[onoway]

Had a very long wait for a connection late at night in Vancouver bus terminal so asked people if anyone played bridge, mostly being met with a discrete and studied avoidance of eye contact. So went back to playing patience until eventually a young man - I'd guess about 23 or so - sat down and we got to talking. He said he thought we could play a sort of two handed bridge and we muddled about a bit trying that for about an hour until the person he was waiting for arrived. I asked him where he had learned to play as he obviously had some knowlege but equally obviously was not a college person, which it seems most people that age who play, are.

I wanted to do a spoiler and have people guess but don't know how to do it.

He said he had learned in jail and the men there play bridge a whole lot, usually for stakes. No idea if he was pulling my leg or not but he discussed it all very plausibly. It was certainly a somewhat novel concept to me. (I didn't ask him what he had been in jail for).

Just thought it was interesting.

[GreenMan]

A quick search turns up: The ACBL did some outreach to prisons in the 1970s; as of 1992 there were 10 prisons with ACBL-affiliated clubs; and the league still occasionally gets requests from prisons for bridge materials.

[WellSpyder]

"Bridge Behind Bars" by Julian Pottage and Nick Smith relies on the premise that bridge is played in jail (though perhaps I should make clear for those who don't know the book that it is an entertaining work of bridge fiction rather than a factual account....)

[kenberg]

I trumped an Ace in Reno, just to watch it die....

A great tale, Pam.

We have a friend who does Yoga classes for those in jail. A bridge club in jail is a very attractive idea.

[y66]

My favorite nephew has some experience with the card playing scene in establishments of the type the OP refers to. Not bridge. But Whist was pretty big. You had to be pretty careful about choosing your partners.

[barmar]

Not sure I'd want to be squeezed in a jailhouse game. And Suicide Squeeze probably takes on an entirely new meaning.

[kenberg]

 barmar, on 2014-January-09, 12:14, said:

Not sure I'd want to be squeezed in a jailhouse game. And Suicide Squeeze probably takes on an entirely new meaning.

I played as a voluteer at a mental institution once, the same one where John Hinckley resides. There was this one really large guy who very much wanted to be the declarer and very much wanted to make his contract. Everything in fact went fine but there were some nervous moments..I was reluctant to double.

[crazy4hoop]

I wonder how many years are added to one's sentence for ZT violations...

[FrancesHinden]

I played a friendly match against a team from Lewes Open Prison once.

[Mbodell]

 WellSpyder, on 2014-January-09, 05:22, said:

"Bridge Behind Bars" by Julian Pottage and Nick Smith relies on the premise that bridge is played in jail (though perhaps I should make clear for those who don't know the book that it is an entertaining work of bridge fiction rather than a factual account....)

I wondered if "a somewhat novel concept" was a subtle pun to that book. I did enjoy reading Bridge Behind Bars.