[helene_t]

sceptic, on Oct 17 2007, 11:11 PM, said:

you wait till you get into Lancaster, they will start pinching your bum and alsorts of weird behaviour us Brits are a strange lot

Right, one of my English teammates in Pula said "Don't worry, I won't take advantage of you". His p confirmed: "Yes, he's a perfect gentleman .... until the third pint".

They both got four pints that evening. Had some adverse effect on their play (my assessment, I would never blame our results on my p and myself, of course), but otherwise they were jolly and friendly people.

[Trumpace]

I play because I am addicted to it

Seriously, though, what got me hooked were the beautiful aspects of play and defense. Only recently have I begun to appreciate the bidding aspect of it, but I would still choose play/defense over bidding anytime.

[han]

Fluffy you've made me very sad .

I play bridge because I like puzzles and there are always new puzzles to solve in bridge. I like the people in the game, and how they interact. I like the team aspect, working on getting better with a regular partner. I like noticing that I figured something out that I couldn't have seen a year ago. I like competition. I like working with probabilities and trying to read people's thoughts.

I don't have a clear goal. I don't want to become a professional bridge player, I don't think it is competible with my job and I like my job a lot. So I don't think I will ever play in the Bermuda Bowl for the Netherlands or the US. I do make goals for the tournaments I play in.

Trying to get better is very important to me but I think the process to achieve these goals is more important than the final achievement. For example, if I work many years to become good enough to have a chance to win the Spingold, then I should enjoy those years regardless of whether I actually win or not.

[awm]

I've always enjoyed problem solving and strategy games. This includes a lot of board games, card games, computer strategy games. But competing is a lot more fun on a team -- there's someone to share the joy of victory or to commiserate with after a defeat. Most of these games are "every player for himself (or herself)."

Bridge combines strategy with teamwork.

[pclayton]

Because it is the only activity that people consider me to be young.

Dunno really. I've been playing it for so long that I've kinda forgotten why I started.

[matmat]

I'm not sure anymore.
I think there used to be a reason, whatever it was, it seems not to exist at this point.

[Elianna]

In the beginning, to make my grandparents happy. That remained a part for a long time, because it gave me something to do with them.

I always found it fun, but I find some other things more fun.

Now I play bridge for a combination of:
It's fun
I like to compete (and I'm not good at physical sports anymore)
Most of my friends play (so I get to see them at tournaments)
My boyfriend plays and I don't think that I'd have a choice to quit.

[helene_t]

pclayton, on Oct 18 2007, 12:10 AM, said:

Because it is the only activity that people consider me to be young.

Lol, I think, seriously, that's a reason for me as well.

[jdonn]

For the ladies.

[Blofeld]

For the +190s.

[Codo]

I learned it cause my friends started some month before and we stopped to play other card games.
And after I stopped with chess, I needed a new mental challenge.

My goal is to win at least one open championship and my best shot to reach this goal is to earn an awful lot of money to buy 5 pros into my team.
Unluckily I did not yet reached this goal, so I try to become better in bridge myself. What a desperater idea.

Actually I play bridge despite the social background. There is a wonderful "scene" with young people (25-50) here, which are great. I love to see them, but in the local club and in the league you meet a lot of less nicer people too.

[Hanoi5]

I play bridge because I love the mental challenge of strategy games. I used to play chess and dominoes, I love problem solving, I like backgammon and sometimes I do a sudoku. It's nice to give your brain some work and i feel good proving myself worthy in any of those games but especially with bridge. Probably because of the country where I live I get to be a 'star' (or to seem to be one). I also like the fact that you play with a partner, that there are so many competitions and so easy to find and that you can earn money teaching or playing professionally.

I think my aim is to achieve a master rank, internationally. I'd need to play at international events with my country's team or partmer and do well, of course. I'd need to play very well. This is probably what I want to achieve, I'd like to master the game. I know it's impossible to win everytime but I'd like to be like those players who can see stuff and think right very quickly. Another goal in bridge is getting a lot of people in my country to play it, especially young people, which isn't easy.

And I keep coming back for more, 'cause there's more. Sometimes you get bad results, sometimes you feel proud of yourself for counting a hand properly or playing a hand perfectly (and this includes biddingm playing or defending, of course). And it's always different. I might read a magazine or a book opr an article and find something similar at the table, or see something at the table that I'll read about later.


And now I think is time you answered your own question and tell us what your problem is (or problems are). Maybe we can help you

[KungFuChkn]

Rossoneri, on Oct 17 2007, 08:46 AM, said:

So, I would like to hear from you guys (non-experts and experts alike) why do you all play bridge, what do you think is your aim in playing bridge and why do you keep returning to the table for more.

Big time non-expert here.

I've always been fascinated with card games (poker, spades, etc) as well as strategy games like chess. I guess I like things that make me think, and bridge does that on so many levels.

