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The Gist of Bid Whist: The Culturally-Rich Card Game from Black America
The world's greatest card game awaits you.
Combining the strategic engagement of Bridge and the risk-taking swagger of Poker, Bid Whist has captivated luminaries like Justice Thurgood Marshall, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson-and inspired a passionate following in Black American communities for generations.
Accessible to players of all ages and backgrounds, the fast-paced game sparks camaraderie and rewards teamwork worthy of the best jazz ensembles and basketball teams.
The Gist of Bid Whist equips you with a firm grasp of the game's fundamentals and a deep understanding of Bid Whist strategy. It also enhances the "card sense" that will enable you to thrive at any of your favorite trump card games, including Spades, Hearts, Euchre, Oh Hell, Bridge-or, of course, Bid Whist.
The Gist of Bid Whist explores the fascinating role of the Pullman porters, who crisscrossed the nation, sharing the latest jazz and blues records, insights that helped fuel the Great Migration, and the card game that was integral to life as a porter, Bid Whist. Poetically, Bid Whist would prove to be vital to the porters' ultimate heroic impact on America.
Lamont Jones is a boxing lawyer and card game enthusiast devoted to helping Bid Whist reclaim its cultural prominence. The Gist of Bid Whist is part celebration, part workshop, part cultural history-with a generous dash of humor, sports anecdotes and tips contributed by a vibrant cast of engaging personalities.
Let's play Bid Whist!
Combining the strategic engagement of Bridge and the risk-taking swagger of Poker, Bid Whist has captivated luminaries like Justice Thurgood Marshall, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson-and inspired a passionate following in Black American communities for generations.
Accessible to players of all ages and backgrounds, the fast-paced game sparks camaraderie and rewards teamwork worthy of the best jazz ensembles and basketball teams.
The Gist of Bid Whist equips you with a firm grasp of the game's fundamentals and a deep understanding of Bid Whist strategy. It also enhances the "card sense" that will enable you to thrive at any of your favorite trump card games, including Spades, Hearts, Euchre, Oh Hell, Bridge-or, of course, Bid Whist.
The Gist of Bid Whist explores the fascinating role of the Pullman porters, who crisscrossed the nation, sharing the latest jazz and blues records, insights that helped fuel the Great Migration, and the card game that was integral to life as a porter, Bid Whist. Poetically, Bid Whist would prove to be vital to the porters' ultimate heroic impact on America.
Lamont Jones is a boxing lawyer and card game enthusiast devoted to helping Bid Whist reclaim its cultural prominence. The Gist of Bid Whist is part celebration, part workshop, part cultural history-with a generous dash of humor, sports anecdotes and tips contributed by a vibrant cast of engaging personalities.
Let's play Bid Whist!
- GenresNonfiction
256 pages, Paperback
Published February 27, 2024
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26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 26, 2024
I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of Bid Whist, but as a Black kid growing up in the hood, Bid Whist was ALWAYS at my family functions. I remember the loud raucous laughter, yelling, hooting and hollering my cousins and ‘em made while playing this game, and it fascinated me. However, I was too chicken to ask someone to teach me. You see, if you were in my family you HAD to already know how to play and be GOOD before you sat down at any card table. I mean, you had to be GOOD! They did not play when it came to card games! They didn’t have time to sit there and teach anyone to play, let alone make you their partner, which would be a sure way to lose, letting a rookie in on a game. These games were cutthroat! To me, growing up, Bid Whist was the loudest game, and you better knew how to play, or they would throw you out, you hear me? OUT! They would also laugh your behind out the room if you lost, NEXT!! My cousins, aunties and uncles were super serious about Bid Whist, and it always intrigued me. After reading this book, I now see why.
I always thought Bid Whist was a card game only Black people knew. It was one of the few card games my extended family played when they gathered together, and I never saw any other demographic of people play it besides Black people. I could walk up to any number of my Black friends and ask them if their family played Bid Whist, and with a resounding “YES!”, that was all I needed to know and hear. Personally, I never saw a white person play Bid Whist… and dare I say, I don’t think they would have survived the chaos that would ensue if they played with my family! They were just that cutthroat! LOL!
After reading this book, I learned that Bid Whist is actually very similar to other card games, such as Bridge, Spades, Hearts, Euchre, and Oh Hell. The difference between these other similar card games and Bid Whist are, that this game incorporates twists, and incentivizes involvement in the action even with hands that don’t have Face cards, which gives the game a more animated and autonomous feel. Meaning, everyone and anyone with any type of hand can get whooped, at any moment!
The book details the history of Bid Whist, and how it was introduced to the Black community by way of the Pullman Porters, who were all Black gentlemen from across the nation, who performed service for patrons who took the train. These Pullman Porters introduced these games to Black men in the military, family, friends, National Conventions, such as the NAACP, and the Congressional Black Caucus. This game connected people from all socieoeconomical backgrounds, including generational and racial divides. However, can you imagine what it would have been like to play a card game with Thurgood Marshall, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Michele Obama?! Well these very well known people were known to slam some cards down and talk smack while playing Bid Whist back in their day, and quite possibly still today! According to this book, it looks like you can ask Jesse Jackson about the time he lost Bid Whist when he was six years old. I bet you he can still tell the story of how it went down. LOL!
