Slam-seeking conventions Slam-seeking conventions Slam-seeking conventions are codified artificial bids used in the card game contract bridge. Bidding and making a small slam (12 tricks) or grand slam (13 tricks) yields high bonuses ranging from 500 to 1500 points. However, the risk is also high as failure to fulfill the slam contract also means failure to score the bonus points for a game (300-500). Conventions have been devised to maximise the opportunity for success whilst minimising the risk of failure. Contract bridge bidding systems are mainly "natural" (most bids have an obvious meaning) or "artificial" (many bids have a meaning unrelated to
Contract bridge diagram Contract bridge diagram The diagram is typical of that used to illustrate a deal of 52 cards in four hands in the game of contract bridge. Each hand is designated by a point on the compass and so North-South are partners against East-West. Suit features include: The full deal diagram is usually drawn with North at the top, with the other hands following their normal compass orientation. For convenience and consistency, South is usually declarer, so that the reader can see the hand as if playing it; exceptions to this rule can occur when reporting deals from actual matches, but