What Are Bidding Boxes in Bridge, and How Do I Use One?by Jude GoodwinIn its simplest form, bridge is a whist-like card game played with a single deck of 52 playing cards (no jokers) and four people who make up two partnerships. It is played in three basic stages:The biddingThe play of the cardsThe scoringIn this article, part of a series called Bridge Basics, we will talk about the bidding box, a device used in duplicate bridge during the bidding stage.A Bidding Box contains cards representing the different bids from 1♣ all the way up to 7Nt, and calls such as pass, double, redouble, and alert. Players use these cards instead of bidding out loud. Bidding boxes are most common in duplicate bridge tournaments, where they help maintain a quiet environment and prevent unintended signals. But these boxes have become essential equipment, even for home games.When I used to play bridge with my parents 35 years ago, they had their own set of bidding boxes that they would bring out for home games even though they had never played duplicate. It might feel a bit awkward at first, using the bidding cards instead of speaking your bid out loud, but you’ll quickly get used to it and will appreciate how they make the game more pleasant for so many reasons.For one thing, you will never miss a bid again – because all the bids remain face up on the table until you agree that you’ve seen them all. Having to ‘review …