In
contract bridge
Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. Millions o ...
, card reading (or counting the hand) is the process of inferring which remaining cards are held by each opponent. The reading is based on information gained in the bidding and the play to previous tricks.
The technique is used by the declarer and defenders primarily to determine the probable
suit
A suit, lounge suit, or business suit is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt suit is similar, but with a matching skirt instead of tr ...
distribution and card holdings of each unseen ; determination of the location of specific spot-cards may be critical as well. Card reading is based on the fact that there are thirteen cards in each of four suits and thirteen cards in each of four hands.
General tips
Basic
There are some basic tips:
* The player could memorize the common patterns of the 13 cards, in a suit, as held by the four players: 4432, 4333, 4441, 5332, 5431, 5422, 6322, 6331, etc. If a player discovers that each opponent has three cards in a suit, and the player holds two cards, then no
arithmetic
Arithmetic () is an elementary part of mathematics that consists of the study of the properties of the traditional operations on numbers— addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponentiation, and extraction of roots. In the 19th ...
is needed to know that the partner holds the remaining five cards of the suit, because the "5332" pattern will come to mind.
*Concentration on the distribution of the unseen cards is considered an important aspect of card counting and, after this skill is mastered, the counter is then able to recognize common patterns. That is, the counter can then start thinking not just about the number of outstanding cards in a suit, but also about how the cards might "break" (the section below, "
Counting trumps
Counting is the process of determining the number of elements of a finite set of objects, i.e., determining the size of a set. The traditional way of counting consists of continually increasing a (mental or spoken) counter by a unit for every ele ...
" provides an example).
*It is recommended that a single unseen hand is observed first, with the most straightforward hand belonging to:
**the player who made the most bids during the
auction
An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...
**the player who made the opening lead
**the player who has a long suit
*Card counting in bridge is considered a very difficult practice to learn, with speedier progress possible through concentration upon one or two suits for every deal played, regardless of the potential influence of the respective hand; through this process, the brain becomes
adept
An adept is an individual identified as having attained a specific level of knowledge, skill, or aptitude in doctrines relevant to a particular author or organization.
He or she stands out from others with their great abilities. All human quali ...
at remembering cards.
Advanced
The advanced tips include:
*Memorize the original layout. Whether declaring or defending, the player can study the
dummy hand
A dummy hand or ghost player is an imaginary extra player in a card game, used to make a game more challenging, as a special hand in a game or to compensate for a missing player. A ghost player can take the place of a human player either as a dead ...
at trick one and create a mental picture of its distribution. Commit it to memory by repeating the pattern in the mind (for example: 3-5-3-2, or 35-32). Players can do the same with their own hands. Later in the play, if unable to remember how many cards have been played in a suit, the player could reconstruct the play – and figure out how many times the suit has been led – by recalling a mental picture of the number of cards which the player and the
dummy originally held in the suit.
*The player could mentally review the bidding before playing to the first trick. If possible, the player could visualize a picture of each player's general hand pattern and high-card strength. Consider not just what the hidden hands actually
bid, but also what they did not bid. When they bid, consider not just what they have, but also what they do not have.
Counting suits
* Counting one suit
* Counting two suits
* Counting four suits
Counting trumps
As a declarer, an efficient way of counting the
trump cards is: instead of counting the number of trump rounds and cards trumped in, ''count the number of trumps in the opponents' hands''. Once the dummy hand appears, calculate the number of trumps which the opponents have, then reduce this number mentally as they are played from the opponents' hands. This means keeping track of one small number, and your own trumps do not enter the calculation.
An even better way of counting trumps is to get familiar with common distribution patterns. For example, 5-3 and 4-4 are among the most common trump distributions on the declarer and dummy's hands. In cases, if an opponent shows out on the second trump round, then 5-3-1 or 4-4-1 is known, and the pattern 5-3-4-1 or 4-4-4-1 comes up automatically, and the other defender is known to have begun with four.
* Counting as a defender
* Counting HCP and winners
See also
*
Signal (bridge)
A (bridge) signal is a move in the card game of contract bridge in which partners defending against a contract play particular cards in a manner which gives a coded meaning or ''signal'' to guide their subsequent card play. This may also be refer ...
*
Rule of 11
In contract bridge
Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other arou ...
Further reading
*
* 175p. Second Edition: Devyn Press Inc., (Louisville, KY), 1986, 175p.
References
External links
''Count, count, count'' by Karen Walker{{WPCBIndex
Contract bridge card play