Making Connections With Gin-Go at the Montefiore Community Center

I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the Montefiore Community Center every Thursday in the Bronx, New York. It has become a special part of my week, especially because it gives me the chance to introduce Gin-Go to seniors who already know and enjoy the classic card game, Gin Rummy.

As a senior citizen myself, I suppose my face has become something of a familiar landmark around the center. I’ve been coming since before COVID, so over the years I’ve developed my own little group—those who look forward to seeing me each Thursday, along with others who hear about Gin-Go and decide they’re willing to give it a try.

What makes it particularly enjoyable is watching people discover something they never expected to like. Some grew up with a firm dislike of playing cards and would normally have nothing to do with them. But now I hear, “What the heck?” And before long, there they are, playing Rummy and developing a whole new appreciation for the game.

At first, I sometimes have to help players work their way around the Gin-Go board. It can be a little challenging until they get the hang of it. But once the game gets underway—whether it’s one-on-one or played in teams—the hesitation quickly disappears. The competition takes over, the laughter begins, and the fun becomes contagious.

And that’s one of the things I love about Gin-Go: you never know how a game is going to unfold. Someone can win quickly, or the battle can go back and forth for quite some time. Anyone who loves the game will tell you that the suspense is part of the fun.

I learned something else about one of my regular players just the other week. His name is Mr. P., and he casually mentioned that he’ll be turning 90 next February.

Naturally, I had to stop and ask him, especially after he proceeded to kick my butt in Gin-Go in just two hands!

After going out first in hand one, this is what the board looked like:

After playing the second, he looked at me, chuckled, and, in his beautiful, heavy Jamaican accent, said, “I got your ass!” He captured my cards, resulting in the win in the following pic.

A great win! 

At that point, I decided there may be more than one thing to learn at the community center every Thursday. And judging by Mr. P.’s game, I’d better keep practicing!

You can watch how the game unfolded in less than 11 minutes here:

https://youtu.be/BJoYJLXy7eA