dave1hall

The common bid of 1minor - 2minor often receives an explanation of "natural". Opps do no want you to know it is forcing. The other is jump bids. Again the explanation is natural or support. Opponents do not want you to know if it is weak or strong. Can call a director, but it takes too long to explain the problem, & the director simply says play on & ask for adjustment later. when a director comes to the table, they frequently ask "what is the problem"? Even if the director call box has the explanation "will not answer request to explain bid". If director does not even read the reason for the call, then more explanations simply take too long. So we play on & opps get an advantage by avoiding complete answers.

Can we agree that players with over 1000 BBO points and over 1000 logins can be "considered" experts. These players know the rules, just refuse to comply. Recent examples of players with over 1000 BBO points: no card posted blank card posted SAYC card posted - but bids & carding a completely different system No alerts, do not answer any questioned bids, no explanations. Speedball does allow sufficient time for opponents to address these players. Maybe the BBO system can develop a cure. I quickly post a "canned" inquiry to table chat when the opponents do not have a card. "System & carding please" They may be a pickup pair & avoids someone being offended by a director call. You can always notify the director when you are dummy later in the game that these opponents do not have a card. About 75% respond in a reasonable manner; 2/1 UDCA, SAYC, 2/1 O/E Std, etc. A chat reply of "TY" ends the problem. Very little time lost. If no response, then I do call the director with another "canned" reason for the call: "requested sys & carding - no answer no card" Note that this needs to be done before you become dummy. One director thought I was dummy by the time he or she arrived at the table and refused my director request.

Yes - pairs should post. I call director each time it happens. Since I play speedball, no further discussion, that takes too much time. Sometimes the opponents cooperate and state their system and carding, not always. However, the directors keep track of this stuff. 1 director told me the opposing pair was being removed for frequent violations. This was ACBL speedball, so the directors are used to these calls. I call because they cannot fix it if not aware.

Recently noticed a person playing under a different ID. Seems strange to me. Doe bbo allow multiple log on ids?

I recently ran into some peoples answer to required cc. They posted a card that was totally blank. playing flannery, udca, splinters, - maybe others - but that was in 3 hands somehow forgot to alert

mine seem to be ok

bbo has stopped posting automatic sayc cards. I think about early September. Now it is just no card. ACBL directors are now trying to encourage pairs to post an "accurate" card. The ACBL laws do require a convention card for their events. seems to be a work in progress. Dave

when I first started my completion rates were low or unknown. A yellow advised playing substitute to get my rate up and now entering as a sub is easy. It was free also. BTW - even if you just complete 1 hand as a sub, you get credit for completing the tournament.

I play Lavinthal in a local club game. Some players say they do not know it & have asked to be told when it is used. Seems that would require chat. Assume we post the answer, should the signaler or the partner explain. The possibility of UI obviously exists, so maybe it does not matter. Thanks Dave

When I click on the hamburger menu to get opponent's convention card, I then send it to a new window. The scroll bar is stuck at the top. I can only see 1/2 of the card. any suggestions?

as a sub - how do I find my partner's convention card??

Part of the request was to fill sit out pairs. Lots of tournaments seem to be running with an odd number of pairs. Dave

Can the substitution volunteer button be revised for a pair? I have substituted as an individual and it has worked well for me. When I have a partner, we play at the tables and just pick up opponents. The issue with people leaving frequently and erratic play can be frustrating. I have tried sending messages to tournament directors with odd number of pairs and a short start time, usually 1 -5 minutes, but they say they cannot use a substitute not on the namelist. If there was a method to volunteer as a pair sub in any tournament, the dropout rate would be reduced (IMO). Perhaps a charge to play as a pair would be an option. If you have some "skin in the game", you tend to stay until the end. This would be a win-win for the tournament and the pair wanting to play. Limits of MP can still be honored. My original goal as a substitute was to raise myTCR (I was unknown) as suggested by one of the yellows. I actually had some very good games with strong players. I see a lot of tournaments starting with an odd number of pairs. My partners are all ACBL & we have a convention card for each pair.

I have now played in 21 tournaments, mostly as a sub. My completion rate is still unknown. I always wait until the tournament is over. " When you finish the last board, if you leave the tourney or logout without waiting for BBO to move you into the lobby itself, the server thinks you bailed and counts it against you" I just saw this comment. The screen turns white and nothing happens, so I return or log off. Is this counting against me? Wish I had known about that "rule" before playing as a sub!!! Any way to correct it?? Dave

