Lesson 10 - Doubling - 5 mins

After an opponent makes a bid, you have a choice to double the bid.

If you double your opponent's bid, this, roughly, doubles the points your opponent will receive if they make their contract. It also raises the stakes significantly. For every trick you get your opponent's contract down, you will receive a very large bonus.

On many bridge evenings, where money is involved, you will find that a well timed double will change the outcome of a session. The stakes can be that high.

More detail about this can be found in lesson 15 - scoring.

In the bridge starter system, you should only double your opponent's bid if you think you have enough winning cards, between you and your partner, to make them short of their contract.

You should identify some value in your partner's hand, if they have already bid, when working out whether you have enough winning cards. If your partner has passed, you have to assume that they don't have any points before you double.

Don't be too cautious here. There's nothing like a good double to stir the adrenalin and enhance the love of the game. It is nearly always a gamble and can come in really handy when playing for money.

For the purpose of bidding and if you are being doubled - ignore it. In the bridge starter system, your opponent's bids are virtually always ignored during the bidding.