One of the things I find fascinating with bridge is the amount of 'art' that is still present... Watching the recent BB/VC/SB, for example, it's amazing to see the different bidding and play that arises out of the same set of cards. Moreover, I find the 'every hand an adventure' nature of bridge compelling. Chess is, among the great players, a game of preparation and memorization. While bridge has patterns of it's own to learn/memorize, the strategy and play occur entirely "in the moment" rather than in the pre-match analysis.

There's a seemingly infinite depth to the game, and I want to try to get as deep as I can.

Stated goal? Well, I'd just like to be a passable player for starters. I'd like to be able to see the beauty in a complex hand, imaginative cardplay, or thoughtful bid.

Long-term, I'd love to be competitive... Since there's no clubs nearby, I'm not sure how to quantify that outside of BBO. Perhaps to be a strong 'advanced' player who really good players will play with and not get a headache. If I get the chance to play live, I'd love to be able to take a stab at some solid regional events and feel like I/we stand a chance.

As an aside - these forums rock. And I'm glad to get to learn from you all.

[han]

KungFuChkn, on Oct 18 2007, 10:26 AM, said:

As an aside - these forums rock. And I'm glad to get to learn from you all.

I think I've seen you online, I like your name!

[jdonn]

Hannie, on Oct 18 2007, 10:33 AM, said:

KungFuChkn, on Oct 18 2007, 10:26 AM, said:

As an aside - these forums rock.  And I'm glad to get to learn from you all.

I think I've seen you online, I like your name!

DITTO

[KungFuChkn]

Hannie, on Oct 18 2007, 10:33 AM, said:

I think I've seen you online, I like your name!

Thanks, Han/Josh... No doubt you have. Since I've gotten to know all you folks in the forums - in that "don't really know you, creepy internet-y" sense, anyway - I tend to find my way to your tables to kib.

(Speaking of which, thanks for keeping the tables open for us voyeurs... I'm sure that some people watching can be a pain.)

re: the name > Thanks. When you don't have a good product, you've got to depend on slick marketing. In bridge, the nick's all I've got going for me.

[jtfanclub]

Because there are still some people on the planet willing to partner with me.

When I run out of those, I'll stop.

[Walddk]

KungFuChkn, on Oct 18 2007, 06:00 PM, said:

(Speaking of which, thanks for keeping the tables open for us voyeurs... I'm sure that some people watching can be a pain.)

Never for expert players. They are used to it and don't mind at all. Some beginners and intermediates don't like it, fair enough. I would always leave a table if a player asked me to because they feel uncomfortable about having spectators.

Roland

[KungFuChkn]

Walddk, on Oct 18 2007, 11:04 AM, said:

KungFuChkn, on Oct 18 2007, 06:00 PM, said:

(Speaking of which, thanks for keeping the tables open for us voyeurs...  I'm sure that some people watching can be a pain.)

Never for expert players. They are used to it and don't mind at all.

I'm quadruple-ing my BBOF posts today...

I didn't mean that you guys mind the spectators... I meant more that there are probably some people who are not terribly polite guests.

I was watching a team match with some of the forum guys the other night, and a random kibber starts firing chat into the table. You're trying to play seriously or just enjoy a few hands with friends... Meanwhile, I can't imagine the amount of private messages you get with "Why did you take that finesse? Will you give me lessons? Want to play a team match?" and on and on.

While the people watching doesn't bother you, the behavior of some might... And I just want to thank you all for not letting them spoil it for us.

As Spock once said.... er, nevermind.

[Walddk]

KungFuChkn, on Oct 18 2007, 06:11 PM, said:

Walddk, on Oct 18 2007, 11:04 AM, said:

KungFuChkn, on Oct 18 2007, 06:00 PM, said:

(Speaking of which, thanks for keeping the tables open for us voyeurs...  I'm sure that some people watching can be a pain.)

Never for expert players. They are used to it and don't mind at all.

I'm quadruple-ing my BBOF posts today...

I didn't mean that you guys mind the spectators... I meant more that there are probably some people who are not terribly polite guests.

I was watching a team match with some of the forum guys the other night, and a random kibber starts firing chat into the table. You're trying to play seriously or just enjoy a few hands with friends... Meanwhile, I can't imagine the amount of private messages you get with "Why did you take that finesse? Will you give me lessons? Want to play a team match?" and on and on.

While the people watching doesn't bother you, the behavior of some might... And I just want to thank you all for not letting them spoil it for us.

As Spock once said.... er, nevermind.

Firstly, my wish for you in 2008 is that you get better cards than the 13 you have below your picture

Secondly, yes private chat to the table can be annoying, but the table host can control that by disallowing spec chat. We also get quite a few private chat messages. If I have time to respond, I will; if not, I will ignore them. No offence intended.

Roland