| St Pete Bridge Club 9103 US 19 N, Pinellas Park, FL Call 727-544-5040 |
We provide an enjoyable and comfortable experience for bridge players of ALL levels in the St. Petersburg area. We have many class offerings, as well!
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| 2027 Candidate Nominations for the St Pete Bridge Club Board of Directors |
| Don Aschenbrenner |
Christine Cook |
Cynthia Parish |
Randy Roberts |
Lee Taylor |
Annual Meeting Date is Saturday, December 12, 2026
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| Get Well! |
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Prayers to
Al Manso and Russell Craft
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| This MONTH at St Pete Bridge Club |
Next week is a week of extra points as we help our bridge district fundraise for the NABC, which will be held in Tampa in the summer of 2028. As you can imagine, we want to make a good impression on bridge players from around the globe, and that takes some investment. Our Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday games will be contributing to this fund, so come out and play.
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Sunday November 15, we are introducing a new pairs game format!
We will be having an IMP game with a money pot! You can win extra ACBL point awards for the fundraising game, and we are kicking it up a notch!
If you don't want to enter the prize pot, you don't have to, but you can't win the money if you don't. We'll pay out for first, second, and third among those entered in the pot, and to make it interesting, we will also pay a small amount to the pair that ends up next-to-last! The extra point game will be $12, and the extra to enter the pot will be $3 each.
IMPs is considered the most pure form of bridge as stretching for extra tricks is overall not as valuable as getting to the right contract. Playing a partial score in clubs can be much more valuable than gambling on a notrump contract for the extra 10 points in the score. If you have played teams, then you are familiar with IMP style scoring, but don't worry, the bridgemates handle all the math in IMP pairs!
To make the game extra fun, we will be having a hot-dog lunch ahead of time. If you wish to bring a dish to share, that will make it that much better! Lunch starts at 12, and the game starts at 1, so come try something new!
We plan to hold another IMP game on December 13, the day after the annual meeting, to help finish off the leftovers!
Every week presents
numerous learning opportunities.
Remember, every great bridge player was once a beginner, and who knows, you might make a few new friends along the way—so let’s deal you in for some laughter and learning!
Tuesday's Morning
Play & Learn game for beginners.
A friendly way to practice new skills. Mini lesson at 9:00am
Play at 9:30. Snacks available. Feel free to bring something, too. Donations welcome
Join Our Mentor/Mentee Game!
Bridge is a lifelong learning experience, and there’s no better way to improve than playing together!
- Mentees: Gain valuable table experience and advice from an experienced mentor.
- Mentors: Give back to the club community by guiding a developing player.
- We ask for a six-game commitment, and the mentee pays the mentor's game fee
- We recommend the mentee-focused game on Tuesdays, but any arrangement will be great!
If you are interested, let us know and we’ll pair you up!
Thursday afternoon: Play & Learn with Russel Craft
Fridays, 0-299 11:00 AM Mini-Lesson by Sheryl Hobbs
SATURDAYS
Merry Schainblatt: Beginning October 17, Competitive Bidding from 9:30 to 11:30. Class will run through December. Cost $50.
Merry Schainblatt, Intermediate class on Saturday, 1:00 pm
.Fridays, 0-299 GAME at 12:00 PM
Merry Schainblatt's Fall Classes online
Bridge teacher Merry Schainblatt is passionate about helping her students learn to play bridge and love the game. In her Fall 2026 series, she offers classes for beginning and intermediate players looking to learn bidding and play of the hand. She also offers classes for intermediate and advanced players ready to move to the next level with more conventions and stronger bridge expertise.
Mentor-Mentee Focus pairs on Tuesdays.
Join Our Mentor/Mentee Game!
Bridge is a lifelong learning experience, and there’s no better way to improve than playing together!
- Mentees: Gain valuable table experience and advice from an experienced mentor.
- Mentors: Give back to the club community by guiding a developing player.
- We ask for a six-game commitment, and the mentee pays the mentor's game fee
- We recommend the mentee-focused game on Tuesdays, but any arrangement will be great!
If you are interested, let us know and we’ll pair you up!
So, don’t hesitate— Reach out to Catherine Vogel to arrange your partnership for personalized mentorship opportunities.
Wednesday Mornings are for under-50 MP players!
Every Wednesday morning at 9, the St. Petersburg Bridge Club opens its doors for a delightful supervised play game where the atmosphere is as warm and inviting as a fresh cup of coffee! Asking questions is not only welcomed but encouraged! Plus, you don’t need to worry about finding a partner, so just grab your enthusiasm and come join the fun! It’s a fantastic opportunity to enhance your skills in a relaxed environment while enjoying the camaraderie of fellow bridge enthusiasts. And you can earn those coveted masterpoints in a friendly game. As long as there are two tables, the game is official!
