Anyone is welcome to play Bridge. You do not have to know how to play as they would be happy to teach you. On Fridays – they play “FRIDAY PARTY BRIDGE” and the pot is created by everyone tossing in $0.25 (25 cents!) On Mondays, it is “SWISS PAIRS” for $0.50
- Bridge
- Bridge Duplicate
- Friday Party Bridge
The social game that boosts mood
There’s one sport that can be played anywhere, is highly social, boosts mood, improves memory, and best yet, a few aches can’t stop you from playing.
Bridge—yes, the card game. Some argue that it’s more of a sport than a card game, but whatever it is, its millions of fans are ready for a game anytime. A survey of Israeli bridge players found that 97 percent said the game improves their mood, and 85 percent said they play it to socialize.
Take legendary billionaire investor Warren Buffett. At age 88, he claims to play Bridge for eight hours a week. That’s four games, each lasting two hours. He once said he wouldn’t mind going to jail if he had three cellmates who played Bridge. His good friend, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, is also a player who once said Bridge is the king of card games.
With those kinds of fans, you might think that bridge is only for smart, rich people. But the truth is that the basics of Bridge are not difficult to learn, and the game only requires a simple deck of cards. If you have played games like Spades, hearts, or Euchre, you already understand the idea of following suit, taking tricks, and playing trump, which is what Bridge is based on, too.
The difference is that bridge is also played at a high level, with bidding and strategy. The more you play, the more you learn. And as you play more and learn more, the game becomes more social, with more opportunities to play with others in different settings — even in different cities. It’s a game that travels.
To get started with bridge, you can learn and play bridge online, or at bridge clubs. There are lots of players around. About 20 percent of Americans aged 45 and older play.