Our thought for the day comes from Carl Brandt Jr., who tells us that if we make money at poker, that’s gambling. If we make money at bridge, that’s social. But if we make money on Wall Street, that’s a miracle.
Which, for some reason, reminds me of the story about the woman who startled her friends by lighting a cigar at the bridge table one recent afternoon. “My dear, when did you start smoking cigars?” one asked. “The day my husband came home and found one in an ashtray,” she answered.
BOB HAMMAN of Los Angeles, one of the best players in the world, said, The need to kill is absolutely necessary in order to be a player of world rank.” This emotional involvement has occasionally filtered into the living room. Daring the ’30s there was a famous case of a woman who killed her husband over a bridge game. The papers were full of the story and bridge expert Ely Culbertson was called to testify. He explained in all seriousness how the victim could have saved his life if only he had pulled trump.