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| Looking for a Partner for a Face-to-Face Game (Copy) |
If you would like to Post a request for a partner, please enter the details below.
Our partnership coordinator for pairs games is
Elaine Garofalo - elaine.garofalo@gmail.com (727) 348 -6183 )
For our Sunday team games, whether you need a partner or a team call Pam Gorbics (201-247-1595)
Note that your email and telephone number will be viewable by all by others looking for a partner
You are encouaged to Directly contact others by Phone or Email also looking for a partner for the same date/time.
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| Merry In-Person Classes |
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MINI-LESSON on Tuesdays at 9:00 am, followed by Supervised play at 9:30.
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BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!
Merry will be teaching 2/1.
Beginning Thursday, October 15, from 9:30 to 11:30,
These will be seven weeks of instruction and three weeks of Play and practice. Cost is $80.
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Beginning Saturday, October 10
Merry will be teaching Beginner Class
at the Pinellas Park Library
from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm.
Lessons are free.
Email her to register.
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| Upcoming Events |
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December 12th
Holiday Party
December 12th
Annual Meeting
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| We Need Your Help |
Dear Members,
We want to remind everyone that our club is run by its members, and volunteers are vital to keeping our games fun and organized. Your support helps us maintain a welcoming environment for all.
If you’re able to help, please share your availability or just pitch in at our next game.
We need volunteers for each weekday game to put out coffee and snacks around 11:30 am before play begins. Afterward, we appreciate assistance with putting away the food, straightening up the kitchen and card room, taking out the trash, and restocking the drink coolers.
We don’t expect anyone to take on these tasks permanently, so even a little help goes a long way. Many current volunteers are feeling stretched, so sharing the workload would be greatly appreciated.
A sign-up calendar will be posted for kitchen and cleanup duties. Signing up for even a few games makes a big difference. And feel free to join in with those already signed up!
Thank you for your ongoing support and involvement.
Sincerely,
Pamela Gorbics, President
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| 2026 Board of Directors |
2026 Officers and Board of Directors
| Don Aschenbrenner |
Anita Barrett |
Russell Craft |
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Pam Gorbics |
Milferd Jones |
Amy Heckler |
Trudy O'brien |
Babs Thacker |
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President,
Pam Gorbics
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Vice-President
Babs Thacker
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Secretary,
Amy Heckler
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Treasurer
Don Aschenbrenne
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| Everett Newton |
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REGRETS on the Recent Passing of Long-time Member
EVERETT NEWTON
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| LARRY HARTE MEMORIAL |
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REGRETS for the Recent Passing of
Long-time Member LARRY HARTE
Click to READ his OBITUARY
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| President's Message - September 2025 |
Dear St. Pete Bridge Club Members and all players and friends,
As we tally the results from our Labor Day tournament and head into peak hurricane season, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the last year.
In October 2024, Hurricane Milton damaged our club building, forcing us to shut down for two months. However, thanks to you, our members, we not only survived but also thrived. Despite the storm, we are in much better financial shape due to the hard work of many volunteers.
We made the difficult decision to dispense with a paid club manager earlier this year and run the club with volunteers. This has been an enormous effort by many members, who have donated their time to create our monthly club calendar, schedule our games, hire directors, maintain our facilities, and provide for our members. I can’t thank you enough for all your efforts.
We refinanced our 10-year building loan in June by taking out a 5-year mortgage with Regions Bank for just under $100,000. Many thanks to all those members who loaned us more than half a million dollars ten years ago to purchase our club building, and to those who so generously donated their remaining loan balances.
Last year, we were approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. This resulted in our receiving an exemption from sales taxes and our $13,000 annual property taxes. It also makes any donations to the St. Petersburg Bridge Club tax-deductible.
Despite getting our financial house in order, membership and game fees only cover about 80% of the costs to run the club. The remaining 20% is comprised of education revenues from our Bridge booklet sales and Bridge classes, as well as donations from members like you.
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the Club, whether it be an IRA donation as part of your annual Required Minimum Distribution (RMD), a legacy donation as part of your estate plan, or any other method of your choice, please get in touch with me or any one of our board members.
Thank you for all you do to contribute to our club, whether it be volunteering, bringing food, or attending our games. Without your continued support, we would cease to exist.
Sincerely,
Catherine Vogel, President
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Dear St. Pete Bridge Club Members and all players and friends,
As we tally the results from our Labor Day tournament and head into peak hurricane season, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the last year.
In October 2024, Hurricane Milton damaged our club building, forcing us to shut down for two months. ..........
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