Bluffin' on the river

The theme of the bridge tournament is "Ruffin' on the river." (A ruff is when you win a trick by playing a trump when you are out of a suit.) A friend of mine, Bob White of Raleigh NC, is here at the Spring NABC. Besides bridge, he's also a good poker player and goes out to the WSOP each year for an event or two.

Monday night, he took off from bridge and went the Harrah's of Tunica to play $1/3 No limit. He told me this story that made me LOL.

He raised to $15 with 10-10 and had two callers. The flop was 10-5-5. Can you say Y-a-h-t-z-e-e? He made a continuaton bet of $25 and one villain called. He didn't tell me the turn card, but he bet $40 and the villain raised it for $75 more -- Bob just called.

Bob checked on the river to let the villain bluff off some more of his money. Sure enough, the villain bet $100. Now Bob moved all in. It would cost the villain $10 more to win a ~$525 pot and he folded!

I couldn't make this stuff up.

Photo updates from Memphis

Above: One section of one ballroom on one floor. There are multiple ballrooms and exhibit halls and two floors -- the number of bridge maniacs players is large at the Spring NABC. We're expecting between 4000 and 5000 players.

Kate and I played in the Silver Ribbon Pairs yesterday and qualified for the second day. Good luck to us.

You can read today's Daily Bulletin here.

You can read all the Daily Bulletins here.


Above: My partner in the IMP Pairs was bridge blogger Michael Yuen from Vancouver, Canada. Half the field qualified for second day and we were above average, but didn't make it. Bummer, but we had nobody to blame but ourselves. Michael's a good player (and a cool guy), and I hope he'll play with me again.


Above: Saturday was Saint Patrick's Day and some of the bridge players dressed up.


Above: Between sessions, some players go to Beale Street to eat, but there's also entertainment in the Memphis Cook Convention Center courtesy of the NABC Planning Committee.

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign

There are plenty of signs here at the Spring NABC.

Scenes from Memphis

Above: Bridge players check in to the Marriott, one of the host hotels for the Spring NABC. More than 4000 are expected from more than 30 different countries.


Above: Out of my window, I can see the Pyramid Arena and (behind it) the Mississippi River.


Above: The Vito Acconci sculpture is part of The Cannon Center (which is part of the Memphis Cook Convention Center).