Blackjack and Bridge Headline for Card Game Lovers in Bath

Card game lovers in Bath aren’t exactly blessed with a huge range of options, but what is available is sure to deliver the thrills of gaming that you seek.

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The residents of Bath have cultivated a love of card games over the years, ever since 1968, when the city got itself its very first tables for blackjack, courtesy of the Monaco Rooms.

While there are clubs and venues open to appease card gaming fans, there is certainly a need for some savvy gamers to open up a regular game night or club in one of the many pubs in the area. In any case, lovers of blackjack and the classic game of bridge have plenty of opportunities to play card games in Bath.

The current card game offering in Bath

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An image of the picturesque city of Bath, where blackjack and bridge players can find plenty of tables to play games.

The go-to place for having a round of cards is, of course, Century Casino Bath. The only casino gaming establishment remaining in Bath, Century Casino boasts a stunning modern setup with a huge range of classic casino game tables. The gaming venue boasts three floors of gaming luxury, which includes a cocktail lounge that grants access to its balcony.

Other than Century Casino, you’d be hard-pressed to find a card game event or regular card game on the calendar at a Bath venue. The Bath Brew House specialises in doing a monthly Harry Potter Quiz, and The Raven has monthly storytelling and art events.

Over at The Cork, there is a retro games night. While blackjack in its truest form could well be considered a retro game, the event at The Cork is more geared towards video games. The pub also puts on DJ-led events, weekly quizzes, and retro music nights.

Like many other pubs, The Boater also hosts a weekly pub quiz, while The Bell Inn puts on a range of events, from open mic nights to pizza nights and even sketch classes. Despite the wide array of events on across the venues of Bath, there’s very little card gaming organised.

The best of organised card gaming in Bath is the Bridge School of Bath. Games take place every week at Queen Square in Bath, with the group open to teaching the card game and welcoming newcomers to the competitive play.

Getting into blackjack in Bath

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Blackjack is one of the most popular games at casinos across Europe and in North America, with the aim of the game being to get to 21.

Located on Saw Close, down the road from the Theatre Royal and the Ghost Walks of Bath meeting point, Century Casino is open Monday to Sunday from 1 pm to 4 am, with table games – including blackjack – not opening until 2 pm each day. To get onto the main gaming floor, though, you'll need to adhere to their dress code, which means: no face paint, disguises, shirts bearing offensive slogans or imagery, ripped clothes, hats, offensive tattoos, or backpacks.

Century Casino first opened its doors to Bath in May 2018, presenting itself as a luxury venue for casino gaming. Across its three floors, attendees will find bars, hundreds of slot games, table games like roulette, blackjack, three-card poker, and punto banco.

The venue does require that you sign up to the free membership at the reception upon entry, but doing so also gives you the chance to start accumulating points and getting free soft and hot drinks. To get your membership, you’ll need either your passport, national ID card, or an EEA driving licence.

Blackjack is a mainstay in casinos around the world, drawing in the western audience because it is famously a beatable casino game. In the east, players prefer games of pure luck, whereas, in places like the UK and United States, players greatly prefer games that can be beaten with strategy. This is why, since the 1950s, blackjack has become the favourite game for savvy card players.

Ever since Basic Strategy was introduced, blackjack went from being a game of trying to reach 21 through the cards dealt, to a game that players can play with skill. The aim of the game is still to get as close to 21 with the cards dealt, and have a better hand than the dealer and, by deploying the right strategies, it’s possible to work the game in your favour.

Everyone knows that, in the movies, counting cards is hailed as the best way to beat the casino through blackjack, but not everyone can learn how to do so, and we all know that some casinos boot people out for doing just that. But counting cards isn’t the only way that you can win at blackjack; as explained by the go-to source for blackjack strategy, 888casino, you can learn simple Blackjack strategy without risking your place at the table.

Getting into bridge in Bath

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The card game of bridge was once very common and popular across the pubs of Great Britain, with some organised competitions still taking place around the country today.

If it’s a different form of classic card gaming that you seek in Bath, you’d best take a look at the Bridge School of Bath. The bridge-playing club specialises in playing competitive games as well as passing on the teachings of the card game on to new players.

The Bridge School of Bath hosts weekly pairs matches at Queen Square. Taking place at 1:30 pm every week, the scheduled pairs matches are complemented by the Monday evening (6:45 pm) Assisted Play for Novices at the Bath Bridge Club at Monkton Combe. Also, when February rolls around, you’ll be able to attend Improvers Classes at Monkton Combe at 1:30 pm on Thursdays.

Bridge, also known as contact bridge, and auction bridge, has been considered the principal intellectual card games of the UK and other English-speaking countries, with contact bridge spreading across the world as a popular competitive card game. The rules of bridge can vary greatly between variants, and the many skills and tactics that can be deployed make it a fairly easy game to pick up, but a difficult one to master.

Essentially, though, bridge entails games of two-vs-two play while using a 52-card deck to give each player 13 cards. From there, players need to win ‘tricks,’ which consist of each player playing one card and the winner of each trick round winning points for their duo.

In Bath, it’s all about blackjack and bridge for card game enthusiasts. The casino offers tables every day of the week for those who want to play blackjack, while the Bridge School of Bath is here to offer lessons, as well as competitive matches.