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9 Bridge Tips for Travelers

A lot of bridge players I know love to travel, and most of these players take their games with them. Here are nine bridge tips for travelers that can make taking your bridge game on the road a little easier if you’ve never done it before.

1. Buy a few card decks.

Step one to traveling with your games? Buy a few card decks.

If you have a prized vintage deck for your club or home games, don’t take it out for games where it could be damaged or lost. Instead, buy a few alternate decks for moving around with.

Always having these alternates with you when traveling also allows you to give random strangers the gift of a card deck. Who knows? They might be the next bridge champion because of it.

It’s also worth mentioning that there are card decks made from other materials – including plastic or thin sheet metal – in case the area you’re going to needs a more rugged and durable deck.

2. Protect your cards.

Get a card box or bag to protect your cards. You’d be surprised at how fast a card deck shoved into a bag can damage in transit, particularly if it keeps getting taken out of the box at every stop: Avoid this with something simple and protective for each deck.

There are also a few good ways to restore card decks: Give them a wipe, then dust them with corn flour and stick them in the freezer (in a sandwich bag to protect from moisture). This can restore their surface feel a little, and get rid of any sticky residues or oils..

3. The joy of the tiny table.

Bridge is best played with a table – or any kind of flat platform where you can’t find a suitable table to play at.

There are many types of portable camping tables available, some in a fold-out variety with chairs attached (these usually look like a suitcase). Get one of these for traveling with your bridge game if you’re going camping: They’re downright useful, and they can make for a great side-table back home too.

4. Download some scoring sheets.

Bridge needs a few things other than just the card deck, including scoring sheets and bidding boxes. Make sure you have these with you – purchased or downloaded – or use an accompanying app to keep score on the road instead.

A few sample downloadable sheets are available through MyBridgeTools. (Source: MyBridgeTools)

5. Improvise trump markers for real-life games.

Improvise your trump markers for games on the road. Sure, you can carry a set of real trump markers in your traveling bridge kit – but improvising can also be fun.

Use what you have in your environment. Rocks, twigs, shells. As long as everyone at the table can tell what it means, be creative.

6. Use scoring apps when you can.

Back to scoring apps for a second, they can be extremely useful for bridge games on the move. If you don’t have a pen and piece of paper nearby – which you might not a lot of the time – it takes just tricks to get an app on your phone that makes the whole process easier.

7. Find proper chargeable lighting.

Always carry proper chargeable lighting, especially while traveling. This helps to avoid eye strain while playing – but it can also generally help you to see where you’re going.

It’s also extremely useful far outside the bridge game when you’re  back at home and the power goes out.

8. Consider environmental factors, too.

A strong wind can distribute your card deck faster than the fastest dealer, usually sending it everywhere it’s not supposed to be.

Consider the environment you’re playing in and adapt to it where possible.

Sure, you can play in a rain storm or wind – but consider that you might need to keep the deck far away from either.

Remember to check the weather forecast for where you’re going ahead of time.

9. Play your game online.

If you have a smartphone but not a card deck, why not play the game online through BBO? It works as well in the middle of the ocean as well as it would in space – as long as you have an internet connection.


Comments

One response to “9 Bridge Tips for Travelers”

  1. Amplo

    Bof…