All Kinds

The bridge world contains both the great and good and the bad and ugly just like the rest of life, I guess.  Yesterday, I was in a doubled 4 heart contract.  The last trick, which set the contract, was taken by left hand opponent.  As she presented her good diamond with a flourish she said, "HAH! Got YA!"  I said, "That isn't very nice".  Her response was, "Oh don't get so upset; IT'S JUST A GAME"; my least favorite way to describe bridge.  I asked her if she played rubber bridge since I had seen neither she nor her partner in the club before.  Her partner (who seemed like a decent person) said "No" and gloating woman said "Yes - I play all card games".  I said, "Well that figures.  That's the kind of behavior you get in rubber games".   Gloating woman became huffy and said, "I've been playing duplicate since before you were born".  The answer to that, of course, is, "Gee, I thought you would have learned table manners in 66 years" but I didn't say it.  Off she went to annoy the next opponents.  Ick.

The Decision

Biig Al and I played together last Monday.  For most of the round, Al was perusing the menu from the new Chinese restaurant which had just opened next to the club.  Between hands he would ask me if I wanted to try somthing like duck tongues with bitter melon.  I eat about anything but this didn't sound all that appetizing at 10 in the morning.  He was mesmerized by the menu and studying it the way I study Watson.  I'd like to blame his distraction for our so-so game but it was probably my minus 1100 score which did us in.  Bad sacrifice.

After the game, we decamped next door for late lunch/early dinner with Biig Al, Jay and Paula.  The food is great, by the way, for you San Antonio readers.  Most of the staff just got here from China and speak little English.  This is a requirement for really good Chinese food.  I brought up the renaming this blog issue.  Biig Al asked, "Why do you want to rename it?".  I said, "Well, now that I made life master, I can't really call myself a newbie any more." He growled, "Anybody that goes down 2400 is still a newbie."  "It was 1100, Al!!!"  He and Jay agreed that I'm still a newbie so, bowing to the masters, the title stays as is until I win the Bermuda Bowl.

Yet Another Bridge Cruise

There are no bad bridge cruises.  Okay, maybe if the ship was taken over by pirates or the Norovirus but, other than that, there is no downside to playing fave game on a big boat.  John Sobol of Go Away Travel, as usual, worked his magic so that everything ran smoothly, or, if it didn't, the glips weren't visible to me.  Darlene and Steve Shirey, the directors, were their usual warm, wonderful selves although I overheard Darlene, at one point, mumbling about making an "over the side" list.  I hope I wasn't on it.

The pros, Eddie Wold and Bob Morris, brought along a contingent of very good players from Houston.  We had planned the trip together with friend/partner Rebecca and her husband, Jerry.  By the time of the cruise, about a dozen other San Antonio and New Braunfels (little town near San Antonio) players  had joined us.  The last pair to join the cruise, LaNelle and Betty Jo, strafed the field with the highest point total on the cruise.  Take that Houston!

Eddie and Bob team taught and the lessons were pitched so that the newest player to the best club player, other than the AX types, could get something out of them.  They were excellent.  Partner/husband and I picked up some new toys which we put into use while on the cruise, including upside down signals.   That will take a while to get right.  We didn't tear it up but came away with a little partial point - pretty good for a cruise ship which, traditionally, is not a big point getter.  At one point, we had  a 37 percent game.  Director Steve said, "What kind of score is that for a life master?"  I said, "Our usual!"  Part of the Post Life Master slump I explained.  Darlene was kind enough to agree.

The following story puts bridge on a cruise ship into its proper perspective.  Partner/husband opened a club.  I bid a spade with 6 of them.  Partner husband bid a one no trump.  I rebid my spades.  Partner/husband laid a 3 spade bid on the table, looked at it, and then said, "Wait a minute" and then picked it up, thought for a while and laid down 2 NT.  I waited but the opponents quietly passed with no director call.  Hmmm.  I wanted to bid 3 spades but didn't  feel that I could ethically do so.   I bid my 4 card diamond suit.  Partner/husband bid 3 NT.  Normally, I would have pulled it to spades since entries to my hand were limited but, again, I couldn't take any inference from his misbid.  He made 3 NT but it was low board to a nice 4 spade game.  When I asked the opponents why they didn't call the director they said, "It's boat bridge - who cares?"  How sane is that?  I'm glad they got a good board out of it.

My Tuesday partner, Carol, and her roommate, Nell, had a contest to see who could lose more of their stuff on the boat.  Nell won but Carol, sadly, lost her iphone.  79 year old Nell, on the other hand, got two temporary spider tattoos on her arm and rastafarian beads braided into her snow white hair to the absolute horror of similarly aged LaNelle, who kept telling her to take them out.  Carol ordered wine at dinner and then, to the shocked embarrasment of the waiter,  rooted around under her shirt to get her sea pass card out of her bra.  I love those women and, I hope, as I age along with them that I'll remain as free spirted as they are.

