How To Win Tricks

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There are only three ways of winning a trick:

playing a high card
leading a "skater"
trumping (also called ruffing)

There are also plays that don't win tricks immediately, but that do increase your chances of winning future tricks.

The techniques for winning tricks are basic to all aspects of playing bridge. You must get more than "pretty good" at them. You must achieve total mastery. And that comes from guided practice. So...

Let's get started.

I recommend doing these in order:

♣	Leading Master Cards
♦	Play the Honor From the Short Hand First
♥	Blocked Suits
♠	Quiz 1
♣	Establish Your Honors
♣	Lead Toward Losing Honors (finessing)
♦	The Squishing Finesse
♥	Drop Their Honor
♠	Cash Skaters
♣	Establish Skaters
♦	Trumping
♥	The Advantage of Playing Last
♠	Are your Honors Well Placed?

Bridge Bears is run by a retired teacher and ACBL life master who has 35 years teaching experience and who's been playing bridge for over 50 years. I don't claim to be one of the top players, but I do understand how slowly beginners need to go when they are trying to learn how to play bridge.