Card games are not typically considered games of skill, because there is a huge element of luck involved. Some card games are more skill-based than others, but when you have an element of randomness, it is difficult to attribute winning a game to skill, if a player receives a random card that turns the tide completely in their favor.
Or is it? Bridge is a game which is often considered a gambler’s game, but it can be argued that it is a game of skill. Here is why it is also considered a game of skill.
Bridge Is Played Against Others
There is no house in bridge, which makes it a perfect card game to play. Given that one is playing against other players, there is a very huge element of skill involved. Games like Duplicate Bridge are considered to be almost completely games of skill, rather than those of chance.The thing that makes bridge different from other card games is that the player gets ample opportunities to play the right hand, as well as the wrong one. Given that most of the error is up to the player, the game is mostly a game of skill. Sure, errors can be made, but that happens all the time, except in bridge, the starting hand doesn’t matter as much as how you play the hand.
Bridge Is Not Easy
Bridge has one of the most comprehensive rulesets that exist for any card game. If you are playing duplicate bridge, as mentioned above, the game becomes almost entirely a game of skill. When the cards are dealt, partnerships need to play together, trying to find the best solution to beat the opposing partnerships. In the end, if duplicate bridge is played, scores are compared because the partnerships are dealt the same cards, hence the duplicate. In this case, the better partnership will win, regardless of the cards they were dealt.
Bridge is a Fun and Social Game
While being a game of skill, bridge is primarily a fun and social game. It is and has been used for socialization more than many other games. While comparable to poker in some regards, bridge is still a game where most of the luck factor is eliminated.
Being a social game, it is always played with at least three other people. In tournaments, partnerships can be teamed up with other partnerships, to make things interesting and remove the element of luck even more.
Due to the nature of bridge and the way the game is played, the cards you’re dealt mean very little. The game is determined by how the cards are played, on both sides of a partnership.