it, not your partner.
• Declarer can "claim" the rest of the tricks. If declarer can see that all the remaining tricks are theirs, they press a Claim button instead of playing on. The defenders can accept or reject the claim.
• A played card usually stays played. Against robots you can often undo. With real people, you usually can't take a card back, so it's worth turning on "confirm" settings if the site has them.
• Tournaments have a clock. Each round has a time limit, so you need to keep a steady pace. Casual tables have no strict clock, but players still expect you not to keep them waiting too long.
• Your score is compared with everyone else's. In tournaments and many practice games, lots of players get the same cards, and your result is compared with theirs. This is called duplicate bridge. That's why a small overtrick can matter so much.
• It's quicker. Nobody shuffles, deals or fills in scorecards, so you play more hands in the same time.

We look at the pros and cons of both in more depth in online vs club bridge.

How Do You Play Bridge Online With Your Partner or Friends?

To play with people you know, one of you opens a private table and invites the others by their usernames. Everyone needs a free account on the same site, and a robot can fill any empty seat if you're only two or three.

IntoBridge is a good choice for a regular four, because private tables have no daily limit. Trickster Bridge adds free video chat, which families enjoy. On BBO, deals you play as an invited guest at a friend's table don't count toward the free daily limit. Our guide to playing bridge with friends online shows how to set up a private table on each site, step by step.

How do you join your club's game online?

Many clubs now run some of their games online, usually on BBO or RealBridge. Your club will tell you which one and send you the details. With RealBridge, you normally just click a link from the club, allow your camera and microphone, and you're at the table, where you can see and hear the other players. It runs in the web browser on a laptop, computer or tablet (Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari), but it isn't made for phones. Clubs usually charge a small fee per game, the same way they do in person. Read our RealBridge review to see what it's like.

Can You Play Bridge Online for Free?

Yes. You can play bridge online for free every day, both against the computer and with real people. Some sites limit how much you can play without paying, so it helps to know where the limits are.

• IntoBridge: free games with people, with no daily limit.
• NeuralPlay and World of Card Games: free, unlimited play against the computer, with ads.
• BBO: free accounts get 6 deals a day in the social games with people, plus unlimited Just Play Bridge against robots.
• Funbridge: 2 free deals a day.

We compare eight free options, and explain which ones need no sign-up at all, in our guide to free online bridge games.

What Do Online Bridge Terms and Chat Messages Mean?

Online bridge has a few words of its own, and players often chat in short abbreviations. Here are the ones you'll see most often, so nothing on the screen catches you off guard.

For bridge words in general, from "dummy" to "vulnerable", see our bridge terminology guide or the A to Z bridge glossary.

What If Something Goes Wrong?

Most problems new players run into have a quick fix. Here's what to do in the situations that come up most often.

• "The screen froze" or "I lost my connection."Refresh the page, or close the app and open it again, then log straight back in. Most sites keep your seat for a short while, and in some tournaments a robot plays for you until you return.
• "I clicked the wrong card or bid."Against robots, press Undo if you see it. At a casual table with people, you can type a polite "sorry, misclick, undo please?" and the others will usually agree. In a tournament you can call the director, but a played card normally stands.
• "I ran out of time."Tournaments have a clock for each round. Practice against robots until the bidding box feels familiar, and choose casual tables or games described as relaxed or slow while you build up speed.
• "The cards are too small to read."Zoom in with Ctrl and + (Cmd and + on a Mac), turn your tablet sideways, or look for a card size option in the settings.
• "Someone was rude in the chat."Don't reply. You can leave the table between hands, and most sites let you mute or block a player and report bad behavior. Most players are friendly and patient with newcomers.
• "I forgot my password."Click "Forgot password" on the sign-in screen, and the site will send a reset link to your email address.

How Should You Behave at an Online Bridge Table?

Good manners online are the same as at the club, with a couple of extra habits because nobody can see your face.

• Say hello. A quick "hi" or "gl" when you sit down goes a long way.
• Keep a steady pace. Take the time you need on hard decisions, but don't leave others waiting on easy ones.
• Don't leave in the middle of a hand. If you need to go, wait until the hand is over and say goodbye.
• Alert your partnership's special bids, so the opponents know what they mean.
• Say thank you at the end, and be kind to other beginners. Everyone was new once.

Most of this comes from ordinary table manners, which we cover in our guide to bridge etiquette.