Ep. 102: Emanuel Unge – All in for Bridge, Building the Premier Bridge Practice Tool
In this episode, John McAllister sits down with Emanuel Unge, the creator of Cue Bids, the hottest app in bridge today. Emanuel shares how he discovered bridge at age 25. After years of poker and board games, and how that late start completely reshaped his life — leading him to meet his wife, build lifelong friendships, and ultimately create a platform that has transformed how players practice bidding worldwide. From his early simulations to today’s sleek app used by the world’s best, Emanuel opens up about the passion and persistence behind Cue Bids, why feedback drives innovation, and how features like Leak Finder are helping players spot weaknesses and grow. Along the way, he talks about competing in Sweden, balancing tech with family, his surprising victories at the table, and even what he’d say to Bill Gates if the two crossed paths at a tournament. Key Highlights: 🃏 From Poker to Bridge: Emanuel’s journey from card games and Settlers of Catan to finding bridge at 25 and never looking back. 💡 The Birth of Cue Bids: How a simple coding project grew into a global app used daily by pros to sharpen their bidding. 📊 Leak Finder: The newest feature that compares your bidding accuracy to the field — and why it’s become Emanuel’s favorite tool. 🤝 Bridge & Community: Stories of making friends, teaming up with Swedish stars, and even meeting his wife through the game. 🌍 The Underdog Upset: Emanuel’s favorite bridge memory — knocking out a top seed at the Spingold in Toronto. 🔮 Dream Features: From teaching beginners to building world-class robots, Emanuel imagines what unlimited resources could bring to bridge tech. Resources & Next Steps: 📲 Try Cue Bids for yourself: cuebids.com 🎤 Join the Cue Bids Discord to share feedback and connect with other players 📰 Read Kaplan Upsets Struul: A Tale from an Underdog on Bridge Winners (co-written by Emanuel’s wife, Erika) 👀 Follow Emanuel’s updates and Cue Bids features on Bridge Winners and social media Episode Breakdown: 0:00 Start 0:00 Emanuel’s late start in bridge at 25 and how it changed his life 0:01 Meeting his wife through bridge and creating Cue Bids 1:25 Why many pros practice on Cue Bids daily 1:38 Emanuel’s background: family, math, computers, and games 2:26 First bridge lesson and early enthusiasm from other players 4:10 Friendships and first partners in bridge (Erica, Clara, Simon Beck, Fredrik Alfredson) 7:28 Playing with Erica, moving to London, and eventually marrying her 8:07 Career as a developer and passion for board games (Settlers of Catan) 9:54 Moving to London for consulting work and balancing bridge & relationships 12:08 How Cue Bids began as a coding side project and proof of concept 13:59 Partnering with Daniel Goldberg to build Cue Bids into a real product 17:37 Launching features like Leak Finder and how it works 20:54 Community feedback and feature growth (Discord, events, pro challenges) 23:18 How top players use Cue Bids in practice and events 25:16 Fixing scoring quirks and improving simulation accuracy 27:54 Ranked challenges, Jack/Queen/King/Ace system, and ELO scoring 33:01 Working full-time on Cue Bids and why Emanuel turned down big tech jobs 37:02 His dream feature: beginner bidding courses & stronger robots 45:52 Cue Bids growth to 25,000+ users and partnerships (Lea robot, InBridge) 52:57 Emanuel’s greatest bridge memory: the Toronto upset vs. Strul 1:27:07 Closing thoughts, Bill Gates hopes, and plans for San Francisco
Ireland