Best Bridge Alternatives

If you play bridge, you will naturally not want to play any other game, however if by any chance you do not have the option to play bridge, then what are the alternatives for you? Given below are some of the best bridge alternatives which you can play anytime.

Baccarat:

Baccarat is a very thrilling card game which has been in existence for centuries. The exact origin is not known, many people suggest that it originated in the 19th century while other sources indicate that the game could have been played as early as the 15th century. There are three versions of the game which are popular today. The most popular in North America is the version known as Punto Banco, the Chemin de fer which is very popular in France and baccarat banque. There are three options to bet in a baccarat game. They are a win for the player, a win for the banker or a tie. You can bet on the player or the banker. The hand that wins is the hand which gets 8 or 9 which is an automatic win. If the hand does not total 8 or 9, then the hand which has a higher total is the winner. In the event of both hands being equal it is a tie. For more information on baccarat check this Wiki article.

Another version which is very famous in Asia is the Macao, it is an Asian baccarat game which has evolved over centuries and you can learn more about it in this Asian Baccarat Guide.

Whist:

This game is a precursor to Bridge and has been in existence since the 17th century. The game is derived from “trump or ruff” as it was called in the 16th century. Whist has been documented by Edmond Hoyle and his book on whist is considered to be the best and is the standard for the game. Subsequently a writer named Cavendish created a book titled, “The principles of Whist” which became the standard and is still relevant today. In the 19th century Whist had evolved and become Bridge Whist and over time it became Contract Bridge.

To play the game of Whist you need a pack of 52 cards. The highest ranked card is A and the lowest is 2. You need a minimum of 4 players to play this game. Players sitting opposite each other are partners and the aim is to get as many hands as possible to win the game. Partners cannot signal to each other and they should not comment about the cards. The dealer deals each player 13 cards and the last card is turned face up and the card which belongs to the dealer is the trump suit.

The first player to play would be the one next to the dealer. Each player then follows by discarding a card in a clockwise direction. If the next player does not have the suit that is played he can then use the trump to win the hand. The team with the most hands wins the game.

Image by Patrick JL Laso from Pixabay