Bridge is in this respect a much easier game than Whist. In Bridge
the declaration and the exposed dummy hand, both absent in Whist,
lend enormous assistance in locating the cards.
The beginner invariably becomes interested in his own cards, or those
of the dummy, and plays without paying any particular attention to
the card that is led or to the one that wins the first trick; in
other words he knows nothing about the location of the cards in that
particular suit, and his disregard of the fall of the cards continues
throughout the entire hand.
A notice which nothing escapes, the ability to count cards, and
absolute confidence in your partner’s play, is the _sine qua non_ of
correct inferences.
Notice particularly the card that your partner leads; if it be a
high card, understand what it indicates; and, if it be a low card,
ascertain whether it is led from a long or a short suit.
Watch the cards as they fall, the adversaries’ as well as your
partner’s, with unceasing attention, and make a mental interpretation
of each play, with due allowance for the dealer’s false cards.
Don’t jump at a conclusion which masses the remaining cards of
a suit, but count each suit accurately, with a certainty of the
particular cards that must be held by the dealer and your partner.
Much of the intellectual enjoyment of Bridge is derived from playing
your hand in conjunction with your partner’s. Credit your partner
with playing for the common interest of the hands and place absolute
confidence in the information he gives you. A trust in your partner’s
Bridge ability will overcome many an obstacle in the way of drawing
inferences.