[cristianm3]

I first played bridge for just a few months when I was in the military, I was 19. I was introduced in this game by other high testosterone mates. As a tennis player, I found strange that (some) partners in bridge were criticizing each other for real or perceived bad play. You never, ever do this in tennis doubles. Well, I said, maybe being all very young, practically noisy kids, plus the military environment were the causes.
Decades later (which is two months ago) it came into my mind to go back to bridge by exploring online opportunities. To my dismay, I realized that back then we were actually better sports than what I see now. Bashing, bullying are very much “valued” in bridge, regardless of age, country, experience, even gender. It’s like hooligans driving half drunk in a place where traffic rules are optional.
I don’t play tennis anymore but man, what a difference between people in that sport and bridge players! Or maybe this happens only online?

[pescetom]

Well I see tennis players smashing rackets, berating the umpire and being banned for doping, so maybe it's just that these kind of people don't choose to play doubles.
But I think you have a point in any case, bridge has chronic problems of behaviour, both online and face to face. It gets gradually better as you move up the pecking order, both because you acquire a thicker skin and you start to play against and with people who realise that they need to trust partner to succeed.

[thepossum]

cristianm3, on 2025-December-21, 22:25, said:

I first played bridge for just a few months when I was in the military, I was 19. I was introduced in this game by other high testosterone mates. As a tennis player, I found strange that (some) partners in bridge were criticizing each other for real or perceived bad play. You never, ever do this in tennis doubles. Well, I said, maybe being all very young, practically noisy kids, plus the military environment were the causes.
Decades later (which is two months ago) it came into my mind to go back to bridge by exploring online opportunities. To my dismay, I realized that back then we were actually better sports than what I see now. Bashing, bullying are very much “valued” in bridge, regardless of age, country, experience, even gender. It’s like hooligans driving half drunk in a place where traffic rules are optional.
I don’t play tennis anymore but man, what a difference between people in that sport and bridge players! Or maybe this happens only online?

Bridge at its best is a wonderful game with wonderful people
Sadly it is ruined by obnoxious people of various types
It could be a wonderful game

Sadly even though I was brought up with the game from young with some fun social experiences there was far too many obnoxious people poluting face to face and online games that the game is unatractive to decent human beings. There are good fun people out there and I cherish the few good moments over my life

I think the world is doomed anyway. Not many would even have the channce of my most cherished Briidge moments any more

It is one of the few privileges I feel I have left. A few cherished moments and pitying people for the rest of eternity

But I am with you and it is sad. I am scared of face to face clubs and online tables. What is the chance of randomly picking 3 other decent humans at the same time
-oops sorry. Not just decent humans but decent at Bridge too
- do we need to add in all the other odds too. Like context and time and mood and everything. Stars aligned
- cards aligned, and in a club setting you need the TD aligned too - silly me in a club that ups the odds a lot. Number of tables times 4 + TD
- sorry (Number of tables times 4) - 1 (you) +TD multplied by the rest
- srry to be fair we have to raise all that to the power of (number of tables times 4)

Anyway you can imprive the odds by reducing N (sorry n) and increase the odds of the context
O honestly do not know what the model is. But it is very low odds over a lifetime

Did you think of rejoining the army? A long shot. I hate to say even that these days has low odds. Staioned far away with 3 other likeminded souls

[Huibertus]

cristianm3, on 2025-December-21, 22:25, said:

I first played bridge for just a few months when I was in the military, I was 19. I was introduced in this game by other high testosterone mates. As a tennis player, I found strange that (some) partners in bridge were criticizing each other for real or perceived bad play. You never, ever do this in tennis doubles. Well, I said, maybe being all very young, practically noisy kids, plus the military environment were the causes.
Decades later (which is two months ago) it came into my mind to go back to bridge by exploring online opportunities. To my dismay, I realized that back then we were actually better sports than what I see now. Bashing, bullying are very much “valued” in bridge, regardless of age, country, experience, even gender. It’s like hooligans driving half drunk in a place where traffic rules are optional.
I don’t play tennis anymore but man, what a difference between people in that sport and bridge players! Or maybe this happens only online?

The point is this actually happens in tennis doubles too!
The result of it in Tennis AND in bridge is partnerships that play at a lower level then they could play if they were supportive of each other, and tend to be short lived partnerships.

[Chas_P]

“Bridge is essentially a social game which, unfortunately, attracts a substantial number of antisocial people.”

Alan Truscott

[HardVector]

Bridge is primarily a game of communication with your partner. You do this within the constraints of bidding and card signaling. Because of the limitation imposed by the game, proper communication is difficult and when misunderstandings occur it can become frustrating when you clearly "said" something that your partner interpreted as something else. Some people do not handle this frustration very well. Online interactions exacerbate this as, in my opinion, online communication tends to be more toxic in general than face-to-face communication.