Bridge by Numbers: The easy and fun way to learn the world's greatest card game

Who is this book for?

If you think bridge is (a) too complicated for you to learn, (b) no fun or (c) only for old people, this book is for you.

This book will show you that anyone - of any age, given average intelligence - can not only learn to play bridge, but also enjoy playing it.

Why Bridge by Numbers?

Two reasons: 1. This book makes learning to play bridge as easy as painting by numbers. 2. Bridge is a numbers game, as you'll discover.

What's special about this book?

Most bridge books teach you to play bridge all by yourself. That is, they give you the theory of playing bridge and then expect you to go along to a bridge club and sit down with complete strangers who have been playing the game for years and put that theory into practice. You can imagine what that feels like ...

As far as I know, this is the only book that teaches you to play bridge with other people, so that you all learn as you play and play as you learn. In other words, if you get it wrong, no one will judge you - because they'll probably be getting it wrong, too. And, more importantly, you'll all be having fun learning together.

What do I need to know?

Nothing. Well, to count. And the points of the compass.

What do I need?

Three other people who want to learn bridge. Four chairs. A table - preferably a square one, but a round one or an oblong one will do. A standard pack of cards. Pencils and paper (or bridge scoring pads if you want to be flash). Drinks are optional.

That's it.

How does this book work?

Bridge by Numbers consists of a series of 50 Steps, each of which teaches essentially one skill or imparts one piece of information, so that you learn literally step by step. And you can go over each step as many times as you like until you're all ready to move on to the next one.

In other words, you learn at your own pace. No pressure.

Now, you might have heard that there are a lot of rules in bridge. That's true, but there are only two rules you need to learn - along with a few other things, which will be highlighted, like this:

2 rules

5 key numbers

20 principles

Oh, and there will also be some etiquette to remember. Bridge is a very civilised game, you know.

A word of warning - two, actually

Bridge by Numbers does not aim to teach you everything about the game of bridge. It aims to get you started, to get you to the point where you can play bridge competently and confidently - so that you can go along to a bridge club and join in without feeling as if you've been thrown to the lions. Whether you then go on to deepen your knowledge and refine your skills is entirely up to you - and this is where the second word of warning comes in:

Bridge is highly addictive, so don't blame me if you get hooked on the game to the detriment of your health, love life or bank balance - or all three. Okay?

Seriously, though, I hope you enjoy using this book. I'm pretty sure you will.

All the best,

Joe