Bridge Gift Guide: What to Give the Card Player in Your Life

If you have a bridge player in your life, a parent, spouse, friend, or partner, you know how devoted they are to the game. You also know that buying a gift for them can feel like landing in a foreign country.

What do they need? What do they already have? What’s good and what’s the bridge equivalent of a gift card to a store they’ve never visited?

Here’s a practical guide.

Bridge Books Worth Giving

Books are the classic bridge gift, and good ones genuinely improve play. The trick is knowing what level of book the recipient needs.

For beginners:

Bridge for Dummies by Eddie Kantar, The most accessible introduction. If they’re just learning or know someone who is, this works.
25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know by Barbara Seagram and Marc Smith, Beginners often get stuck on the bidding; this book explains the essential conventions without overwhelming detail.

For intermediates:

Why You Lose at Bridge by S.J. Simon, A classic about the psychology of bridge errors. Funny, pointed, and genuinely useful. If they’ve been playing for a few years, they’ll recognize themselves on every page.
The Declarer’s Handbook by Louis Watson, Dense but comprehensive. Anyone serious about improving declarer play will work through this.

For advanced players:

The Expert Game by Terence Reese, Analysis of expert technique from one of the game’s great writers.
Bridge: 25 Ways to Compete in the Bidding by Ron Klinger, Focused on competitive auctions; great for players who already know standard but want the edge in competitive positions.

Physical Bridge Sets

Playing cards wear out. A quality set is a welcome gift.

ACBL duplicate boards: If they host home games, a proper set of duplicate boards (the trays that hold the four hands in position) lets them run proper duplicates. Available from the ACBL and bridge supply shops.

Quality playing cards: Kem cards are the standard for bridge clubs, plastic-coated, durable, and resistant to marking. A couple of decks is a practical gift.

Card shuffler: An automatic card shuffler speeds up dealing at home games. Battery-powered models are inexpensive and reduce the time between hands.

Online and App Memberships

For the modern bridge player:

BBO (Bridge Base Online) membership: BBO offers free play, but a paid subscription ($6-8/month typically) unlocks teaching content, robot partners, and priority access to tournaments. A year’s subscription is a thoughtful, useful gift.

Bridgetastic: Bridgetastic’s AI coach Brian analyzes your hands in natural language, explains what you did and what an expert would do differently. Great for players who want to improve between sessions. Access is available at bridgetastic.com.

Experiences Over Stuff

The bridge player who has been playing for decades probably has books, cards, and equipment. What they may not have is:

NABC attendance: The ACBL National Championships happen three times a year: Spring, Summer (July), and Fall. If your gift recipient is a competitive player, contributing toward the entry fees, hotel, or travel for an NABC is a gift they’ll actually use.

Lessons with a local expert: If your club has a known strong player who teaches, paying for a session or two is both useful and flattering. Bridge lessons are underrated; even experienced players benefit from outside feedback.

A bridge cruise: Yes, these exist. Several cruise lines and tour operators run bridge-themed cruises with onboard games and instruction from notable players. They sell out fast and make a memorable trip.

The One Thing to Avoid

Generic “bridge themed” merchandise, mugs, t-shirts, novelty items with playing card designs, tends to be the gift that gets politely thanked and immediately forgotten. Bridge players play bridge; they’re usually not interested in bridge as an aesthetic motif.

If you’re unsure, ask. Most bridge players would rather tell you what they want than receive something well-intentioned that misses.

Bridgetastic offers AI-powered bridge coaching and analysis. It’s a gift for bridge players who want to improve, or for you, if you’re learning yourself. Learn more.