Bridge Glossary

Gadget

(slang) a convention designed to cover a specific bidding situation rather than an entire class of auctions.

Gambit

the taking a of risk (such as the deliberate sacrifice of a trick) in hope of gaining a large reward.

Gambling three notrump

a three-notrump opening based on a long, solid minor suit.

Game

a score of 100 or more points below the line; 100 or more in trick score.

Game all

both sides vulnerable.

Game bid

a bid that, if fulfilled, will score a game for the declaring side.

Game contract

game bid.

Game-force

a call that requests partner to continue bidding until game is reached.

Game-forcing bid

a bid that requests partner to continue bidding until game is reached.

Game in

vulnerable.

Game invitation

a call that requests partner to bid game with maximum values for earlier actions.

Game-try

game invitation.

Garbage

(slang) poor values; a poor hand; a poor hand for the previous bidding.

Garbage Stayman

a partnership agreement that a two-club response to a one-notrump opening may be based on a weak hand (as opposed to the game-invitational-or-better requirement of traditional Stayman methods).

Gardener

a one-notrump overcall to show either a strong notrump or a weak hand with an escape suit.

Gerber

a conventional four-club bid asking partner to show a count of aces.

Ghoulie

a form of bridge that does not play out non-game-going part-scores and uses goulash dealing methods after unplayed outcomes.

Gin

(1) (exclamation) (slang) "I claim the rest of the tricks."

(2) (adjective) (of a contract) certain to be made.

Give

(slang) hypothesize as a basis for planning the play or defense [Usage: "Give East the ace of hearts." = Assume that East holds the ace of hearts.]

Gladiator

a method of responding to one notrump based on a two-club puppet to two diamonds.

Go for

(1) (slang) be set [Usage: Go for 1100 = concede a penalty of 1100 points.

(2) (slang) be tricked by. [Usage: An inexperienced declarer might go for that defensive swindle.]

(3) (slang) attempt (usually a higher-level contract).

Go in with

play (a high card); go up with; rise with.

Goldwater's rule

"Always accept a lead out of turn." (Based on the theory that someone who doesn't know who is on lead is unlikely to play effectively.)

Good

(1) established;

(2) consisting of all winners.

Goren system

a derivative of the Culbertson system that described hand valuation in points (where Culbertson had used honor tricks) and replaced the older version as the standard American system, a position it held for several decades.

Go to bed with

(slang) fail to take a trick with [usually, of a card that could have won a trick in a straightforward manner].

Goulash

(1) a deal in which the cards are distributed in large packets (5,5,3 or 5,4,4) instead of one at a time;

(2) the same as (1), but using the unshuffled remains of a passed out or unplayed deal (thus tending to produce freak distributions).

Grand coup

a trump coup of the reduction type in which the side-suit cards ruffed are winners.

Grand National

one of the major American national team championships, a qualifying -plus-knockout event in which teams represent geographical areas.

Grand slam

a bid of seven.

Grand-slam force

an artificial bid, usually five notrump, asking partner to bid a grand slam with two of the top three trump honors.

Green

See: Vulnerability conditions.

Grosvenor gambit (sometimes just "Grosvenor")

a play that cannot gain and might lose but is virtually certain to break even because an opponent will assume it would never have been made.

Guard

(1) (noun) a holding that will prevent the opponents from taking a large number of tricks in a given suit; stopper;

(2) (verb) prevent the opponents from turning a particular card or cards into winners;

(3) (noun) a card or cards held to prevent the opponents from turning a particular card or cards into winners;

(4) (noun) a lower card or cards held to prevent the opponents from using high cards to drop a higher card (usually an honor) in the same suit. [Usage: In the holding king-deuce, the deuce is a guard for the king, preventing an opponent from dropping the king with the ace.]

Guarded

(of a card, usually an honor) accompanied by sufficient guards (meaning 4).

Guard squeeze

a squeeze in which the discard of one of the victim's busy cards exposes partner to a finesse.

Guide card

a set of instructions for a the movement of a pair from table to table in a duplicate bridge movement.

Guggenheim

See: Mrs. Guggenheim.

Gulpic

(slang) a very weak opening bid.