I was raised by some serious card-playing Cubbages! Family favorites included Hearts, Poker and "Aw $hit" (also know as Oh Hell or Oh Pshaw). If there were Cubbages gathered together, there was always card game. We even had an honorary game of "Aw $shit" after my grandfather's funeral.
My grandfather Art was an avid card player. He played Hearts regularly with his friends Bob and Ralph.They would get together every year or so for a Hearts weekend. "Easter Sunday 1952" was typed on the back of the pictures above and below. Easter Sunday!
My grandfather Art and friend Bob Lewis
They had a flag and a medal that was passed to the winner of the weekend to keep until the next tournament. In later years they also had matching shirts.
"Hearts Tour April 1953"
"Hearts Tour April 1954"
"Hearts Tour 1958, Zanesville OH"
In between the "Hearts Tours," Art, Bob and Ralph would play cards by mail. One of them would deal out the cards and mail them to the other two players. The person who was to the "left of the dealer" would mail his card to the next player, who would add his card and mail all three to the next. The last one would mail the "trick" to the winner, who would then play a card to his "left" and so on. The games would last weeks and months! Those were some serious card players!
Later in the 1960s and 1970s, my grandfather hosted a Poker game in his cellar twice a month with some friends from his neighborhood in New Providence. This picture is probably from the late 1960s and my grandfather is in the middle with all of the poker chips. The young fellow to the left is my father, who was probably sitting in for one of the guys.
Fast forward another 20 years and the weekend card playing returned! This time Art played "Aw $hit" (notice the matching sweatshirts for the occasion!) near the Poconos with his sons Jeff and Corky, and his friend Willie.
My older son is already good at Hearts, Poker and "Aw Pshaw" (we have renamed it for the kids) and my younger one is learning Poker, with the others to follow as he gets older. This family tradition will be passed down to another generation of Cubbage descendants!
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