I had a great time covering this aspect of African-American culture that I was completely unaware of, and I think it came through in the story.
Here’s a link to the story on The Miami Herald’s web site. Since links on the Herald’s site stop working after a few days, I also posted the text here:
First Miami Gardens bid whist tournament brings banter with bidding
By Lazaro Fraga
Hunched over a dainty brown card table, Sandra Williams took a deep breath while her teammate, LaTonya Harris, raised her eyebrows before dropping the winning card on the table.
They’re playing bid whist, a traditionally African-American card game that combines the rules of whist with the bidding of bridge.
“I’ve been playing bid whist since I was 5,” said Williams, known as “Whoopie” by other players. “I knew how to play before I knew my ABCs.”
Williams’ experience is similar to that of most of the more than 50 people from all over South Florida at the Miami Gardens inaugural bid whist tournament at A.J. King Park on Friday.
“I used to sit on my Dad’s lap and play every Friday and every Saturday,” said Williams, 42, of Miami.
A game of bid whist starts with the bids. The team with the highest bid must at least win the amount of rounds they bid on, while the opposing team must try to prevent them from reaching that number. To win a round, teams must have the best hand based on rules set at the beginning of the game.
Players also use trash-talking and boasting to intimidate the other players and get them to overbid, a tactic used before, during and after games.
“I’m the champ around here,” said Mason Brown, 66, of the Lake Park community in West Palm Beach as he watched other games between rounds. “I’m the best y’all ever seen.”
The idea for the tournament came from City Councilman Oliver G. Gilbert.
“When we incorporated Miami Gardens, we wanted to build a community,” Gilbert said.
The winning team received a $1,000 check from the city, second place won $500 and third won two tickets to Jazz in the Gardens.
Williams and Harris, who lives in Miami Shores, finished third. Miami Gardens resident Gene Simmons and his partner, Andy Watson, finished first.
“It’s not a game, it’s a contact sport,” said Gilbert, while watching a game whose banter intensified with the stakes. “When there’s money involved, they get very serious about it.”
Like Williams, Gilbert learned to play with his family.
“We set up with my grandmother’s husband and we played from 4 in the afternoon to noon the next day,” Gilbert said.
When Gilbert went to Florida A&M University, he said he met people with similar experiences.
But unlike Williams and Gilbert, Brown, whose father was a deacon at his church, was not allowed to play cards at home. It wasn’t until he went to FAMU that he learned to play.
“I play even when I’m hungry,” Brown said. “I love the Lord and I love bid.”