If you've ever played bridge at someone's kitchen table, you've probably played Chicago bridge — even if nobody called it that. Four-deal bridge, as it's formally known, is the standard format for home games, social groups, and any situation where you want bridge with a built-in clock.
Rubber bridge is the original form of the game, but it has a problem for casual play: you never know how long a rubber will take. It might be three deals. It might be fifteen. Chicago bridge fixes this by guaranteeing exactly four deals per round, with vulnerability on a fixed schedule.
Here's everything you need to know to play it correctly.
What Makes Chicago Bridge Different
The core card play in Chicago is identical to any other form of bridge. You still deal, bid, play, and score tricks the same way. What changes is the structure around the deals:
- Fixed length: Every round is exactly four deals. No more, no less.
- Rotating vulnerability: Instead of vulnerability depending on who's won a game, it follows a set schedule tied to the deal number.
- Independent scoring: Each deal is scored on its own. Part-scores don't carry forward. Bonuses are awarded immediately.
- Easy player rotation: The fixed round length makes it simple to swap players in and out if you have five or six people.
Think of it as bridge with guardrails — all the strategy and partnership skill, with the convenience of knowing exactly when the round ends.
The Vulnerability Schedule
This is the part that trips people up. In Chicago bridge, vulnerability doesn't depend on your score — it follows a fixed rotation:
| Deal | Dealer | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North | Neither |
| 2 | East | North-South (dealer's side) |
| 3 | South | East-West (dealer's side) |
| 4 | West | Both |
The pattern is easy to remember: None, One, One, Both. On deals 2 and 3, it's the dealer's side that's vulnerable. Since the dealer rotates clockwise, each partnership gets one deal as the only vulnerable side.
This creates interesting tactical situations. On deal 1 (neither vulnerable), everyone can bid aggressively. On deal 4 (both vulnerable), the stakes are highest — game bonuses are bigger, but so are the penalties for going down.
How Scoring Works
Chicago scoring uses the same trick values as rubber bridge, but with one major difference: there's no "above the line" and "below the line." Everything is scored per deal.
Trick Points
These are the same as rubber bridge:
- Clubs and diamonds: 20 per trick
- Hearts and spades: 30 per trick
- Notrump: 40 for the first trick, 30 for each additional
- Doubled and redoubled values follow the standard multipliers
Bonuses
This is where Chicago differs from rubber. Bonuses are awarded on each deal based on what you bid and made:
| Achievement | Not Vulnerable | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| Part-score | 50 | 50 |
| Game (100+ trick points) | 300 | 500 |
| Small slam (12 tricks bid and made) | 500 + game bonus | 750 + game bonus |
| Grand slam (13 tricks bid and made) | 1,000 + game bonus | 1,500 + game bonus |
Notice that game bonuses in Chicago are lower than in rubber bridge (where they're 700 vulnerable, 300 not vulnerable, but built into the two-game rubber structure). The 300/500 per-deal bonuses approximate what you'd earn in rubber bridge when you factor in the probability of completing a rubber.
Undertrick Penalties
Penalty scoring is identical to rubber bridge:
- Not vulnerable, undoubled: 50 per undertrick
- Vulnerable, undoubled: 100 per undertrick
- Doubled: First undertrick 100/200 (NV/V), second and third 200/300, subsequent 300/300
- Redoubled: Double the doubled values
No Carry-Over
In rubber bridge, if you bid and make 2♠ (60 points), those 60 points stay "below the line" and count toward your next game. In Chicago, there's no carry-over. You bid 2♠ and make it? You score 60 for tricks plus 50 for the part-score, and the next deal starts fresh.
This means every game must be bid in a single deal. You can't build up to game across multiple part-scores. It changes bidding strategy slightly — you're more motivated to stretch for game when the points are there, since there's no partial credit waiting for you next deal.
Passed-Out Deals
When all four players pass and a deal is thrown in, Chicago bridge has a specific rule: the deal is re-dealt by the same dealer. The vulnerability stays the same, and the round still consists of four played deals.
Some home groups play that passed-out deals count as one of the four deals (moving to the next dealer). Either way works — just agree with your group before you start. The official Laws of Chicago Bridge specify re-dealing.
