Bridge Game

Beer card

The beer card or the 7 of diamonds is a card in the card game of bridge which is given a special importance in popular bridge sub-culture. The "beer card rule" is not an official part of the rules of bridge but it is played commonly in universities in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

The basic rule is that, if a player wins the last trick of the hand with the 7 of diamonds, his partner must buy them a pint of beer. The additional requirements vary depending whether the beer card trick winner is the declarer or one of the defenders. For the declarer, the requirements are that:

• Must make contract,
• Must win last trick with the ♦7,
• Diamonds must not be trumps (though some people play that only diamond part scores are excluded),
• Must take a justifiable line on the contract to win as many tricks as possible (i.e. not lose tricks to setup the beer or in order to keep the 7 until the last trick),

For a defender, the requirements are that:

• Contract must be defeated
• Must win last trick with the beer card
• Diamonds must not be trumps
• Must try to win as many tricks as possible (i.e. not lose tricks to setup the beer or in order to keep the 7 until the last trick)

If the contract is doubled then two beers are earned. If the contract is redoubled then four beers are earned.

Example

South plays in the inferior contract of three notrump, against which the opponents cash the first four spade tricks. To maximize the chance of getting a beer, declarer must discard two top diamond honors and a small club from dummy. If the diamonds do not break 4-0, it's straightforward to cash nine winners, ending with the beer card. If the diamonds don't break, there's a chance that a defender will be pseudosqueezed and choose to discard a diamond. For declarer to discard three diamond honors risks losing the contract unncessarily, and so forfeits the beer, even if diamonds turn out to break normally.

External links

• NSW Bridge Association
• Edinburgh University Bridge Club

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Bridge card game, most popular card game in the world.