If you have never heard of Bid Whist or learned how to play, now is your time to try! This book is part technical manual and part history lesson of how Bid Whist made its way into Black communities. The book is divided into 5 parts explaining how the card game came to be, how to play, various strategies and tricks, how other games interconnect, how to bid, and finding your own style of play. In Bid Whist, there is unsurmountable pressure from the very start of the game, in every hand that gets dealt, that keeps the game lively, tense, and taut. Daredevil bidding is a must if you want to win and stay ahead of your opponents, so you must come with it each hand! These Bid Whist players do not take beatings lying down! LOL!
Ask any Black person of a certain age whether they play Bid Whist or not, and see how they respond. You will either get grandiose stories about how something went down in a card game, how Bid Whist messed them up, or false indignation - because of course they know how to play!
The most interesting part of this book for me was the history behind how Bid Whist became a staple in the Black community, and especially with the Pullman Porters. These gentlemen were subjected to adverse conditions during the times of supreme racial hostility, yet they had to be the picture of pure docile servility at all times as a Porter. This card game was integral in how they maintained their dignity, expressed themselves without recourse from white supremacists, showcased their mathematical abilities, intelligence, creativity, and whit. The “supreme civil right leader”, A. Philip Randolph, often used this card game to talk to Pullman Porters about the opportunity to unionize under the Brotherhood, and used these opportunities to build rapport, allow the Porters to share their concerns, hear their woes and gripes, and figure out a plan of action to get the Brotherhood rolling.
All in all, this book is a fantastic way to learn the history behind Bid Whist, how the card game became a staple into the Black community, and giving some really intricate pointers on how to win at your next game of Bid Whist.
Thank you so much to Clyde Hill Publishing, Coriolis, and the author Lamont Jones for providing this book in exchange for a fair and honest opinion. If you are ever in the SoCal area, Lamont, and want to help me whoop on my family at the next card game, I’m down to learn some tricks! LOL!
I always thought Bid Whist was a card game only Black people knew. It was one of the few card games my extended family played when they gathered together, and I never saw any other demographic of people play it besides Black people. I could walk up to any number of my Black friends and ask them if their family played Bid Whist, and with a resounding “YES!”, that was all I needed to know and hear. Personally, I never saw a white person play Bid Whist… and dare I say, I don’t think they would have survived the chaos that would ensue if they played with my family! They were just that cutthroat! LOL!
After reading this book, I learned that Bid Whist is actually very similar to other card games, such as Bridge, Spades, Hearts, Euchre, and Oh Hell. The difference between these other similar card games and Bid Whist are, that this game incorporates twists, and incentivizes involvement in the action even with hands that don’t have Face cards, which gives the game a more animated and autonomous feel. Meaning, everyone and anyone with any type of hand can get whooped, at any moment!
The book details the history of Bid Whist, and how it was introduced to the Black community by way of the Pullman Porters, who were all Black gentlemen from across the nation, who performed service for patrons who took the train. These Pullman Porters introduced these games to Black men in the military, family, friends, National Conventions, such as the NAACP, and the Congressional Black Caucus. This game connected people from all socieoeconomical backgrounds, including generational and racial divides. However, can you imagine what it would have been like to play a card game with Thurgood Marshall, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Michele Obama?! Well these very well known people were known to slam some cards down and talk smack while playing Bid Whist back in their day, and quite possibly still today! According to this book, it looks like you can ask Jesse Jackson about the time he lost Bid Whist when he was six years old. I bet you he can still tell the story of how it went down. LOL!
If you have never heard of Bid Whist or learned how to play, now is your time to try! This book is part technical manual and part history lesson of how Bid Whist made its way into Black communities. The book is divided into 5 parts explaining how the card game came to be, how to play, various strategies and tricks, how other games interconnect, how to bid, and finding your own style of play. In Bid Whist, there is unsurmountable pressure from the very start of the game, in every hand that gets dealt, that keeps the game lively, tense, and taut. Daredevil bidding is a must if you want to win and stay ahead of your opponents, so you must come with it each hand! These Bid Whist players do not take beatings lying down! LOL!
Ask any Black person of a certain age whether they play Bid Whist or not, and see how they respond. You will either get grandiose stories about how something went down in a card game, how Bid Whist messed them up, or false indignation - because of course they know how to play!
The most interesting part of this book for me was the history behind how Bid Whist became a staple in the Black community, and especially with the Pullman Porters. These gentlemen were subjected to adverse conditions during the times of supreme racial hostility, yet they had to be the picture of pure docile servility at all times as a Porter. This card game was integral in how they maintained their dignity, expressed themselves without recourse from white supremacists, showcased their mathematical abilities, intelligence, creativity, and whit. The “supreme civil right leader”, A. Philip Randolph, often used this card game to talk to Pullman Porters about the opportunity to unionize under the Brotherhood, and used these opportunities to build rapport, allow the Porters to share their concerns, hear their woes and gripes, and figure out a plan of action to get the Brotherhood rolling.
All in all, this book is a fantastic way to learn the history behind Bid Whist, how the card game became a staple into the Black community, and giving some really intricate pointers on how to win at your next game of Bid Whist.
Thank you so much to Clyde Hill Publishing, Coriolis, and the author Lamont Jones for providing this book in exchange for a fair and honest opinion. If you are ever in the SoCal area, Lamont, and want to help me whoop on my family at the next card game, I’m down to learn some tricks! LOL!
April 1, 2024
I always love getting to read a friend’s book, so I was very excited about this one. I’m not even a card player, but Lamont Jones made the game of Bid Whist so approachable, and I loved all the personal stories and historical context woven throughout. Definitely check it out!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews