by Alex J. Coyne © Great Bridge Links
Contract bridge might be one of the single best card games ever invented. But if you’ve been a card player for long enough, you’ll soon discover there’s a whole world of trick-taking and bidding games that offer the same kind of thrill — without always needing four experienced players and a full set of bidding boxes.
These games are perfect for teaching kids, entertaining friends who aren’t familiar with bridge, or just enjoying a fun alternative when your regular bridge group isn’t around. Whether you’re after a fast-paced challenge, a bridge-lite board game, or a creative take on bidding and trick play, this list has something for everyone.
Let’s take a look at some of the weird, wonderful, and bridge-adjacent games that belong in every bridge player’s collection.
Partners is a 4-player game where players use their cards to move pawns around the board.
Much like Hounds and Jackals (or Snakes & Ladders), Partners is a chase-based board game where players are tasked with making it into “the finishing zone” or endpoint.
Rules are simple, though co-operation is paramount to winning as a two-player team.
The Partners Board Game has been called “Denmark’s #1 board game in the USA.”
Official rules are available at the Partners Board Game website.
This YouTube video takes you through the basic rules of the game:
No Loose Ends is a simple trick-taking game that incorporates some elements of bidding – though with an added heist element. If you win the trick, and eventually push towards winning the game, you also win the heist.
Winning tricks means that you’re successfully hiding evidence of your heist, while “losing tricks” equate to leaving loose ends in its trail.
The game gets points in our book for being creative with its theme, and for introducing basic bidding concepts that are useful (but not exclusive) to bridge.
Find and order No Loose Ends at CardHaus.com.
If you’re into the thematic part of No Loose Ends, then you might also become a quick fan of the card game Wizard.
According to its description, “This game is like contract whist, but with some extra cards that add an interesting twist without causing too much randomness.”
Instead of a standard card deck, Wizard is played with a 60-card deck – which has regular suits, but also includes 4 Wizards and 4 Jesters.
A potential way to describe Wizard would be to include wild cards in bridge, or to play contract bridge with a trading card element.
If you’d like to give Wizard a try, you can find copies at Amazon.
Bridgette is another party-based bridge game, which famous player Oswald Jacoby called “the greatest two-handed bridge game ever conceived.”
Today it’s become a little niche and valuable, though there are still copies of the game available on eBay.
Now, Bridgette is played by two players … Using a 55-card deck in which the extra cards are referred to as colons (The Grand Colon, the Royal Colon, and the Little Colon – no laughing!)
Note, the game is not to be confused with Bridget – a tower-building board game that’s completely unrelated to trick-taking card games … But which still looks like it’s a lot of fun!
More information about Bridgette and how it’s played can be found at Denexa.com/blog/bridgette.
You can purchase Bridgette here.
If you’re a fan of games like Minibridge or Just Declare, then you might also enjoy one called BidLittle (formerly known as ShortBridge).
We’ll just let the description from Baron Barclay tell you more:
“Short-Bridge is a fun, fast-paced bidding and trick-taking card game enjoyed by players of all ages. Not only is it a friendly social game, it also can be used as a teaching tool to help players bridge to the classic game of Bridge.”
Like most of the games on this list, it might remind you of contract bridge – but you don’t have to know bridge to play or enjoy!
For a gateway into bridge itself, Finesse offers a blend of education and entertainment. It’s designed to introduce bridge bidding and card play through approachable, bite-sized gameplay. Newly launched by Canadian author Carole Coplea the game aims to make trick‑taking easy and fun. With a 40‑card deck, simplified scoring, and a board‑based visual system, it promises to be a gentle introduction to bridge-like play that even kids can enjoy.
Check out our article, Finesse, the bridge introduction anyone can play, for more information.
From two-player classics to full-on board game battles, these titles show that bridge’s legacy lives on in many forms. Whether you’re helping someone learn bridge or just looking for a fast-paced alternative, adding one or more of these games to your collection is a great way to keep the cards on the table.
Which one will you try next?
