To Bid or Not to Bid

If you thought that this was going to be about an auction, you would be right, but probably not as right as you thought. I'm not talking about any common type of auction but rather of the card game of Bridge. Bridge? You mean that old people game? Yes, that's the one. But why should you associate it with being an old people game? Probably because you've only ever heard about it in context with old people playing it. That's not because it's a game for old people, but because old people generally have more time on their hands to spend learning to play and play well. Its rich complexity provides those who play it with a never ending opportunity to continue improving and refining their play ability.

Bridge is consistently the most popular card game of the English speaking world and is almost as popular in other countries. Bridge -- developed from the game Whist -- is a trick taking game played by two partnerships with each partnership competing through an auction process to declare a trump suit. Originally developed around 1896, the latest version Contract Bridge was developed around 1926 and has remained since 1930 the most popular form. It has ridden serenely through such fads as Gin Rummy and Canasta and in the end has always survived as the most popular game. Bridge is the only card game in the world with an internationally recognized and governed set of laws, rules, and regulations.

Many of you may be familiar with the game Rook which has many similarities in it to Bridge, but of course is IMHO inferior in the end. Last year I, along with a few others, decided to learn to play this game of Bridge that we generally knew nothing about at the time. It has been a lot of fun to learn as we go, continually increasing our skill as we are able to apply new principles and methods to our bidding and play. This has become the game of choice here. There is still the odd game of Hearts or Spades but for the most part, Bridge is the card game of choice for us. Going back to Hearts or Spades after playing Bridge is like going back to a tricycle after learning to ride a two wheeler. It might be fun every once in a while for nostalgic reasons, but it is no longer as much fun as it used to be after experiencing the higher level of play that Bridge provides.