Bid Whist Party Throwdown

One of the hottest trends in television today is the "card show." From Celebrity Poker to Blackjack to Ultimate Spades, card games are all over the dial. But there's one game-authentic to African Americans everywhere-that's suspiciously absent from the tube...Bid Whist!

Now, TV One is bringing this classic game-that Black folks play on front stoops, in backrooms and barber shops, and under "shade tree" hangouts-to television for the first time! The games are played for real money which will be donated to charity.

Like bridge, bid whist involves a series of hands in which two pairs of partners bid and play their cards; partnerships earn points when they take enough tricks to fulfill their bids and lose points when they fail. Bid whist, however, has at least four appealing features that bridge lacks: a single round of bidding, which eliminates the need to learn complicated bidding rules or systems; a "kitty," which adds drama and tends to give the high bidder some spectacularly strong hands; and the option of making a "downtown" bid that reverses the ranking of the cards, and, most importantly, talking smack!

So, break out your deck, grab a hot wing and let's get ready to play…

TV ONE'S BID WHIST PARTY THROWDOWN (Source: http://www.tvoneonline.com/shows/show.asp?sid=441)