[skjaeran]

I started playing simple card games at the age of 3 I guess. Not sure when I played my first hand of bridge - probably at 8 or 9. A lot of bridge was played in my home, and I started filling in when only 3 adult players were present.

I come from a very small community (some 250 inhabitants). When I was 12 my father started a bridge club with 4-5 tables, and then my brother (at eleven) and I started playing duplicate bridge.

[Badmonster]

SoTired, on Apr 17 2007, 03:23 PM, said:

Jlall, on Apr 17 2007, 02:54 PM, said:

SoTired, on Apr 17 2007, 02:45 PM, said:

Badmonster, on Apr 17 2007, 01:45 PM, said:

I played for about a year, but eventually got tired of paying $8 to be yelled at until I cried. So, I stopped.

I am sorry for your bad experience, but it takes 2 people for an abuser to hurt. It also takes a victim that accepts the abuse. Bridge is a partnership game and like marraige, there is the possibility of an abuser and the abuser's victim. If you refused to accept the abuse, it would not have occurred (or continued).

You could have said something like, "If you ever criticize me publicly, or say anything to me in an insulting, disrespectful or abusive fashion, I will leave in the middle of the game, and never play with you again." In addition, there will be NO lessons during the game. Only afterwards and then only for 10 minutes, so you better carefully choose which of my mistakes to correct."

What are you talking about? She quit, I think that was her solution to "stopping the abuse."

Unless I am reading her post wrong, she put up with abusive bridge partner(s) for a year and finally quit bridge. I can understand that. Why would anyone play a game that brings them misery. She associated bridge to the abuse, rather than the abuser. Although abusive partners occur far too often, not all bridge partners are abusive nor disrespectful. And condoning the abuse contributes to its continuance.

Unfortuneately, her story is hardly unique or even unusual. As a victim myself, I understand how difficult it is to stand up to the abuser. But bridge is a game that brings intellectual joy and challenge and I am saddened to lose a player because of some A-H.

I think you make an excellent point. I did put up with it too long. (Not the whole year. I stopped playing with him, and played with nicer people. But bridge is weird. Not only do partners yell at you, opps yell at you. Opps yell at each other. There was a lot of yelling that directed at me, that I found depressing.)

I think I put up with it as long as I did, because I was flattered that a much better player was consenting to play with me. Now, ten years later, and after playing online with some wonderful people, who are not only better than I, but far better than my old partner, I see that no one is that good. No one is good enough to be entitled to be abusive. No matter how good your partner is they're never so good that they have a right to be unkind to you.

But Justin is right. I quit, and he never got to be mean to me again.

[Winstonm]

What makes you think I ever learned?

[Free]

15, but like I said in the other thread, the first 3 years don't really count...

[jillybean]

Wow, I am surprised at how many started playing at an early age.
I was in my 30’s when I first learned the game, far too late!

[bridgeboy]

Started off at 17 in College.. only started playing "seriously" 2 years later though

[helene_t]

I was 8, couldn't find that option in the poll. I voted 10-15.

[kenrexford]

bid_em_up, on Apr 17 2007, 02:35 PM, said:

kenrexford, on Apr 17 2007, 01:35 PM, said:

I was asked to fill in with Grant Baze's wife (cannot remember her name) and we won a bottle of wine (section top award).

My guess is that it was Shelly (Notaru?), I dont remember how she spelled her maiden name. They were married when he lived in Atlanta in the early to mid 80's.

It was 1987, so sounds right.

[Al_U_Card]

My mom taught me when I was 5, while I was turning cards for dummy (during their brb's) in her kaffe-klatch bridge club in our house. My brothers and I would play with her on occasion and I remember being on vacation at age 6 and picking up a 27 point hand. I ran to the other cottage to ask her what to do. She said to open 3NT which I did and played there making 7.

I played with friends and at school for years and only hit duplicate 20 years ago. It then took me 2 years to learn the game (1 year to unlearn the bad habits and 1 year to understand the fundamentals) It has been a work in progress since then.

[blackshoe]

SoTired, on Apr 17 2007, 02:45 PM, said:

You could have said something like, "If you ever criticize me publicly, or say anything to me in an insulting, disrespectful or abusive fashion, I will leave in the middle of the game, and never play with you again." In addition, there will be NO lessons during the game. Only afterwards and then only for 10 minutes, so you better carefully choose which of my mistakes to correct."

Leaving a duplicate game in the middle for that reason will likely get you in trouble with the Sponsoring Organization. It might get you banned. Other than that, I agree.

