[Hanoi5]

Any game has versions that manipulate its rules and bend them, etc to create similar games. For example, I heard that in Cuba they sometimes play with the bases in reverse (you run to third base first...). You can play many games around the basket with a basketball, like one we call 'clock' in which you start right below the basket and move away trying to score from around the basket; everytime you miss your opponents gets his/her turn. In chess you have piece-passing, two players against two players; each partner with different-coloured pieces; everytime you get a piece your partner can put that piece up on his board (not doing check) and that eats up one turn. You have 'Kamikaze' chess where a piece that 'eats' another dissappears with it from the board. And 'nom-nom' (name in English by me) where everytime you can 'eat' a piece you are obliged to, and the player who's left with no pieces wins.

You can play bridge 'backwards' like trying NOT to make any trick. This was called 'Nulos' in Spanish. So instead of 1NT where you have to make 7 tricks you played 1 Nulo and you had to make 6 (or less) tricks. 7 Nulos meant you had to make 0 tricks; interesting, right?

I kinda made one up which I might describe later, do you know of any other bridge 'versions'?

[Siegmund]

I experimented with a bridge variant in which the auction consisted of either passing or exposing a card from your hand (e.g., exposing the ♥3 is a bid to take 3 tricks with hearts as trump, exposing the ♠Q is a bid to take 12 tricks with spades as trump). Each bid still had to outrank all previous bids (♣A lowest, [SK] highest, no notrump bids) but you were limited to the 13 choices of contract you had been dealt.

It was fun, in its way, but it wasn't particularly much like bridge.

The preferred 3-handed version of bridge in these parts is: deal out 4 hands face-down; if the dealer has more than 10 HCP he must spread it face up on the table and takes the fourth hand as his own. Otherwise the next player to his left does the same, otherwise the third player; if nobody has 10 points, the fourth hand is faced. Then you bid in turn for the right to have the exposed hand as your dummy against the other two players.
It's a spectacularly good exercise in planning the play, since you get to estimate how many tricks you'll make before you bid, and get to incorporate some extra information from your opponents' bids. But it's not much fun for players of widely different skill levels - the beginners get slaughtered far faster than in 4-person bridge.

[blackshoe]

At Cornell, back in the mid 60s, we used to play Cutthroat: normal deals, but if a hand got passed out, goulash it. Then bidding proceeds in normal rotation, but if you had 13 HCP you had to bid (or psych a pass). Once the bidding was opened, all succeeding bids (normal rules as to sufficiency) had to be at least game. After the final pass, putative declarer would be the first player to bid the denomination last named, and he got to choose his dummy, who would exchange places with the player opposite declarer as necessary. Dummy could "accept" or "reject" the declarer's choice of him, and then would be scored with declarer or with the defenders, per his choice. Scores were divided by ten (so that a nv NT game would score 40, for example) or possibly 100. Psyching was rampant. I think this variant originated at the Mayfair Club in NYC.

[Dirk Kuijt]

In our lunchtime bridge game, once or twice a year we would play an invention of mine that we called Christmas bridge.

There were two sacks of rules, one for bidding and one for play. Before each hand, someone would draw a new bidding rule and a new play rule, and those were enforced for that hand. I don't remember them all, but they were like this:

Bidding
1. The first suit bid is the highest major, second next, etc.
2. The first suit bid is the lowest minor, second next, etc.
3. Dealer and LHO announce their exact shape and HCP, and the next players bid for their partnership.
4. Bids of half tricks are permitted. If declarer wins three or four 10 spots, he gets credit for 1/2 trick.
5. (My favorite) Buy it or double it.

Play
1. Whist (no dummy)
2. The hand opposite the hand winning the trick leads to the next.
3. Rotation of play alternates with each trick.
4. The partner of the opening leader is the dummy, not declarer's partner.
5. Dummy is exposed, but he plays his own cards.
6. (Oregon hearts) Each player must follow suit to the card played on his right. The suit of the trick is the suit played last. (The complications of this rule are just mind-blowing.)
7. (My favorite) Simultaneous play. The person whose turn it is to lead announces a suit. Then, each player puts his card face down, and finally declarer plays from the dummy.

[1eyedjack]

There was a bit of a craze in my college days for playing a variant in which you bid normally but in the knowledge that after the bidding but before the play each player would pass his entire hand to the player on the left.

The card play was then double-dummy for two of the players (assuming you were not too inebriated to remember what you held during the bidding). You could also add nullos to the bidding repertoire if you weren't excited enough.

[pirate22]

we had a form of xmas bridge---one bid hands normally.when auction had ended -before opening lead---there was a note tucked in the board which is opened up and stated random criteria--such as you are now playing this hand in clubs same level.
another criteria was the 2's beat aces---or you have to play the hand anti clockwise--or the contract is raised by another 2 tricks----result scored and slip put back in and board passed on--so all tables have same criteria.at the end the session is imp'ed-so if 24 boards in play each board had an instruction

[pirate22]

forgot to state when auction over --the lead is made face down then declarerr removes the individual instruction for all to see and is replaced.
another example is --you are now playing this contract in n/t's:)
i have a list of these exotic instructions --if one wants them apply by e-mail
regards

[dealmegold]

We've tried eleven card bridge. Deal out eleven cards per player, leaving eight (unknown) cards undealt. Then play bridge as usual - obviously you bid for the number of tricks you'll take beyond five, and 6NT is the highest bid. I think we moved game down to 70 points.

Anyway, it was a horrible game and I don't recommend it.

[mycroft]

We did a crazy bridge game (with one rule, bidding or play, or sometimes, even, "play normally") in the bar as the last game of every term at University.

One of my "never again, but glad to have it" experiences is hand-scoring and adding a 5-table Howell after 3.5 hours of drinking. Luckily nobody else cared if I was 100% accurate either.

My best story: winning a defensive beer against 3D, with the rule "Second highest card wins the trick." At trick 13, my D7 slipped quietly beneath dummy's D9... And. of course, the beer was paid immediately.

Evil rule (which almost always came up): Hand 1 of the set did something (didn't much matter what). Hand 2: "No auction. Contract is the same as board [N-1]. Play normally."

[hrothgar]

I played a weird bridge variant in which they banned psyches and limited everyone to play the same convention card.

[gwnn]

nice try

[ArtK78]

There are some interesting versions of bridge which create some truly interesting situations.

One is "partner leads." Anytime you win a trick, partner leads to the next trick. This creates some fascinating "uncrossruff" situations and really produces some interesting cross-entry problems. For example, try running a long suit!

Another version is adjective bridge. You are allowed to attach one adjective to each bid. "One weak notrump." "Penalty double." "4 final spades." And so on.

[Mbodell]

I've played against people in zips (maybe even forum posters?) who played BINGO bridge. Where bids below game could only be used once per player per 6 board match until that player completed a BINGO (had used all the bids at any 1 level, or had used all the bids in one suit below game) at which point all the bids are back and a new BINGO starts. With bidding boxes you just pull the cards and then don't put them back in the bidding box at the end of the auction.

At first when they explained it I didn't realize they could repeat the game bids, which could lead to some terrible results, but with the repeated games the system seemed mostly playable.

[pdmunro]

I remember my sister saying that her social group used to play "bingo bridge". Each player had a bingo card with either scores or bids on it and you won when you completed a line, or something like that.