Basic Scoring
| Deal | North-South | East-West | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trick Score | Bonus | Defeat | Trick Score | Bonus | Defeat | |
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 3 | ||||||
| 4 | ||||||
| 5 | ||||||
| 6 | ||||||
| 7 | ||||||
| 8 | ||||||
| 9 | ||||||
| … | ||||||
| North-South Total | East-West Total | |||||
| End of Match Bonus: 700 for 2-0, 500 for 2-1 | ||||||
| NS Grand Total | EW Grand Total | |||||
Scoring Table
The above is a non-standard scoring table. The scoring rules are the same, but the organization is different. The standard bridge scoring table is designed for ease of writing, and not for ease of explanation. We will use it to explain the bridge scoring. Every deal gets entered on a new row of the table. The Deal column records the contract and the declarer.
Making the contract
At the end of the auction, the declaring side has contracted to take a given number of tricks. If at the end of the hand, they have won at least this number of tricks, they are said to have made their contract. If they haven᾿t won at least that many tricks, the contract is defeated. Only one team scores points for any deal. If the contract is made, the declaring side scores points. If it is defeated, the defending side scores points.
The first column we should explain is Trick Score. This is determined by the final contract. For clubs and diamonds this is 20 times the number of the bid. 1♣ = 20 points. 4♦ = 80 points. 6♣ = 120 points. 7♦ = 140 points. Clubs and Diamonds are called Minor Suits because they both score 20 points for each trick bid. For spades and hearts this is 30 times the number of the bid. 2♠ = 60 points. 3♥ = 90 points. 5♠ = 150 points. Spades and Hearts are called Major Suits because they each score 30 points for each trick bid. For NT, it is 30 times the number of the bid + 10. 1NT = 40 points. 3NT = 100 points. You can think of the first NT trick counting 40 points, and the rest counting 30 points. You get the trick score if you made the contract. That is, if you took at least as many tricks as the contract plus 6.
Bonus Points
The second column is Bonus. There are two main things that go here. The first is overtricks. If declarer won more tricks than their bid, each extra trick is an overtrick. Like the trick score, the value of overtricks depends on the trump suit. Overtricks are worth 20 points each if trump is clubs or diamonds. They are worth 30 points each if trump is spades or hearts. They are also worth 30 points each if there is no trump.
The second thing that goes in the bonus column is a slam bonus. If you bid a contract of 6 (all but 1 trick) or 7 (all the tricks) and then make it, then you get a bonus for doing so. Bidding and making a contract of 6 is called a small slam. Bidding and making a contract of 7 is called a grand slam. A small slam is worth 500 points. A grand slam is worth 1000 points.
Defeating the contract
The last column is Defeat. If declarer won fewer tricks than the contract, then each trick declarer is short is called an undertrick. There could be 13 undertricks if the contract was 7 something and declarer won no tricks. Each undertrick is 50 points and goes in the defenders᾿ defeat column.
Hand-Game-Rubber
In bridge, a match is called a Rubber. Rubber in this sense is an old english word for tie breaker. A rubber is the best two out of three Games. A team wins a game when they have 100 or more points in the Trick Score column. When a team wins a game, both teams start over at 0 points toward the next game. If you won a game with 150 or 180 points, you still need to win 100 more points to win the next game. The same goes for the team that didn᾿t win the game. Even if they had 90 points when their opponents won a game, they have to win 100 more points to win the new game. These extra points aren't wasted. They help determine the overall winner of the rubber.
When a team wins a total of 2 games, the rubber is over. The points from all 3 columns are totaled across all the games. The team that won the 2 games gets an additional Rubber Bonus: 700 points for a 2-0 shutout, or 500 points for a 2-1 victory. The winner of the rubber is the team with the most total points including the rubber bonus. The team that wins the rubber bonus usually wins the rubber, but not always.
Examples
This is a lot, so let᾿s look at an example rubber.
