The card game is a great option for entertainment and socializing

My mother told me not to plan on getting old if I didn’t know how to play bridge. She was never a card player but discovered upon moving into an adult residence that it was the bridge players who ruled the roost and got the best community room space. If you wanted to just hang around and visit with friends, you had to find another place to sit, because talking would disturb the game.

I have a geriatrician friend who also espouses the need to play bridge, but for different reasons. She said playing bridge, mah Jongg, or learning another challenging new game, will help keep our minds sharp into old age.

So we formed a group that eats pizza, discusses events of the day and is learning to play bridge. The socializing part is an essential preliminary to our bridge game, and from what I’ve learned, perhaps an equally important part of everyone’s game.

In our bridge group we’re lucky to have two knowledgeable bridge players who have backgrounds as trainers and guide us along with a fair amount of patience. But if you don’t have friends like that, there are other options.

I spoke with Gerry Radway, who runs a bridge game open to the community and also gives lessons. As testament to staying sharp, in her group is 100 year-old Lillian Spector, She began playing only 35 years ago and still finds it a continual learning experience. “The best part,” said Lillian, “is that it gets me out around congenial people with the same interests. The game is always challenging and competitive, but it’s a friendly competition.”

I asked Gerry how she got into the game. “I learned to play bridge in college and when first married, I had a group of friends I played with regularly. After a time they either all got divorced or left town so I didn’t play for years. About 1994 I began to play again when a friend asked me to join a ‘duplicate’ group, but I really got into it in a big way when my job situation changed.”

Gerry also noted the social aspect of bridge saying “it gets you out of the house and you meet a whole different group of people who are also there to learn something new.”

Many of the people taking bridge lessons from Gerry have become really good friends with each other.
People often learn to play bridge when they contemplate retirement and start to give thought to filling the recreational time that will become available to them.

A game takes around three hours to play, so it’s helpful to have that time to get a good game in. If you happen to be a single man, it’s a good way to meet women with similar interests, as the ratio in Gerry’s group seems to run about 20 percent men to 80 percent women.

I asked Gerry about those of us who don’t think of ourserlves as having ‘card sense.’ “Even people who don’t want to play competitively can get something out of it. It’s a fun, addictive game. People say when they’re paying attention to what’s going on at the table, it takes their mind off their problems, so it’s like having a mini-vacation.”

Need more reasons to start playing? Would you believe that playing bridge can help your immune system? A Berkely University study of 12 women in their 70s and 80s who played bridge for 90 minutes, showed an improvement in their T-cells, the cells used by the body to help fight infections.

And I checked with my geriatrician about the connection between bridge and staying sharp. It seems that the concentration needed to play exercises the brain and may also increase the number of connections or pathways between brain cells, which is important for brain function. But also interesting is that much of the research speaks to the social aspect as being very important too.

I asked Gerry how she goes about teaching neophytes. “I use set lessons and a book. Beginner lessons are once a week for six weeks and the setting is very low key. You won’t get called on, it’s very non-threatening and by your first lesson you’re already playing. Another six week class will give you what you need to really start playing,” she said.

Okay, I was sold and ready for more specifics from Gerry.

“There is ‘duplicate bridge’ and then there is ‘kitchen or rubber’ bridge. In duplicate everyone gets the same cards and you and your partner compete against other tables of people who are playing the same hands. Rubber bridge is played among four players, often in friendly play but sometimes for stakes and you all play the cards that you are dealt.”

Do you need to have your own partner or can you come alone? Some bridge clubs require that you bring your own partner and some will pair you up with someone else looking for a partner. That is a question you can ask when you call the place you want to play.

Though Gerry teaches in Syracuse, there are several teachers in Rochester. You can also learn on your own by going online to “acbl.org” and downloading courses.

Gerry said that once you learn to play, you can go anywhere in the country and find a game. You can also play bridge online from the comfort of your own home with people from around the world. If you have a friend in another part of the country, or the world, who also plays bridge, you can arrange to meet online and play together. One free site to use for playing online is “bridgebase.com” and there are many other sites, some requiring payment.

I’d like to leave you with a few “Gerry-isms” that you might hear when taking lessons with her:

• If you can count to 13, you can play bridge.
• You’ll improve your score by 10 percent, if you just pay attention.
• If you can’t read “2” as low, you’re in trouble.
• Even a blind squirrel gets an acorn sometimes.
• I just found my stash of valium!

Happy playing out there.

Marilyn Pinsky is the president of the New York state chapter of AARP. She lives in Jamesville, near Syracuse. Opinions expressed in her column may not reflect AARP’s opinions.