Contract  bridge is not a single game, it is many games, each having it’s own unique winning tactics.  Consider the game of “party bridge”.  No doubt you already know how party bridge is played, but since the best tactics are derived from the rules, here is a brief recap.

 

Party bridge is a multi-table contest where you compete against a field of pairs playing rubber bridge.  Typically six deals are played at each table; scored as a continuous rubber bridge game and the scores totaled at the end of the six deals.  Then one pair from each table moves to another table for another round of six deals.  After four rounds played against different opponents, results are totaled and pairs ranked according to total points won.
 

Party bridge is mainly a social event, but given the choice of winning or losing, you might as well go for the win.  The key to winning is to maximize total points.  This is not the same as winning each of the four six-deal games.  It is not critical that you win a particular round because scoring 600 points while losing to an opponent who scores 750 points (for example) is a much better result than winning by a score of 300 to 100.  You will never win one of these events with a total of 1200 points (300 points times four rounds); most of the time it takes 3000 to 5000 points to win. 
 

The usual practice in party bridge is to replay any deal that is passed out.  Suppose you are South holding this hand:
 

S) K 8 5   
H) 8 6
D) A Q J 4 2
C) Q 7 3
 

There are three passes to you, thus the other three have on average nine high-card points.  You have 12 high-card points and a reasonable 1 diamond opener, but not in party bridge, that is unless you already have a part-score and need only a two- or three-level contract to complete your game.  There are only six deals.  Since the objective is to get the highest total points, passing out creates another deal with better possibilities of game or even slam.  Certainly your immediate opponents may get the good cards in the next deal; but there are far more opponents at other tables than at your table and you are competing against all of them all of the time.

 

The first rule for winning at party bridge is “do not start the bidding in fourth seat unless you have good prospects of completing a game”.

 

NORTH: “I did not like the way you played board 17.  You should never have pitched a club.”
SOUTH: “But you played board 17!”
NORTH: “Oh yes, and there was no way to make it.”