Let’s start this out with a thought from the mind-hat that I would say is true for most of the bridge players who will read this: We would all like more of our tricks to be ones that we’ve won.

Am I right?

We don’t play bridge because we’d like to be terrible at it!

But it’s also important to see that not all of your bridge moves will be good ones.

Sometimes, moves are an enigma, a conundrum, a confusion, or just a complete what-the-heck nightmare.

Everyone makes bad moves. I think the test of a good player is in how they learn from these plays, and how they can prepare for them after that.

Prepare for “bad” moves and lost tricks by watching your past games for a revealing postmortem. “Bad” moves can also be seen in the bridge games of others, and sometimes you will inevitably make them.

Here’s an examination of 6 bad bridge moves (you might make this month).

Specifically, For Bidding

1. The Astronaut’s Bid

The Astronaut’s Bid means that you’ve just bid the number too high for the cards in your hand. So high that you’re heading straight to space on a NT rocket. Good luck with that!

2. The Bennett’s Bid

The Bennett’s Bid is any bridge bid that’s inconsiderate of your partner. Basically, it’s a bid so bad that it gets your partner’s gun and shoots them in the back with it. Again and with some notable sarcasm, good luck with that!

3. The Lemmings’ Bid

Remember Lemmings, the game? In it, the game characters would just walk off the screen straight to their own demise. The Lemmings’ Bid is so bad that you might as well just have plunged yourself straight off-screen. Like the Astronaut’s Bid, this one means you’ve bid wrong for what your hand has.

Specifically, For Tricks

4. The Soiled Suit

Anywhere you have played a trick that changed the suit to something that is less advantageous for your partnership can be called the soiled suit. At least, that’s what I prefer calling it.

When your trick is The Soiled Suit, you’ve just provided the upper-hand to your opponent.

5. The Wrong Ace

If you play a vital Ace at the wrong point in the game, that’s called The Wrong Ace.

It doesn’t need to be called anything special.

When you’ve done it, you’ll recognize this move by the incredible sinking feeling it gives you – and possibly, the noticeable happiness of the players to your right and left.

Always approach the idea of playing your Aces with thought.

6. The Marie Antoinette

Okay, fine, I managed to come up with a name for this bridge move (and I don’t imagine, necessarily, that it will catch on).

The Marie Antoinette means that you’ve just played one of your Queens, and still lost the trick. Congratulations on beheading your royal cards, and possibly killing your game.

How do you counter the bridge moves that are so bad at the time they might affect the rest of the game?