It’s not the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York.
But Tom Hunter’s club is both permanent and floating (and in Westport). So what if it’s bridge, and not craps?
Instead of betting on the roll of dice, bridge players work in pairs. The card game demands concentration, teamwork, a competitive spirit and, Hunter says, “the ability to count to 13.”
It has a bit of a fusty image. Hunter — a 1971 Staples High School graduate — learned it from his grandmother. (My grandmother taught bridge, too.)
His current game — really, games; he runs 2 a week — attracts mostly people of a certain, though a few younger folks play. (Mostly, he says, that demographic is more into video games.)
But for bridge enthusiasts, there’s nothing like it.
Tom Hunter
“There are game people and puzzle people,” Hunter explains. “Bridge is a game, and each hand is a puzzle.
“It’s like an onion. When you peel back one layer, you always find another one.”
Hunter played bridge (“very badly”) in college. The game took a back seat while he worked on Wall Street. (“Trading took care of the adrenaline rush,” he says.)
About 11 years ago, living in the city, former Staples classmate and longtime friend Jon Diamond asked him to play at the Manhattan Bridge Club. He met a woman who was serious about the game. They’ve been together ever since.
After semi-retiring and moving back here, Hunter looked for a game. Around that time, a man who had run a bridge club in Norwalk closed it down.
Hunter filled the niche. With Rick Berman and Mark Rubenstein, they started their own club, at the Saugatuck Congregational Church. It’s called Come Play Bridge of Westport.
Since 2015 he’s rented space in churches, synagogues and community centers. Right now there are 2 games a week: Friday and Saturday, at 12:30 p.m., back at the Saugatuck Church.
He is in charge of 40 duplicate bridge players. He organizes who sits where, where the boards go and more.
His job, he says, is to make the games “fun and fair.”
COVID took a toll on the bridge club. Before the pandemic, his 4 weekly games included 3,000 tables a year. Now, they’re down to 1,000. They range from avid players to newcomers. (Hunter gives lessons to intermediate players.)
For 3 hours, Hunter says, Come Play Bridge of Westport members see friends. They stimulate their minds. Studies show that playing bridge wards off dementia.
Take that, craps!
(For more information on Come Play Bridge of Westport, text Tom Hunter: 973-232-6030. Hat tip: Toni Simonetti)
(This is the first “06880” story on bridge. But if it happens in Westport, we’ll eventually write about it. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
I’m always looking for partners! Tom’s games are fun and friendly. And the game is addictive. Come play bridge!
Tom runs a great duplicate game, with players ranging from beginners to true experts. There’s always something new to learn in bridge!