[News] Table counts and other news

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> Bridge game attendance is measured in "tables," with the smallest unit being 1/2 table. All of our sanction fees and such are paid "per table." The ACBL keeps a count of tables played in every sanctioned game, and they publish those counts on their web site. To find it, visit https://www.acbl.org, click Menu, Club Corner, "Visit Club Corner," and you'll see a button labeled "Club table counts." The numbers are updated on the 6th of each month. As of November 6, our club is #108 in the US. In LA County our club is #3, behind Long Beach and the Agile club, though if the bi-monthly unit games were added to the total, we would pass Agile to be #2. (Sorry Jeff!) :) And these are only sanctioned game tables — so classes and Office Hours bridge aren't included in the totals. We're doing pretty well, I'd say! Join groups on RSVPBridge You know the bridge club schedule, but when you log in to RSVPBridge <https://rsvpbridge.com/> some games seem to be missing. I've organized the club so that each weekly game has its own "group" that gets reminders and can make reservations. The first time you ask to play in a game, I add you to the "group" for that game, so you always get the reminders. You can also add yourself to other groups. Here's what to do: * Log in to https://rsvpbridge.com * At the top of the window, just below the title bar, there's a button labeled "My Clubs" * Under Pasadena Bridge Club, look for "Would you like to join any of these groups?" in script * Tap on groups you'd like to join and you'll see information and a "Join" button. (You can even join courses this way.) Unfortunately you can't "unjoin" a group, but I can remove you from any you didn't intend to join! Drop me a note. Royal STaC in progress The Open Pairs games this week are all part of the Western Conference Sectional Tournament at Clubs (STaC). Clubs in Washington, most of California, and the Reno area are all participating by playing the same hands and pooling their results. With the large table counts for each session, it's possible for a big game to score a bushel of masterpoints! At the end of the week, your earnings from the STaC will be converted into 25% black, red, silver, and gold masterpoints, giving everyone a little piece of the requirements to make Life Master and other ACBL ranks. Overall results are usually available about 24-36 hours after each game finishes. You'll be able to find the overall results at this link: https://tournaments.acbl.org/schedule.php?sanction=2411509 Single-topic classes in December I've scheduled four single-topic classes on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. These classes are great for players at all levels! New and intermediate players will all find nuggets of wisdom. These will all be focused on "play of the hand" topics, taken from an enormous library of lessons from the late great Eddie Kantar. Here is the schedule: * Wed Dec 11: Entries * Thu Dec 12: Loser on loser plays * Wed Dec 18: The avoidance play * Thu Dec 19: Ducking plays at suit contracts All classes will start at 7:00 PM. They're $25 each, or $85 for all four. Classes this week Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for a full course! This week's Wednesday and Thursday classes are both practice hands. These are great opportunities to drop in and practice! Wednesday will be basic bidding and play. Thursday will focus on Stayman, Jacoby Transfer Bids, strong hand openings, and some slam bidding. * Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/, class 5 of 6 "Practice Hands" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/, class 5 of 6 "Practice Hands" Coming up ... Sunday December 1 is the next unit game. The Pasadena San Gabriel Unit hosts the game and provides a pizza lunch at 12:00 noon, followed by great bridge competition at 12:30. Still $10 cash! Make your reservations for the game. Yes, we're holding a game on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, as well as the Friday after! The parking lot will be busy — consider arriving earlier than usual! Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary