[andych]

Recently Jlall wrote about a rubber bridge player in his blog.

I have heard a saying that the best bridge players are not those winning the Bermuda Bowl, nor the ones winning the Olympiad.

The best bridge players are those playing high stake rubber bridge winning a lot of money. They dont even want to be famous such that others would continue playing rubber bridge with them.

How true is it?

[pclayton]

I think its baloney.

While there's a few national level players who do well at rubber, the best player isn't holed in some smoky card room somewhere.

[the hog]

There is a very small modicum of truth in that. Who knows of Metyer Schleifer for example?

[mike777]

The_Hog, on Jun 22 2005, 02:04 AM, said:

There is a very small modicum of truth in that. Who knows of Metyer Schleifer for example?

We knew him.

[beatrix45]

No truth at all. The secret to winning at rubber bridge, and I should know, is to find a game you can beat and keeping it together. It is purely a people phenomenon. Meyer was a good player, but not clearly better than many others of his day. Thirty years ago there still a few good rubber bridge players in the wings, and I used to end up on teams with some of them once in a while. Guys called Booger Red or "the best 42 player in the world". Or two guys in NYC where we got to the semis of a local team event. They were good players, but nothing exceptional. Probably David Carter in St. Louis was the best of that breed, and he was VERY good.

[whereagles]

Helgemo is pretty impressive as declarer and defender... As for best bidder, that's impossible to define because it depends on personal opinions.

Best rubber bridge player I dunno. All the guys I saw sucked at it.. lol

[SoTired]

I have some experience at money bridge. In my younger days, I played a lot of money rubber bridge. What little I won at bridge I promptly lost at backgammon.

In my experience, the best rubber bridge players also played duplicate. A pro bridge player can make much more at duplicate than hiding their expertise and playing rubber. A good player can make some money at rubber, but only because the opposition is poor.

[pigpenz]

Meyer Schleifer from LA is if still alive was a great bridge player.....another example of someone who really doenst play a lot of tourney bridge but has played at the world championship level at both backgammon and bridge is Billy Eisenberg.

[Winstonm]

Jlall, on Jun 23 2005, 04:11 PM, said:

I've heard of myer, not sure where tho.

Wasn't he the guy in "Halloween" that wouldn't stay dead?

[pigpenz]

Kantar used to right about him alot in his books, hes also won a few tournaments in his day too.

[slothy]

Jlall, on Jun 23 2005, 04:11 PM, said:

I've heard of myer, not sure where tho.

You thinking of Michael Myers Jus

As a person who rates women as the third most important thang in his life (just been to your blog...ah geez anuzzer place 4 me to 'lamp-post' as it were)

...can imagine there are a few spies out there for you to s**g...

[edit lol]
hee hee someone just asked me what 'slog' meant

[Winstonm]

Quote

Guys called Booger Red

Just curious....you talking about Booger Red McGlaughlin from Oklahoma City? If so, I knew him well and played both with and against him - not only was he a phenom in bridge, but also in dominoes and golf. The only time I ever remember him being wrong is when he told me that I'd "be better than all the rest of them put together" after I'd accidentally executed a Devil's Coup against him - I think it was about trick ten, after Red started laughing and shaking his head, when it dawned on me what was happening.

WinstonM