5 May
2026
5 May
'26
9:01 p.m.
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from North Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
As of this writing our club sits at #30 in North America among
face-to-face bridge clubs. I couldn't be more proud!
Our novice/intermediate games continue to grow. Seven-table games are
pretty common on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings. The Thursday
afternoon game is frequently drawing 5-6 tables.
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The Pasadena Unit Game this past Sunday was dedicated to the memory of
Rosario "Charo" Holdo, who passed away last week. Charo was a beloved
presence at the club, and I miss her tremendously.
Special Classes: Opening the bidding
We have a course in the catalog that we haven't taught for a while,
/Improving Your Judgement: Opening the Bidding/. I'm extracting the
first two classes from this course for a special two-night event.
For experienced players, opening the bidding is not as simple as
counting to 13 points. The best opening strategy changes with your
seating position relative to the dealer. There are times when you should
open with fewer, and times when you shouldn't open with 13!
On two Thursday evenings, May 14 and 21, we'll get into the details with
some guidelines that adds important nuance to opening the bidding.
We'll focus on the one-level opening bids. The first night will cover
opening in first and second seat, and the second we'll examine opening
in third and fourth seat.
If you're playing in duplicate games at the club, I highly recommend
this course! There are no other prerequisites. It will change your
opening bid decisions for the better.
* Thursdays, May 14-21, 7:00 PM
* Attend both classes for $40, or $25 individually
* Register here!
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Upcoming Course Schedule Set
Here are the upcoming courses starting the week of Memorial Day.
* Wednesday afternoons: /Introduction to Defense/, May 27
* Wednesday evenings: /Two Over One Game Force/, May 27
* Thursday evenings: /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ May 28
I'll have a new class email later this week with more details for the
"class" email list as well.
Here's where you can find out
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses> about all of our courses.
Classes This Week
Our classes are best in the context of a full course, but they also
stand alone very nicely. If you can't take a full course, you can always
drop in for a single class on any topic for $25.
This week's classes are particularly perfect for drop-ins. Each of the
topics is having a "Practice Hands" session. If you've been through the
course, it's a great opportunity for some focused practice on the course
topic!
Here are this week's individual classes:
* Wednesday 3:00 PM /Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal/ "Practice Hands'
* Wednesday 7:00 PM /Improving Your Judgement - Doubles /"Practice Hands"
* Thursday 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction /"Practice Hands"
The Saturday morning 9:30 workshop is on as usual, with another great
hand from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. (Attend the workshop
for free, even if you don't play in that morning's game!)
Coming up ...
We've set dates for the next /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ session.
It'll be on Wednesday evenings starting July 15.
/Also/ our friend of the club and up-and-coming bridge player Tyler
Slamkowski (best bridge name ever) teaches music at Saugus High School
in Santa Clarita. His three guitar orchestras (around 50 students each!)
will be performing on Monday and Tuesday, May 18 and 19, featuring many
interesting music genres. Drop Tyler (tyler.slamkowski(a)tutamail.com) or
myself a note and we'll set you up.
Best regards
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa, Susan
