3. Setup & Deal
Partnerships & Seating
- Four players per table form two sides, North-South and East-West (Law 4)
- In pair or team events contestants enter as pairs or teams and keep the same partnership throughout a session; in individual events partnerships change during the session (Law 4)
- The Director assigns an initial position to each contestant at the start of a session (Law 5A)
The Shuffle
- Before play starts, each pack is thoroughly shuffled (Law 6A)
- There is a cut if either opponent so requests (Law 6A)
The Deal
- Cards are dealt face down, one at a time, into four hands of thirteen cards, each placed face down in one of the board's pockets (Law 6B)
- No two adjacent cards from the deck shall be dealt into the same hand (Law 6B)
- The recommended procedure is to deal in rotation, clockwise (Law 6B)
- A member of each side should be present during the shuffle and deal (Law 6C)