When Everything's Equal
Remember when I said Declarer picks the trump suit based on which suit they have most of?
What happens when you look at dummy and your hands are all over the place — a bit of everything, nothing standing out?
That's when you play No Trumps.
No suit gets special powers. Highest card of the suit led wins. Simple as that.
No Trumps: Pure strength. No wild cards. Just who's got the best hand.
Look at Declarer's hand and Dummy's hand combined.
If you've got:
• Cards spread fairly evenly across the suits
• No long suit with 8+ cards between the two hands
• A balanced distribution (nothing too lopsided)
Then No Trumps is your play.
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Example: Declarer has: ♠ AK5 ♥ Q87 ♦ K94 ♣ J1052 Dummy has: ♠ Q43 ♥ K62 ♦ AJ3 ♣ Q876 Nothing jumps out. Play No Trumps. |
In No Trumps, you can't escape with a trump when you're out of a suit.
Say someone leads the King of spades. You're out of spades. You play a heart.
You've just given that trick away.
Your heart doesn't win. It's not a trump — there are no trumps. The King of spades takes it.
Simple rule: In No Trumps, only the suit led matters. Highest card of that suit wins.
No Trumps rewards different thinking:
1. Count your winners
Look for Aces and Kings in different suits. They're gold.2. Long suits still matter
If you've got five hearts and they've only got eight between them, once theirs are gone, your little hearts become winners.3. Hold back your stoppers
If you've got the Ace in a suit, don't rush to play it. Make them burn their high cards first.
No Trumps is chess, not poker. Every card you play tells a story.
Mistake 1: Choosing No Trumps when you've got a long suit
If you've got eight spades between the hands, play in spades. Don't waste that power.
Mistake 2: Leading away your stoppers too early
That Ace you're holding? Keep it until you need it. It's your shield.
Mistake 3: Forgetting to count
In No Trumps, counting matters more. Know what's been played. Know what's left.
| With Trumps | No Trumps |
| One suit has superpowers | All suits equal |
| Can escape when out of a suit | Can't escape — must follow or lose |
| Long suits are king | Balanced hands preferred |
| Little trumps can win big | Only high cards win |
Look at these combined hands. Would you play in a suit or No Trumps?
Hand 1:
♠ AK87 ♥ Q4 ♦ J953 ♣ K82
♠ Q1095 ♥ A7 ♦ K42 ♣ AQ95
Answer: Play in Spades (9 spades between the hands)
Hand 2:
♠ AJ4 ♥ KQ5 ♦ Q87 ♣ K1093
♠ K85 ♥ A62 ♦ AJ3 ♣ QJ54
Answer: Play No Trumps (balanced, no long suit)
I thought Bridge was all a bit posh and stuffy but found playing MiniBridge was basically Whist.
I set about making it easy to learn. But how to teach it?
Over 300 people are now playing Bridge taught by me.
60 of them still play at my club Cardiff Bridge Tutors and use my free quiz and How to guides
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