Some years ago a local expert approached me. He wanted me to teach him how to use his computer (he was completely computer illiterate). In return, he offered to play with me and help me improve my bridge. I figured it was a good deal, so away we went. First couple of sessions he was okay. Then he started dumping on me. For example, I made a defensive error, and he said "I guess you didn't want me to take my king" - when I had no idea he had the damn thing. (This was one of his milder comments). Anyway, after a couple of these, I simply said, very quietly, "you do that again, and the deal's off." Never had a problem since, and I still play with him occassionally, when he isn't off seeing the world - he's in Africa at the moment.

I learned a lot from him - one of the first lessons being that if I didn't have a headache after a session, I wasn't working hard enough.

As for first learning, I probably picked up the rudiments from my parents when I was a kid, but I didn't really get into it until college. Then, after grad school, I didn't play for some 20 years. Got back into it in my last Navy tour of duty, in England. That was about 17 years ago.

[jchiu]

I learned duplicate bridge from a friend at 15. I was finishing high school and needed a hobby to replace competitive debate, one that would have me staying at home and getting my competitive thrill without being distracted from academics by the rigours of travelling. I started playing at the MIT Draper Labs Bridge Club, a club with the image of the Tuesday Zoo. Soon thereafter, players asked me to go to tournaments and I have been addicted ever since. I have played a regionally rated or higher tournament in 17 states and one foreign country.

[kenberg]

I grew up in Minnesota with its long winters, where everyone played cards. Even the Methodists . Canasta. Casino. 500. Hearts. I Doubt It. Poker. But somehow, as I was growing up, not bridge. I started in 1962 as a graduate student, needing a suitably cheap entertainment for a graduate student with a wife, a child, and no money. But I didn't really get much into it until my mid thirties or a bit later.

It can be a time consuming game and we have to make choices. When my older daughter was in college she phoned to tell me that someone had offered to teach her bridge. I suggested she wait until she graduated. She took my advice and doubled it. Maybe when her kids are grown she will give it a try.

[mikegill]

Played spades, O Hell, pinochle, etc. since I was about 8 since my whole family plays them. Got interested in bridge in college, a few friends of a friend were playing casually (and badly). Went and read all of my dad's bridge books (including just about everything by Victor Mollo) before I ever played a live card of bridge. My dad played seriously in his youth but gave it up when he had kids. I couldn't really find anyone to play with at college, which was healthy for my grades, I suppose. Eventually I started playing duplicate with my dad in very late 2002. Didn't really get into it until 2004.

[Quantumcat]

I learned june last year, at the ripe old age of 19!

I played 500 in high school (friends taught me) and on Market Day (where all the clubs and societies of the university try to gain members) on my first day at university, the keeper of the Bridge stall looked so depressed since the two stalls on either side had about 20 people crowding around each of them and his was empty so I went and talked to him. And I ended up playing bridge, but didn't go to any meetings of ANUBC until 2nd term.

[Fluffy]

jillybean2, on Apr 18 2007, 04:58 AM, said:

Wow, I am surprised at how many started playing at an early age.
I was in my 30’s when I first learned the game, far too late!

I am surprised as well, forum posrters do not mach the real stadistics.

I know I played my first pool at 13, but before mom kidnaped me to play an evening, I had wasted hours playing against computer without knowing much of the game (maybe started before)

[zasanya]

I was a very keen chess player when I was a teenager (30-40 years ago).I used to borrow chess books from the local library. One day picked up a book by Gerald Abrahams a chessmaster without looking at the contents.Turned out to be a bridge book (Brains in Bridge if I remember right).Was surprised that books are written about'mere card games' but got interested enough to learn the rules.
Still learning.

[sceptic]

I started at 40 and I doubt I will ever stop playing

[OliverC]

Hi All,

Sorry - you need to adjust your Poll. I was 5 when my Father and 2 elder siblings got fed up playing 3-handed kitchen bridge and my father taught me not thinking I would get into it, necessarily, but just so I could make up a four. Needless to say, I became an instant fanatic, far more than any of them.

Oliver

[tbr]

I started playing with family at 11 but didn't play for masterpoints until 25. Dropped out of the League for about 20 years in the 80s and rejoined at 47.

[peaceman]

I was into games of all kinds in public school, tho had few friends (family lived on isolated island until 13). Was the 70's, before internet, too...sigh.

On holidays played hearts & 9-5-2 with my older cousins. Got "Scarne On Cards" for christmas, read the bridge section & decided this was the coolest game.

Went down to the local (small town Ontario) duplicate club & announced I could play because I "knew the rules". Was 14, but looked 11.

After a couple of weeks letting me kibbitz, regulars began to take pity & invite me to play. Came 2nd-4th for months, but got my name on a trophy within the year & was writing the local bridge column about 3 years later.

Was swingy & inconsistent player (still am 30 yrs down the road -- have won section tops at tournaments with as many as 13 zeroes.)

After playing about 4 years, was invited to "fill in" for a regular afternoon home game, & was completely disbelieved when i mentioned it was my first time playing rubber!