Hands 1-4
| Deal | North-South | East-West | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trick Score | Bonus | Defeat | Trick Score | Bonus | Defeat | |
| 1 1♣ W | 20 | 20 | ||||
| 2 2♦ N | 40 | |||||
| 3 3♠ E | 50 | |||||
| 4 3♠ E | 90 | |||||
| 5 | ||||||
| 6 | ||||||
| 7 | ||||||
| 8 | ||||||
| 9 | ||||||
| … | ||||||
| North-South Total | East-West Total | |||||
| End of Match Bonus: 700 for 2-0, 500 for 2-1 | ||||||
| NS Grand Total | EW Grand Total | |||||
In the first hand West was the declarer at 1♣, and took 8 tricks. He made the contract with 1 overtrick. His trick score is 20 points, and he also scores 20 bonus points for the overtrick.
In the second hand, North was the declarer at 2♦. She took 8 tricks. Her trick score is 40 points, and she gets no bonus.
In the third hand, East was the declarer at 3♠. He took 8 tricks. The oppenents get 50 points because they defeated the contract by 1 trick.
In the fourth hand, East was declarer at 3♠ again. He took 9 tricks. His trick score is 90 points. They now have 110 points in the trick score column. This ends the game. Note the heavy line indicating the end of the game. East-West are now up 1 game to 0. North-South's 40 points don't count toward the next game. Neither do East-West's 10 extra points.
Hands 5-7
| Deal | North-South | East-West | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trick Score | Bonus | Defeat | Trick Score | Bonus | Defeat | |
| 1 1♣ W | 20 | 20 | ||||
| 2 2♦ N | 40 | |||||
| 3 3♠ E | 50 | |||||
| 4 3♠ E | 90 | |||||
| 5 2NT E | 70 | 30 | ||||
| 6 6♦ S | 100 | |||||
| 7 6♦ S | 120 | 520 | ||||
| 8 | ||||||
| 9 | ||||||
| … | ||||||
| North-South Total | East-West Total | |||||
| End of Match Bonus: 700 for 2-0, 500 for 2-1 | ||||||
| NS Grand Total | EW Grand Total | |||||
In the 5th hand, E was declarer at 2NT. He took 9 tricks. E-W get a trick score of 70, and 30 points for the overtrick.
In the 6th hand, S bid to 6D. She took 10 tricks. The opponents get 100 points, 50 for each undertrick.
In the 7th hand, S again bid to 6D. She took all 13 tricks. Her trick score is 120. She gets a small slam bonus of 500 points. She also gets 20 points for the overtrick. This is 100 trick points for N-S, so this game is over. The games are now tied 1-1.
Hand 8
| Deal | North-South | East-West | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trick Score | Bonus | Defeat | Trick Score | Bonus | Defeat | |
| 1 1♣ W | 20 | 20 | ||||
| 2 2♦ N | 40 | |||||
| 3 3♠ E | 50 | |||||
| 4 3♠ E | 90 | |||||
| 5 2NT E | 70 | 30 | ||||
| 6 6♦ S | 100 | |||||
| 7 6♦ S | 120 | 520 | ||||
| 8 3NT N | 100 | |||||
| North-South Total | East-West Total | |||||
| 730 | 330 | |||||
| End of Match Bonus: 700 for 2-0, 500 for 2-1 | ||||||
| 500 | ||||||
| NS Grand Total | 1230 | EW Grand Total | 330 | |||
In deal 8, North makes 3NT for exactly 100 points. This ends the game in a single hand. First we total all the points from all 3 columns for both teams. 730 for N-S, 330 For E-W. Then the team that won 2 games gets a bonus. 700 if their opponents won no games, and 500 if their opponents won 1 game. The total for N-S is 1230. N-S win by 900 points.
The margin of victory is important. If you are playing for money, a monetary value is assigned for each point. Otherwise, it is common to play several rubbers and keep a running total.
Note that the team that won 2 games doesn᾿t always win the rubber. 500 or 700 points is a lot, but it᾿s possible to be behind by more than that.