Bridge Is Not For Sissies

Well, I played bridge for the first time, with real, live people! I decided to go down to the senior center, in a town a few towns over from mine. A bigger town, with more people to play with. I received a return call from a fellow named Jake, a friend of my friend Rich, who plays with that group. I didn't have time to return his call, but I hoped maybe he would be at the game. He was! I ended-up being his sister, Ann's, bridge partner. I did not think I would be playing that day, just "kibitzing" as I had planned, but Ann just threw me in the game!It was duplicate bridge, which is not Chicago bridge or "party" bridge, which is supposed to be easier. Yikes!

The way the game goes, people show up with either their regular bridge partner, or if you don't have one, they try to get you one. Ann, the club leader volunteered to play with me, bless her heart. There were 6 tables worth of players, and the "North-South" partners move, table to table, so everyone ends-up playing with everyone else. Ann and I were North-South, so we kept moving. At each table 4 sets of pre-shuffled cards, in card holders, were stacked in the center of the table, with score sheets, for each round. Four rounds were played at each table, till the N-S couple were asked to move to the next table.

In total I played 3 hours, and it really did not seem like that at all. Being a newbie your senses are heightened, so there is very little time to get bored.Ann introduced me to the room, then each table, as we moved around. The other players were extremely generous and kind, considering I barely knew the rules of the game. Often, Ann would stand behind me and coach me in what cards to play, especially when I was leading, and she was the dummy. I had to sort my hand each round by suit and rank, count my cards for "points" (how many face cards of each suit there were). Then we had to bid on how many tricks we thought we could play each round, given the cards we were dealt. Yes, it's a new language.

Right now, aside from knowing the rules, and what cards to play, I am also learning how intricate it is to work with your partner, and anticipate what your opponents hands are composed of. It seemed like everyone playing was psychic but me. By the biding alone, they could tell what was in everyone's hands. It seemed magical, but I'm sure I will soon see the science behind the magic. Some players were much better than others, and some were nicer to their partners than others. Everyone was nice to me, though, thank god! At the end everyone wanted to know what I thought, and if I thought I might come back. It's a very quiet and civil game. I liked that about it. Calm and cerebral, but challenging.

Now to study my "Bridge For Dummies" book this week, and try to get a little better!