You enter a casino, walk up to the poker desk, and one of two things happen. Either you are blessed with an immediate choice of available seats in two or more games, or, more frequently, there is only one seat available to you - now or after waiting awhile. In the second situation you usually take the available seat, even if you do not particularly like the game, rather than sitting around until your name is called for a “better” seat. (more…)

Perhaps the ultimate gauntlet thrown at the bridge table, usually as a result of friction between two players, is “get a partner”. Often these challenges are further colored with remarks such as “Get a partner, and I will rent a slow boat to China…”, or, even more serious, “Get a partner, and we will play for my business against your house”. Most often these people are just making noise, but over the years I have been the “partner that was gotten” three different times, always on very favorable terms (such as loss reimbursement). (more…)