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do you prefer tactical/strategic games over others?


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For me, hands down, (pun intended) Bridge is my strategic game of choice.  I've been playing Bridge for 70+ years, dating back to my Freshman year at the University of Illinois, during the 1950s.  Back then. Bridge wasn't just a pass time, it  was what students stayed up all night in their dorms playing, or cut classes haunting  the Student Union lounges huddled around tables, deciding which suit to bid.  It was the favorite after dinner activity at Sorority and Fraternity houses, a fanaticism that jeopardized the scholastic standing of a whole lot of students, - included myself. 

 

So Bridge is my thing and when it comes to being a strategic game, there is no substitute for just plain old gut instinct and good judgement as opposed to  the crazy "cue bidding" compiled by so-called experts who have diluted the purity of the game. I've  been asked by people to teach them how to pay Bridge.  But i always refused the request, telling them I can't teach you Bridge. You learn by playing it. You have to have what is known as  "card sense". After all this time, I'm still learning the game. 

 

 Although complicated, Bridge is also simplistic. No bells and whistles, just  a 52 pack of cards to deal out to 4 people for whom nothing is more fulfilling than bidding and making a grand slam - unless it's throwing your cards across the table at your partner for making a stupid play! This is why down through the years Bridge clubs always topped my list of recreational activity.  But those days are gone, along with all my old buddies who have ascended to that big card table in the sky.

 

Bridge, itself, was dying out because it tended to be an "old people's game" but it is making a come back, and I go on line and play it every day with computerized robots.  And if ever anything cast doubt on the reliability of "Artificial Intelligence", it's the game of Bridge.  Robots make terrible Bridge players!  They lack human instinct and are unable to establish rapport  with their partner or to observe their opponents style of play  and sense whether a queen-ace finesse will work.

 

So my fascination with this game continues but, of course, the day will come when instead of bidding,  I will pass... 

  

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Poignant and interesting — thanks again @Cynique

 

i always wondered about Bridge it always seemed to be played exclusively by white women named Gertude, Myrtle, Gladys, or Mable… On the TV sitcoms men never played.

 

i don’t think i know anyone who plays. 
 

we played Spades in college. several times i played till morning myself. I later learned to play Bid Whist a much better game, that I rarely play because i rarely encounter people who know how to play.

 

i understand Whist is similar to Bridge but i have no idea. i prefer bid  whist because any suit can be trump or there can be no trump. You can also decide (bid) on whether the low or high cards are most valuable. 
 

I play spades with a group of people we pass a trophy to the winning team. I wished they would play whist instead.

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13 hours ago, Troy said:

i always wondered about Bridge it always seemed to be played exclusively by white women named Gertude, Myrtle, Gladys, or Mable… On the TV sitcoms men never played.

 

@Troyin my world of bridge, there was obviously a substantial black participation in this game - which is actually a spin-off of whist  = a game that black people have always played.  And of course, black folks brought all their flair and  guile to the game. Or  was there a shortage of male players, who could be very intimidating and competitive, - not surprising.

 

12 hours ago, Delano said:

I prefer games that have a random component or where luck comes into play as well as skill. So the few times I have been to a Casino I prefer Roulette. Since the croupier skills don't tilt the game in the house's favor.

@DelanoAll card games involve an element of luck.  Randomly dealt cards ensure this.  Whether you win or lose, depends on the hand you re dealt and the "lay of the cards". Skill takes a back seat to a bad hand.

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Well that is why i like bid whist more than spades. In spades whoever is lucky enough to get the most high spades will win.
 

In whist a hand that is great in hand for spades doesn't necessarily mean anything and you can “Run a Boston” in whist with a scrappy spades hand.

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2 hours ago, ProfD said:

At one point in my life, I enjoyed playing games (board (Chess, Monopoly), card (Casino, Rummy, Spades, Tonk) and video (football) equally.   I rarely play any games nowadays. 😎

@ProfDDo you play mind game with your girlfriends?  A lot  of bachelors do. 😉

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5 hours ago, Cynique said:

@ProfDDo you play mind game with your girlfriends?  A lot  of bachelors do. 😉

Absolutely not. I'm too old for girlfriends. No time for mind games.

 

Life is short. Karma is a b8tch. 

 

Cognizant of my mortality, I live my life by the golden rule and to the fullest insuring my peace, joy and happiness remain uncompromised. 😎

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2 hours ago, ProfD said:

Absolutely not. I'm too old for girlfriends. No time for mind games.

 

Life is short. Karma is a b8tch. 

 

Cognizant of my mortality, I live my life by the golden rule and to the fullest insuring my peace, joy and happiness remain uncompromised. 😎

If you're not "lucky", I don't know who is.

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@Cynique i play pinochle ,thank you for your bridge history

 

 @Troy card games never ebb in popularity,pokemon or yugioh are some modern loves,thank you for spades

@Delano you are the first to mention a non card game primarily. yes the spinning wheel is a common tool for physical random generation,although easily manipulate-able, if made honest it has fee rivals,thank you for your comment

 

@ProfD you mentioned board games primarily, chess then monopoly. much heavier on the side of strategy as the other primaries chosen are games where,if fair, the influence of the random is undeniable,whereas chess has all knowns from start to finish.

 

 

 

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All of those games are worthwhile.

Everything everyone mentioned here is an experience I have had and enjoyed in my quest to find the right Game to play.

But I am certain we have all crossgamed in our attempt to not be bored or to simply have fun.

So most of us will have at least some working knowledge of what has been shared here.

I am definitely going to take up Bridge next.

Hoyle card games is most suitable for that choice.

It is the best digital card and board game around for playing most card games.

Its what I use now.

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7 hours ago, Rodney campbell said:

Hoyle card games is most suitable for that choice.

