Notes from a Shabbat afternoon

[rhu]

We taught the kids about trick-taking games today. We started with Hearts, then moved on to whist. They got it and enjoyed it enough to ask for more later in the day. We also walked them through one hand of bridge; we'll have to figure out the right way to introduce bridge for real gradually.

Playing whist is weird when you're used to playing bridge. No clue what my partner has. A trump suit that's sometimes convenient to one side or the other but is just as often random distraction, and much harder to count and track (since there's no dummy). I can't wait to graduate the kids to bridge.

Tani also wanted to know about poker, which is described in "The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys", so we explained and played a few hands of draw poker. Which I'm sure would be a lot more interesting if there were betting involved.

Other random note: H and I were discussing the kitschy shows we used to watch as after-school syndicated reruns when we were kids, that our kids won't have the pleasure (!) of experiencing. I said, "They won't know what a shoe phone is!" to which Alissa replied, "Sure we will! It's a phone that's attached to the wall by a wire!"

I'm not sure what the connection is in her mind, but suddenly I feel old.

Comments

[tahnan.livejournal.com]

Actually, my father teaches bridge to children as part of Atlanta Junior Bridge. I forget how young he teaches (for that matter, I forget Tani's exact age), but if you want ideas of how to introduce children to bridge, I'm sure he'd be thrilled to help. Let me know if you want me to put you in touch with him.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

I guess a wired phone is the exception now, isn't it? Scary...

[devjoe.livejournal.com]

It's funny how wrong she is, since the shoe phone was NOT wired, and was presumably a cell phone in an era when nobody had cell phones.

Anyway, I'm sure all those shows are on cable somewhere. They might not ever find them and watch them because of all the other shows out there, though.

And it's great that you're teaching them card games.

[530nm330hz.livejournal.com]

Thanks, that would probably be useful.

Tani's exact age will be eight years, as of 4:07 this afternoon. :-)

[autotruezone.livejournal.com]

When I was a kid, I bought a set of poker chips. My friends and I would distribute the chips equally, and play poker betting the chips. The winner was whoever had the most chips whenever we stopped playing (or when someone ran out).

I've never played whist, but I've been reading the kids Around the World in 80 Days, in which Philias Fogg is an avid whist player. The book does mention the existence of a dummy (without actually explaining anything about the game), so now I'm confused. I'll have to remember to check According to Hoyle when I get home.

[autotruezone.livejournal.com]

The Boston library has the first season of Get Smart, so now my kids know all about shoe phones. Presciently enough, the pilot has Smart's phone ringing during a concert.