Siouxland Duplicate Bridge Club (SDBC) is an active social group who share the love of playing bridge in a competitive environment. The Club offers three games a week and two different courses of instruction to improve playing skills. Before going further with "Who We Are." it may be appropriate to Answer the question "What is Duplicate Bridge?"  If you know the answer, skip the next paragraph.

Duplicate Bridge is everyday, home grown, kitchen bridge with elements of luck and getting good cards eliminated as much as possible.  This is accomplished  by using small trays called 'boards' to hold the cards for each deal.. By the mechanics of never gathering the whole trick to the winning side the cards may be replaced in the board after the hand has been played. The hand is replayed by two or more other pairs in the subsequent rounds.  Each deal is played multiple times by different pairs. Likewise, pairs change opponents every round so they can test their skill against new opponents.  Scoring is done by comparing how well each partnership did compared to other pairs holding the same cards.. This places a great emphasis on making the most of each hand.  Do you need to be perfect?. Heck no, everyone makes mistakes.  What is the commitment level to a game?  Duplicate bridge is a timed event.  Generally a game is 24 to 28 hands played over about three and a half hours. 

Bridge was once one of the most common card games in the world.  Played in kitchens, dorm rooms, lunch rooms, clubrooms and club cars on commuter trains.  At its peak, bridge was more than just a game—it was a social institution. Households hosted bridge parties, newspapers ran daily bridge columns, and celebrities like Omar Sharif and even President Eisenhower were avid players. The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL), founded in 1937, helped formalize competitive play, and bridge clubs flourished across the country.   Duplicate bridge arose in this environment where nearly everyone could play at some level.. SDBC is a group of about 60 people who enjoy the competitive nature of a game which the ACBL has coined as one of "infinite possibilities." The average age of our club is probably (I am guessing) 75. Gender mix? Slightly more women than men. Almost all members are retired hence the games are held during the day.. The one attribute all members share is an interest in playing an exciting, ever changing, mentality stimulating game, with friends. Look at the results of recent games by clicking on the results tab, on the left.  You may see people you already know who are playing every week.

Why "Hiding in Plain Sight"?  The weekly games are played at the Siouxland Center for Active Generations (Yes, the Senior Center.)  A Google search will not tell you even that much without some deeper digging.  Google also finds two newspaper articles about bridge in Sioux City which are blocked, unless you subscribe to the Sioux City Journal. The search also discloses a flyer for a Regional Tournament to be held in October of 2020.  (Well, that did not work out so well!?!).  We are here, we play three times nearly every week. We want new players of every level to join the games.  But it has been hard find us, until now.  One purpose of this website is to help new or returning bridge players to find the club, and feel welcome.