Like most other card games, the winning team scores more points than the opposition. The strategy and tactics of winning are greatly influenced by the way the scoring system is structured. This page shows how points for a duplicate game are determined.
There are two levels of scoring: Contract Points Scoring and Match Points Scoring.
During a duplicate session, a team will play from 18 to 36 hands of bridge. After each hand, Contract Points are awarded to each team based upon whether the declarer's team made the contract or not.
At the end of the session, each team has 18 to 36 Contract Point scores. These contract points for each team competing in the session (8 to 100 teams) are compiled by the Scorer and converted to Match Points. The team with the most Match Points wins the duplicate session.
Contract Points and Match points are calculated differently. This section describes the method of calculating the Contract Points for a single hand of duplicate Bridge.
Another web page will describe how to calculate Match Points from the Contract Points Scores.
Contract Points Scoring for Duplicate
The figure to the left is a one-page PDF of "Duplicate Bridge Score Tables". This a comprehensive table to use for Contract Point scoring, without having to know how to determine the contract points. Download this table by clicking on the image to the left.
The table to the right is a copy of the scroring table from Goren's 1985 book.
The remainder of this page presents how to calculate Contract Points for a hand of duplicate bridge.
At the end of the session, the Contract Points are processed to calculate Match Points, which determines the winner of the duplicate session. For determinig Match Points, visit the Match Point Page of this web site.
Elements of the Contract Points Scoring System
1) CONTRACT - The commitment by a partnership to take a specified number of tricks (or more) using the specified suit or No Trump.
For example:
• Contract of 1 ♣ means the partnership must take 6 tricks (book tricks) plus 1, for a total of 7 tricks, where clubs is the trump suit.
• Contract of 2 ♥ means the partnership must take 6 tricks (book tricks) plus 2, for a total of 8 tricks, where hearts is the trump suit.
• Contract of 3 NT means the partnership must take 6 tricks (book tricks) plus 3, for a total of 9 tricks, where the game is played without a trump suit.
• Contract of 4 ♠ means the partnership must take 6 tricks (book tricks) plus 4, for a total of 10 tricks, where spades is the trump suit.
• Contract of 6 ♦ means the partnership must take 6 tricks (book tricks) plus 6, for a total of 12 tricks, where diamonds is the trump suit.
2) TRICK Points - If the partnership wins the number of tricks they stated in their contract, the partnership is awarded trick points for that successful effort – they made their bid, or made their contract.
• Minor suit (clubs or diamonds) tricks are worth 20 points per trick.
• Major suit (hearts or spades) tricks are worth 30 points per trick.
• No Trump (there are no suits as trump suits) tricks are worth 40 points for the first trick, and 30 points for each successive trick.
Trick points are awarded for only those tricks taken in excess of the first 6 tricks (the book). For example, the following are the trick points awarded for making the following contracts:
• Contract of 1 ♣ (6 tricks plus 1 trick): 1 times 20 points = 20 trick points.
• Contract of 2 ♥ (6 tricks plus 2 tricks): 2 times 30 points = 60 trick points
• Contract of 3 NT (6 tricks plus 3 tricks): 1 times 40 points for the first trick plus 2 times 30 for the next 2 tricks = 100 trick points.
• Contract of 4 ♠ (6 tricks plus 4 tricks): 4 times 30 points = 120 trick points
• Contract of 6 ♦ (6 tricks plus 6 tricks): 6 times 20 points = 120 trick points
Yellow highlighted contracts are "game level contracts".
Overtricks Each trick that is taken in excess of the contract level is called an "overtrick". The value of the overtrick is displayed in the accompanying table. Overtricks are not used to determine if a Game Bonus or a Slam Bonus is warranted.
3) VULNERABILITY - When a partnership has not won a game, the partnerships is considered "Not Vulnerable". As soon as a partnership bids and makes a game-level or a slam-level contract, the partnership is considered "Vulnerable". This state of vulnerability determines the amounts of BONUS points and PENALTY points that are awarded for making a contract or not making a contract.
In duplicate bridge, the state of vulnerablility is pre-determined for each team in each board.
4) Game-Level Bonus Points: Game-level contracts are color-coded in the table to the right. A game-level contract generates 100 or more Trick Points. If the game-level contract is bid and made, the partnership is awarded Trick Points plus a Game Bonus depending upon vulnerability:
• Not Vulnerable: 300 pts game bonus
• Vulnerable: 500 pts game bonus
5) Slam Bonus Points: If a slam is bid and made, the partnership is awarded Trick Points, plus a Game Bonus, plus a Slam Bonus depending upon slam level and vulnerability:
Small Slam (6-level contract)
• Not Vulnerable: 500 pts slam bonus
• Vulnerable: 750 pts slam bonus
Grand Slam (7-level contract)
• Not Vulnerable: 1,000 pts slam bonus
• Vulnerable: 1,500 pts slam bonus
Partial Score: Refer to the table at the right.
Contracts that generate less than 100 Trick Points are not subject to Game-Level bonuses. Instead, they receive a part-score bonus of only 50 points (vulnerability is not a factor). Consequently, the Contract Points for a part-score contract is the Trick points plus the 50 points for part-score.
If a team takes more tricks than promised, they will receive trick points for those over-tricks, but will not be entitled to a Game-Level bonus since they did not bid a game-level contract.
6) Double Toward the end of the bidding session, one of the players might bid "Double" after the previous player's bid. This is a penalty double which means "I do not think you can make that contract !" If the next three players bid PASS, the penalty double goes into affect.
• If the delaring partnership does not take the number of tricks required by their bid, the declaring team receives no points. Instead, the oppostition receives more than normal Penalty points.
• If the declaring team makes the contract, they receive twice the trick points. It is possible that the new trick points will be above 100, so the game bonus is then added. There is an additional 50 points referred to as "insult points".
7) Redouble Toward the end of the bidding session and after the opposition places a "Double" on the declarer's contract, the declarer or the declarer's partner can bid "Re-Double" which means "I can make the contract in spite of your double !" If the next three players bid PASS, the Re-double goes into affect.
• If the delaring partnership does not take the number of tricks required by their bid, the declaring team receives no points. Instead, the oppostition receives extremely more than normal Penalty points.
• If the declaring team makes the contract, they receive four times the trick points. It is possible that the new trick points will be above 100, so the game bonus is then added. There is an additional 100 points referred to as "insult points".
8) Penalty Points
When the delaring partnership does not take the number of tricks required by their contract, the declaring team receives NO Points.
Instead, the oppostition receives Penalty Points.
The amount of penalty points depends upon how many tricks the declaring team were short of making their contract.
For example, if the contract was for 10 tricks, but they only took 8 tricks, the contracting team was 2 tricks under the amout they needed. Consequently they went "down" 2 tricks. The amount of penalty points depends upon the state of vulnerabilty, if the contracting team was "Doubled" by the opposition, and if the contracting team "Re-Doubled". The accompanying chart displays the points for each of these conditions.
Yellow highlighted contracts are "game level contracts".
When the delaring partnership does not take the number of tricks required by their contract, the declaring team receives NO Points.
