Gambling terms, explained straight

In contract bridge, "bridge" is the game itself; "bridge terms and phrases" refers only to the vocabulary used within that game.

Card Games

Bridge terms and phrases

Bridge terms and phrases are the specialised words and expressions used in contract bridge for calls, conventions, scoring and hand-related ideas.

Category
Glossary of contract bridge vocabulary
Applies to
Auction, play, scoring and conventions in contract bridge12

Key points

  • Bridge terms cover calls, conventions, scoring concepts and hand descriptions used during the auction and play.12
  • Unlike the game itself, this phrase has no gameplay mechanics or scoring value—it is a category label for bridge vocabulary.12

Where this term is used

Card games Cribbage terms and phrases Explains the specialised vocabulary used in cribbage. Card games Bridge terms and definitions Provides definitions of common bridge terms. Card games Bridge bidding terms Covers the vocabulary specific to the auction phase of bridge. Card games Bridge Overview of the card game contract bridge. Card games Whist vs bridge Compares the two trick-taking games. Card games Bridge shuffle Describes the shuffle technique used in bridge.

Sources

  1. Glossary of contract bridge terms en.wikipedia.org Defines the term as a glossary category and lists its scope.
  2. Contract bridge en.wikipedia.org Confirms the term applies to contract bridge and distinguishes it from the game itself.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.