Oh, Lord...

First let me preface this by saying that I've loved playing cards since I was a very little girl. My parents were avid bridge players (mother gave lots of daytime bridge parties, and as a couple my parents gave plenty of "mixed" evening games too), and one of their best friends (Marie) was a very skilled bridge player.

My sister learned to play in her teens, but I didn't... Later, when I was about twenty, our friend Marie (an elderly woman, mentioned above) decided that it was time to teach her friends' younger children how to play. She gave lessons in her home, and I was one of the four expected to go. Bought an Auto Bridge device, and everything.

Okay, I really DO love cards. And I used to be able to hold my own in chess, and I'm not an idiot. In fact, I'm usually pretty good about being able to predict what people will do in various games, etc., etc., etc., but I was just TERRIBLE at bridge.

My sister and her husband decided to help me out, so they arranged a bridge game at home, on my behalf, with the two of them and with Marie. DISASTER. I was so embarrassed...

I "get" the basics of the game, but my bidding was bad, and I was not great at finessing. This was odd for me because "in real life", I'm great at finessing situations, and in drawing out issues with people. Apparently that skill didn't translate to bridge.

I gave up, and since my husband doesn't play, that seemed to be the end of that. BUT, I couldn't quite let it go, and it's interesting that you're asking about this. I consider poor performance at bridge one of my failures in life! LOL... Just recently, I discovered that you can play online. I'm still terrible, but I feel that there may be hope. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone any longer who plays, so I may have to teach myself, all by myself, on the internet. How sad is that???

Sundancer, I know that bridge is a fantastic game, and is very much layered, depending on one's skill level. There's far more than meets the eye when it comes to that game, so I hope you enjoy playing it. I think that my primary problem was that I wasn't taught to play it when I was still young, and I wasn't taught to play it by my own parents who would've made me feel "safe" while I was learning it. As it turned out, the entire thing was just a huge humiliation for me!

Not done witih this issue yet, though... LOL!!

Good luck, Sundancer. Enjoy.

And Sundancer, I think you must be one of the most energetic people I know! You have SO many interests, and I think that's just fabulous. I really do hope that you enjoy playing bridge, and continue to improve your game so that it remains an interesting challenge for you.

-- Edited by Moore ideas on Thursday 14th of January 2010 12:28:01 AM

Thank you, Moore and Kae! I will take another two-hour lesson today. There is so much to learn. I don't want more years to go by and say to myself, "I wish I would have learned to play Bridge when I was younger." This is different for me to sit still for so long. If I am not on a dance floor or tennis court, I may be in a pool teaching swimming. The only other sit-still thing I've done (and continue to do) is learn to speak, read and write Spanish! I used to play chess and have taught many kids to play and then they have taught others.