@Rodney campbellAs you may or not may not know, Hoyle was a Bridge Master who established his own system of playing Bridge, and this is how the expression "according to Hoyle" originated when players would preface their  reason for making what might be considered an unorthodox play, with that phrase..   Charles Goren was another  Bridge Master and  is the one whose "convention" I adhere to.

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 I've heard of Pinochle.  It and Gin Rummy  are very well known games here in the midwest.  i used to know how to play it, but I'd have to refresh my memory to play it now.   i do remember having to have a  special deck with cards no lower than a 10 spot. 

 

And my mother used to "read the cards" using a standard deck.  She actually had a regular cliental who would come to the house. for  readings.  i dabbled in doing  this a little, but again i've forgotten what the cards stood for.  I do remember that was the wish card was the 9 of hearts and if it was upside down, you weren't going to get your wish.   

 

That was another thing i used to do at the U of Illinois instead of hitting the books; read the cards and just make up things because i didn't half know what i was doing  But girls were so eager to find out things they sought me out.  The Jack of hearts represented their boyfriends, and the Queen of Spades was an evil woman.  Diamonds, of course, represented money.  Those were the days... Back when Illinois was a Big 10 powerhouse and their athletic teams took first place in every sport and our mascot was Chief lliniwek before political correctness dictated that this was offensive to Native Americans so they retired him, and the fightin Illini were never again a dominate force to be reckoned with.  zzzzzzzz

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3 hours ago, Cynique said:

9 of hearts and if it was upside down, you weren't going to get your wish.

I had a Tarot reader say the same thing. In Tarot the 9 of cups (hearts) is one of the most beneficial pip cards. However there are stronger beneficial Trump cards. 

 

You seem to remember quite a bit from 60 years ago.

 

You didn't need to know the standard definition of the cards to know what the mean.

 

I had a friend that wanted me to teach them Tarot. I said don't read the book. I want you to come up with your own meanings of the cards. One day I saw her with the book. She didn't trust her meanings nor  my method. So I ended the lessons.

 

I am going out in a limb with my next statement. You knew on some level that your readings were correct. Otherwise you are consciously being deceptive. Which I don't believe was the case.

 

Were  you're readings ever wrong?

As an aside I don't think you can properly read Tarot or utilise any divination system without intuition.

Since the cards have more than one meaning and there isn't a rational way to pick one over the other.

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hahaha @Troy just take two sets of regular cards together and make the deck:) you have inspired me to champion pinochle more haha!:) 

 

@Cynique inspiring story, did you ever keep journals from your university of illinois days, i will love to read some of your thoughts from those times:) see if they are changed from your more experienced now:) 

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@Cynique

I am aware of Hoyles mastery of ♠️♥️♣️♦️ card Games.

Not through intent.

A digital Hoyle rule book comes with the game, so, there is that,  ... and the players in the game will remind you of Hoyles mastery and the book, when they are beating you, making a good play, or any player makes a bad move.

I have only ever used Hoyles gamebook for skimming through, to get a concept of what to do. ⁉️

Practice makes perfect 🥉🥈🥇 is my personal method.

Also.

As Richard Murray 👑 has said.

[paraphrased]

I too would enjoy an autobiographical of YOU.

Especially one that is consistent with the dialogue you use here, as opposed to literary restructuring to an autobiographical template.

And.

As Delano 🎉 has pointed out.

[paraphrased]

Your memory serves you well.

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23 hours ago, richardmurray said:

 @Delano    have you ever blogged on aalbc about your tarot experiences,in depth?

So I hadn't seen this until now.

No I had a Wordpress page on Astrology. I think  may have posted my divination bio here. I have a FB page called Astrological Theory. But Blogs require consistent and continual content.

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5 hours ago, Rodney campbell said:

As Richard Murray 👑 has said.

[paraphrased]

I too would enjoy an autobiographical of YOU.

Especially one that is consistent with the dialogue you use here, as opposed to literary restructuring to an autobiographical template

@Rodney campbellWith my advancing age, which i am ever aware of, l am now pretty much living in the past,  which is why I go off on these reminiscing tangents.  For some reason, I have never gotten into journaling which is strange because writing is my first love.. But I am inhibited by the attitude of  young people, in particular, who are notoriously ageist, displaying little interest in the past. I have actually been a witness to a broad spectrum of history. But I must confess that I was a spectator, and never an activist, living up north in a passive little suburb of Chicago, a college drop-out married with kids, watching MLK's  "I have a dream" speech from the comfort of my living room, convinced that the pen was mightier than the sword, a notion that motivated me to fire  off militant letters  to the op-ed pages of Chicago's newspapers. 

 

 

6 hours ago, Delano said:

You seem to remember quite a bit from 60 years ago.

 

@Delano  Yes, I vividly remember things that happened 70 years ago, but in the present, my short term memory loss is vexing.

 

 

7 hours ago, Delano said:

I am going out in a limb with my next statement. You knew on some level that your readings were correct. Otherwise you are consciously being deceptive. Which I don't believe was the case.

 

@DelanoWhen  reading the cards for friends, i would shift into a psychic mode aided and abetted by the answers to the questions i asked and gleaned information from.

 

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6 hours ago, Cynique said:

For some reason, I have never gotten into journaling which is strange because writing is my first love.

Maybe being in the moment trumps a journal

 

6 hours ago, Cynique said:

When  reading the cards for friends, i would shift into a psychic mode aided and abetted by the answers to the questions i asked and gleaned information from.

 

 

6 hours ago, Cynique said:

@DelanoWhen  reading the cards for friends, i would shift into a psychic mode aided and abetted by the answers to the questions i asked and gleaned information from.

it's the opposite of a cold reading where you start talking and then ask questions.

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