I am the member of a new ACBL virtual club. If I am not playing with a partner, I want to be available to sub. When I click on the tournament and the partnership desk, the options are to pay or have partner pay. Is there a method to just fill in as needed with no charge? When I sub for "any" tournament, there is no fee. Thanks

as a relative newcomer to BBO, I like substituting. My tournament completion rate is unknown which keeps me out of some games. I have been a sub about 7-8 times. I have enjoyed playing with people from other countries. It seems I am welcome primarily because of the problems discussed above. It is free, I sometimes get to see great play and have had some excellent partners. The other times, just go along for the ride. Played a cue bid in a 1-2 fit the other day. Starting to learn the basics of Acol just to keep up. As a sub, I alert frequently, use chat to complement partners and opponents, enjoy the game. I do not care about points or winning anything. The sub invitation comes up quickly. Yes, I have been sitting as a sub and have seen one of my opponents get mad and leave in the middle of the hand. Frustrating for all, particularly the regular players. BTW: I am a virus bridge player, so I have time to burn. :):P

I found this by google search of the forum. It seems more appropriate here. Someone else actually figured it out. :) happy face :( sad face ;) wink :D toothy grin :P tongue out :$ cute blush !c = ♣ !d = ♦ !h = ♥ !s = ♠ have fun! that was neat- it converted to the emoji ? sometimes - ODD ? the forum may be different than BBO - these seem to work on BBO chat "To create the colon symbol using a U.S. keyboard , hold down the Shift key and press colon key. The colon key is the same key as the semicolon , located directly to the right of the letter 'L' key. Ok Ok everyone else knows this, I am a senior citizen. " happy face = colon and ) sad face = colon and ( wink = semicolon and ) toothy grin = semicolon and capital D cute blush = colon and $ try these on BBO chat, it should work

Hi All: I am relatively new to BBO & retired. I have "discovered" the teaching table and want to practice some conventions. I found the instructions describing the file system and various commands. Challenging! I located a sample list of "scripts" that generate deals from the instructions. I found a great post by fbear titled "full disclosure and dealer" that gives great examples. thanks fbear (& thanks google search) Will try these later today. If I am able to modify any of the scripts and make them work :unsure:;)B-) I will post them here. I hope this is the appropriate location. I am open to suggestions. even the blind squirrel finds the nut once and a whileDave

I found a great video on the BBO alerts on Youtube seems to fit this discussion

I am one of the virus players. I played a little several years ago, but played f2f since. BBO has been a lifesaver. I am retired. I will "chip in" with prime in a few minutes. The reason is the same as paying ACBL dues and not really caring about MP. Actually the cost will be less than my table fees. Thx all Dave

This is a great topic and has been very informative. I respectfully disagree with not alerting Transfers. The ACBL convention card shows a blue line for “announce” and a red linefor “alerts”. I plan to "alert" both thered and blue line bids. I do not think there is a place to "announce" a bid. A common exampleis playing 1 NT forcing. Some play itover interference, others do not. Comments? I really like not having to worry aboutpartner’s alert. As for typing time, I have some common “chat”messages open on an adjacent screen. Isimply copy and paste. It should workfor common alerts. With one screen, simply downsize both BBO anda Word screen to prevent the BBO from disappearing when you move the cursor tothe other window. I have not played BBO for many years and like a lot of "Virus Bridge Players", may be weak on the rules and intentions. Dave

Hi Dennis; I am near Baltimore Maryland, US, Eastern time zone. We are 12 hours apart, so 7am here is 7 pm your time. I am retired and an early riser, so morning games (my time) are definitely possible. I consider my self intermediate. I played in the early 70's and then restarted in 2013. My small town has a similar shortage of decent bridge partners. At 30 you would be in a very small minority here; our young people have not shown much interest in bridge. I play 2/1 from Audrey Grant and 1NT forcing from Marty Bergen. My email is dave@clan-hall.com I like to write my bids down and share with a partner so we can quickly be on the same page. Contact me if interested. Thanks, Dave Hall

I am also looking for a partner to play 2/1. I am retired in Westminster Maryland, a small town NW of Baltimore. The BBO games may be a good way to practice, even if distance normally keeps us from F2F playing. Very few players in my area play 2/1. I have to travel to Baltimore to find an infrequent 2/1 partner. You appear to be a fan of Larry Cohen from your list. I can play the conventions you have listed. My 2/1 game is mostly from Audrey Grant with the forcing 1NT style from Marty Bergen. I also play inverted minors, NMF Bergen style, Reverse Drury, Convenient minor opening, Strong 2C open with 80% 2 diamond waiting, weak jump shifts, a defined double system, Michaels and unusual NT, Controls, The LAW in competition, Stayman; puppet & crawling by Bergen, & garbage. If interested, I can send you a description of my 2/1 style bids and incorporate the conventions you have mentioned. I am an avid reader of bridge information and have a good written interpretation of the conventions that I play. I find that there are many variations of common conventions that most partnerships do not discuss in advance. I am very flexible on conventions. I prefer to stick with the convention guidelines written by the experts. Feel free to call me to discuss at 410-857-7541. Thanks in advance Dave Hall dave@clan-hall.com