The last cruise day, Saturday, traditionally is a Swiss Team event.  We planned to play with friends Jerry and Rebecca, of course.  Jerry has played rubber bridge for many years but is somewhat mystified by the intensity and bidding systems of duplicate.  They offered to drop out and let us get better teammates.  Not gonna happen!  We won the first round, lost the second and for some reason, came up against one of the very good Houston teams in the third.  To my profound shock, we beat them!  We won 2 rounds and lost three but got Jerry up to about .8 toward his first masterpoint.  Celebration.

The high point of my week occured when I decided to start a round at a table with Eddie Wold and a Houston player partner.  I landed in a 3 NT contract, and made 4.  I got a "nicely played" from Eddie. YOWZA!!!! 

The week was a whole boatload of fun.

The Post LM Slump

Everyone warned me about it but I thought - "no - it won't happen to me!"  Hah.  I haven't had a decent game since Reno.  So, that's what being a life master is all about; more bad games than good just like before.  No surprise there.  Partner Carol called me to confirm our Tuesday game and I said, "I have good news and bad news.  The good news is, you have a life master for a Tuesday partner.  The bad news is, it's still me."

Jeri, who is in charge of the mentor/mentee program, waited a whole two days before asking if I would take a mentee.  I don't feel that I know enough about bridge to help anyone with anything but she assured me that I would be fine.  Sure, as long as the mentee knows nothing about the game, I'll be fine.  So, I set up a game with the new mentee for the Monday night pro/am.  She cancelled.  I called Biig Al to see if he was available to play since husband/partner already had a play date.  Biig Al said, " A MENTEE cancelled on YOU; a LIFE MASTER!!??  What is the bridge world coming to?"  Biig Al can be amusing at times.  This wasn't one. Okay, I laughed.  We played; he made a stupid double where they made game counting on me to have 10 points for my pre emptive bid (I didn't) and I made some bonehead judgement errors so we didn't have our best game ever.  I'm putting it down to the continuing PLM slump.

I have to do something to turn things around so I decided to ask you loyal readers what I should do about the blog name.  I'm okay with it since, LM or no, I still FEEL like a bridge newbie but, what do you think?  Should we get a new title?  Beverly has suggested "Bridge Banter".  I like the suggestion but I'm just not sure what to do about renaming the blog at this point.  Let me know what you think.  Push the comment button and write something.  I'm tired of doing all the work.

Thanks!

Life Master At Last

Happy New Year blog followers!  Husband/partner and I made LM together, at the Reno Regional, with those awesome gold miners, Paula and Jay.  It was an emotional week, with more ups and downs than a road over the devil's backbone.  However, as our son opined, "It's nice to hear someone returned from Reno with a good result".  I think he was worried that we were headed for the quickie divorce capital of the western world.

"So, how does it feel?" I always hate those stupid reporters who ask people how "it" feels - winning the superbowl, escaping from a burning building, getting the Pulitzer... come on - can't you guys think of anything else to ask? So, how does it feel to attain life master status after about three years of non stop bridge playing? For me, the operative feeling is relief! I have scaled the mountain and laid my heavy backpack at the top. Unfortunately, it's only the first peak. A whole range of mountains lay before me.

Director/friend/partner Jay says, "Now you can really start to learn the game." Paula Warren says, "You get your life master and you wake up the next morning the same shitty player you were the day before." Club owner/friend Marilyn says, "It's your entry card into the world of real bridge players". I'm sure they are all correct.

To me, it's the high school diploma of bridge; a certification of basic competency. That may be an overstatement in my case since I can still screw up a laydown 3 NT hand and often do. However, now I can take some days off from playing and not feel as if I am losing ground in the hunt for masterpoints.

I am still committed to the game; love it; and as friend/partner Rebecca often says, "I would rather be playing bridge than doing most other things". I couldn't agree more. I will continue taking classes and directed play with real bridge masters and do anything else I can do to help my game improve. What is the next peak to scale? Not bronze life master or any number of points; no; I just want to be a decent club player whom other people enjoy having as a partner. If other designations come with time, so be it, but I am no longer in the hunt for piles of MPs. Done with that - over an out.

How many bridge players does it take to birth a new life master? Here is a list:

Mentors:

Biig Al Lochli
Chief Dementor Robert Barber
Marilyn Arnold

Teachers:

John Beard
Laurie Levin
Diane Olson
Everette Lewis
Wayne Rauschuber
Director Tom Marsh
Mike Lawrence
Lisa and David Berkowitz
Ira Hessel
Greg Hinze
Terry and Carolyn Reily
Bill Walker

Partners:

Partner/Husband Stephen Hoffman
Rebecca Brown
Carol Campbell
Leslie Tramer
Fran Vanecko
Paula Wissman
Jay Thorne
Phil Brown
Phyllis Giffen
Andy Villastrigo
Lee Ann Tsai
Steve Simpson
Becky Lu Tanner
Delores Reilly
Maddie and Bob Kleinman
Barbara Morgan
Bill Moody
Chuck Abbott
Susan Hernandez
Kenyon Daniel
Ken and Sharon MacMorran

AND - everyone who ever gave me any advice about anything at a bridge table - yes - even including you Tom Trudeau!

I am beyond grateful to all of you.  Thank You!!