Playing with Five or Six Players
This is where Chicago really shines. If you have five players, one person sits out each round. After four deals, the sitting player rotates in and one of the active players takes a break. With six players, two sit out each round.
Because every round is exactly four deals, the rotation is fair — everyone plays roughly the same number of hands. In rubber bridge, one table might be on their second rubber while the other hasn't finished their first, creating awkward waits. Chicago eliminates that problem entirely.
A common rotation with five players:
- Players A, B, C, D play four deals. Player E sits out.
- Player E comes in for Player A. B, C, D, E play four deals.
- Player A comes in for Player B. Continue rotating.
Keep a running score for each player individually, adding their partnership scores from each round they play.
Keeping Score
Scoring in Chicago is simpler than rubber bridge because there's no above/below the line distinction. For each deal, calculate:
- Trick points for the declaring side (if they made their contract)
- Overtrick points (same value as trick points, or doubled/redoubled values)
- Bonus (part-score 50, game 300/500, slam 500-1500)
- Or penalty points for the defending side (if the contract went down)
Write one number per deal. At the end of four deals, total each side's points. The higher total wins that round. The margin of victory is the difference.
Strategy Differences from Rubber Bridge
The fixed vulnerability schedule creates tactical considerations that don't exist in rubber bridge:
- Deal 1 (neither vulnerable): Pre-empts are cheap. Sacrifices cost less. Aggressive bidding is rewarded. This is the deal to take risks.
- Deal 2 and 3 (one side vulnerable): The non-vulnerable side has a big advantage in competitive auctions. A sacrifice by the non-vulnerable side against a vulnerable game can be very profitable (giving up 300 doubled to save a 620 game).
- Deal 4 (both vulnerable): Conservative. Game bonuses are at their highest (500), but so are penalties. This is the deal where accurate bidding matters most.
Because part-scores don't carry over, there's no "60 on" situation where you can open light hoping to convert a partial. Every game needs to be bid from scratch. This tends to make Chicago bidding slightly more disciplined than rubber.
Chicago vs. Duplicate Bridge
If you've played at a bridge club, you've played duplicate — where every table plays the same deals and you're compared against other pairs who held your cards. Chicago and duplicate are very different:
- Chicago: Social, home game format. You keep score against the same opponents for four deals. Luck of the deal matters.
- Duplicate: Tournament/club format. Boards travel between tables. Skill is isolated because everyone plays the same cards. Matchpoint or IMP scoring.
Chicago is what you play at home. Duplicate is what you play at the club. Many players do both — Chicago on weekday evenings with friends, duplicate at the club on Wednesday nights.
Common House Rules
The Laws of Chicago Bridge are published by the ACBL, but many home groups add their own touches. Here are the most common variations:
- Passed-out deals: Some groups count them as played (advancing the dealer); others re-deal. Clarify this up front.
- Honors: In rubber bridge, holding four or five honors in the trump suit (or four aces in notrump) earns a bonus. Most Chicago groups ignore honors scoring, but some keep it. The official bonus is 100 for four honors or 150 for five.
- Money stakes: Social Chicago is often played for small stakes — typically a fixed amount per point (like a tenth of a cent). This is entirely optional and has no effect on the rules.
- Double or redouble limits: Some groups play "no doubles except for penalty" or "no redoubles." These are non-standard but common in casual settings.
Quick Reference: Setting Up a Chicago Game
- Seat four players at the table. If you have more, designate who sits out first.
- Draw for partners and dealer. Highest card deals first, and the two highest cards are partners.
- Play four deals following the vulnerability schedule: None, Dealer's side, Dealer's side, Both.
- Score each deal independently using Chicago bonuses (50 part-score, 300/500 game).
- After four deals, total the scores. If rotating players, swap one or two out and start a new round.
- Repeat until everyone's had enough or the snacks run out.
Practice Your Bidding Before Game Night
Whether you play Chicago or rubber, the bidding is the same — and it's where most casual players lose points. Brian, the AI bidding coach on Bridgetastic, lets you practice Standard American bidding against realistic hands and get instant explanations of the correct call. It's free, and five minutes of practice before your home game can save you from that one bid everyone at the table talks about for the next month.