Experiencing loss at the bridge table is never a fun experience, but I’m always fast to remind myself that it can be a good thing when it happens.

When you’ve lost a few games, there’s always an opportunity to learn – assuming that your opponent doesn’t choose to shoot you point-blank in the face at the end of the game. Dead card players don’t learn much.

If you’re stuck in a losing loop and you’ve been sacrificing more bridge games to the opposing team than usual, it might be time to consider why.

It’s not always your bidding, and it’s not always your playing. Other things can be to blame for losing your usual focus.

Why do you keep losing bridge games?

Here’s why your bridge game might be slipping, and what you can do to get your groove back.

Your chosen time-of-day for bridge games.

The time of day has a lot to do with how much focus one has at that point in time, and it can be individual to every person out there.

Doctors, for example, schedule certain surgeries at the times of day where they can think the best – and don’t you imagine that bridge players could learn from this?

Your confidence levels (or lack) for the game ahead.

If you’re feeling too confident for the game that’s about to be played, expect to play it badly – if not at the start, it might drop towards disaster halfway. But if you play with a lack of confidence, you can expect the same.

Take each game at face-value, and don’t assume that you (or your opponent) will play a certain way.

Your attempts at thinking too far ahead.

The best players in the world don’t imagine they can view how an entire game will go – and if you make the mistake yourself, it’s going to turn on your strategy fast. Think only one move ahead at best, without thinking that you might know what the opponents or rest of the table might do.

Your distractions at the table.

If you’re distracted, you can’t play – and you certainly won’t be expected to play well. Make a list of what you think your table distractions might be, and reduce the ones that you can. Take care of responsibilities you might worry about at the table, and bring your focus back to the game.

Your anxiety or fear gets in the way.

Fear and anxiety are useful emotions within some contexts. When we’re in actual life-threatening danger (or about to be), these emotions trigger responses that might save our lives. But these emotions don’t have to be necessary in bridge, unless you’re literally playing the game with a gun to your head.

Relax, and you’ll automatically play better as a result.

Your strategy (or bidding) needs work.

If you lose more often, practice more often. That’s one of the only ways to gain practical experience – and at first, don’t worry too much about the potential for loss.

Increase the games you play this week or month. Vary your opponents, and experiment with other forms of bridge. Almost guaranteed, you’ll learn to be a better player once you’re in a more regular playing routine.