You need four players, one standard 52-card deck per board in play, and one iPhone or iPad running Big Deal Bridge. That's it — no scoring tables, no paper, no internet connection required during play.
Big Deal Bridge is designed exclusively for in-person duplicate bridge with physical cards. For online bridge, you'd want a dedicated online platform. Our app handles the dealing instructions, board management, and scoring so you can focus on the actual cardplay.
Yes, the app is free to download on the App Store. A subscription unlocks the full tournament library and all premium features. You can explore the app before subscribing.
Big Deal Bridge runs on any iPhone or iPad running a recent version of iOS/iPadOS. It's optimized for both form factors — the larger iPad screen is especially comfortable for shared use at the table.
The honest answer is that we're a small team — roughly 1.5 people — and building a great native app takes real focus. Rather than spread ourselves thin trying to ship on two platforms at once, we've chosen to do one thing well.
Big Deal Bridge is committed to the Apple ecosystem: iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The Mac in particular has been largely overlooked by bridge software, and we see a real opportunity there. Doing Android justice would require resources we simply don't have right now, and we'd rather not ship a mediocre experience on any platform.
The app shows you exactly which cards go to which position (North, South, East, West) for each board. You physically deal the cards according to these instructions, then play the hand normally. The app tracks the board results as you enter them.
Instant Contract lets you skip the bidding phase entirely — you just specify the final contract directly before play. It's ideal for beginners still learning to bid, or for groups who want to focus on declarer play and defense without the auction.
The app uses standard duplicate bridge matchpoint scoring. For a full explanation, see matchpoint scoring on Wikipedia.
Sessions are flexible — you can play as few or as many boards as you like. The built-in tournaments are structured around common session lengths (e.g. 24 or 27 boards), but you can stop at any point and the app will calculate results based on completed boards.
PBN (Portable Bridge Notation) is the standard file format for storing bridge hand records. Clubs, tournaments, and dealing software all produce PBN files. Big Deal Bridge can import any standard PBN file, so you can play hands from your club, download sets from the internet, or use output from dealing software like Big Deal by Hans van Staveren.
From the tournament selection screen, tap "Import PBN File" and choose a file from your Files app, an email attachment, or any other source accessible through the iOS share sheet. The app will parse the file and make those boards available immediately.
The built-in library contains hundreds of pre-dealt tournament sets covering a wide range of difficulty and board counts. New tournament sets are added over time. You can also find PBN files online from bridge organizations, federations, and community sites.
Subscriptions are managed through Apple. Go to Settings → [Your Name] → Subscriptions on your device, find Big Deal Bridge, and you can cancel or change your plan there. You'll retain access through the end of the current billing period.
Open Big Deal Bridge on your new device and tap "Restore Purchases" on the subscription screen. Make sure you're signed into the same Apple ID used when you originally subscribed. Your access will be restored automatically.
Still have a question? We're happy to help.
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