jmc

Ty Uday and Fred. I've really missed this link.

I know some experts that play coded 10s and 9s only during the middle of a hand not on opening lead. This seems like a decent idea to me. jmc

How many boards in a session? How do you plan to exchange funds? Will the $40 per session include the practice hands and bidding? jmc

In the windows client when I clicked the alert button, I think it would move the cursor to the box where I typed in the description. It would be very nice if the web version could do the same, otherwise I may have to stop playing Precision :). jmc

I understand the frustration in having to wait the full 55 minutes for results, but for me the fact that the timing on these tourneys is flexible is a huge draw. I often play the first 5 boards and then break for 30 minutes and finish the rest. I have two kids under two who I am responsible for watching. Often I'll start a tourney while one or both are napping. When they wake up though, they want a bottle, a diaper change, etc. For me the flexibility of the 55 minutes is a big draw and lets me play bridge and be a dad. I have played many of these tourneys and have not completed one or two. Uday's proposals would work for some but it would definitely decrease flexibility. I am sure many others find this form of tourney handy because of the lack of time constraints. Perhaps a normal timed speed ball would be a better choice for someone who needs the results immediately upon completion. It is also handy to note that the bbo web product makes it fairly easy to track tourney results using the mybbo link. The windows bbo makes tracking tourneys much, much more difficult, imo. jmc

I wanted to follow up and find out of BBO is running club champinship events or if that rule has changed. If BBO is running them, how are they advertised? jmc

Sigh. It is all good. BBO is back. Despite the withdraw jitters I'm ok, and much more enlightened and prepared for Rexford cue bids. jmc

I'm afraid a drug I've relied on for sometime is no longer available. My addiction is overpowering. Free trial elsewhere? No way. I'll just read some Rexford posts until BBO is back or I resort to using the Internet Chess Server. jmc

Wah, wah. I wonder if Claude ever watches Saturday Night Live. Congrats to everyone involved with making BBO #1! jmc

Awhile back I asked a similar question and Joshs suggested using 2NT over 1d-1s to show either 3-card s support and 6+d or 4-card S support and a stiff somewhere. Look for his response in this thread. http://forums.bridgebase.com/index.php?showtopic=16395&hl= I have been playing this and we have gotten some very nice results from it. jmc

What do you prefer in a club system?

Phil, What did you find you preferred for 1M-3M? I think the weak option has more to gain against poor players, as they fail to compete. They are also more likely to let you play 2M after 1M-2M holding the hand that would have gotten to 3 playing a mixed raise. I think the 1M-3M 7-9 with 4-card support would work better vs. decent players as it makes it much riskier for them to enter the auction. What'ya think? jmc

In my area there are several good pairs playing 2 types of splinters as follows. 1M- 3 of the other major is a concealed non-serious splinter 1M- 3NT serious splinter in the other major 1M- 4c, 4d serious splinter in the minor 1M- 4 of the other Major is to play Do any of you play this? What do you think of the method? Could you give examples of a serious vs. non-serious splinter? Appreciate any comments, etc. jmc

I play a precision club system where we open all 11 counts and rule of 20 hands. We have recently decided to play 1M-2NT as forcing and balanced so that our 2/1s are 5-card suits. We are planning to play 1M-3C as our forcing M raise. What do you think of the following system loosely based on a Jacoby 2NT structure I saw recommended by Larry Cohen. 1M-3C Forcing Major raise ala Jacoby 2NT 1M-3D limit raise ala Bergen 1M-3M 4-card weak raise ala Bergen (alternatively a 7-9 4-card mixed raise?) 1M-3C the responses are a bit different than Jacoby 2NT 4 of our Major = the complete worst dreck imaginable. 3D- minimum 3H- non-minimum with singleton or void 3S- non-minimum, 6+ trumps no shortness 3NT- non-minimum, 5422 or 5332 4 level bids- non-minimum with a 5-card side suit similar to Jacoby 2NT auction of 1S-2NT-4x After any of the above the cheapest bid is a re-ask: 1M-3C-3D-minimum 3H asks 3S- I have shortness somewhere. Re-ask as below to find out more, CANT SHOW VOIDS. 3NT- I have balanced 5422 or 5332 4C, D, 4OM- a 5-card side suit like similar to Jacoby 2NT auction of 1S-2NT-4x 4 of our Major- 6+cards in our Major 1M-3C-3H-non-minimum with shortness somewhere 3S asks 3NT- void smwhere, re-ask 4C. 4D=low void,4H=mid v,4S=hi v 4C- singleton in lowest side suit (clubs) 4D- singleton in middle side suit (diamonds) 4H- singleton in other Major 1M-3C-3S-extra trump length 3NT asks 4C- 3 card suit holding 6322 4D- 3 card suit holding 6322 4OM- 3 card suit holding 6322 4 of our Major- 7222 Over interference after 1M-3C Opener's double shows = Shortness in suit doubled Opener's new suits = control cue 3NT = Balanced Maximum (Ace or King in their suit) Opener's Pass = Nothing special--flat hand, could be 5x3x2 awful after which, responder's X=penalty Opener's jump to 4M = dead minimum, but 6x3x2 If they double Asks or re-asks : XX = business, Pass=S1, etc. If they bid after Ask or re-ask : X=Penalty, Pass=S1, etc. (except when double = short as above)

I would like to gather the bbo user names of some players who play the weak NT and review them using myhands or bridgebrowser. If your playing a weak NT pipe up now! Alternatively if people would like to post interesting weak nt hands, that'd be great. jmc

[hv=d=n&v=b&s=saq762hqda9863c83]133|100|Scoring: IMP North passes. East opens 1♣ and South bids 1♠. West passes and North bids 2♥ which passes around to South. [/hv] This is your third hand with a pick up partner who you have agreed to play 2/1 with. Do you bid 3♦, pass, or something else as South?

Transfer and bid 4 as a mild slam try with a 6-card suit. P shouldn't get excited unless he has good controls. jmc

I heard that the Omaha regional last year had more than 2000 tables. How does the Omaha regional have that many when L.A. has only 1700 and some. Can those numbers be right? Omaha metro is like seven hundren thousand and L.A. is like seven million. Omaha is Monday night through Sunday afternoon. jmc

The little I tried Rosetta Stone software I thought it was more vocab oriented. I much prefered listening to Pimsleur's Spanish I and Spanish II. I also checked out Pimsleur's and Rosetta Stone's Japanese programs because that is a language I speak but am not a native speaker. I thought Pimsleur's approach better. My 2 cents. jmc

Jlall can you explain why it doesn't work well? I believe the jdonn description is very similiar to the Berkowitz-Cohen response structure given in Precision Today. Do they still play that?

In ACBL land I believe its illegal to psyche artificial strong forcing bids. Can one psyche natural strong forcing bids? Can we claim damage if E really forgot his agreements? What a brilliant fix by E if not. jmc

This was not the first time Gates played at a bridge club. He played at the Omaha Bridge Studio in a STAC game around 2001 or 2002. I know because I was there. Warren Buffett was also there as was Bob Hamman. jmc

We use the Berkowitz-Cohen structure but allow the 1c-3m 4441's to contain 4 controls IF its 2 bare aces. This really helps p after 1c-(3NT-4H) because partner will always have fillers with the controls. We use cue bidding the stiff to ask controls. Answers are 0-1, 2, etc for the cheaper hands and 4, 5, 6 etc for the bigger hands. I'm sure symetric relay would be better, but with 5 of us playing the system, not everyone is ready to take the plunge. jmc

I think that a cofee cup also greatly enhances one's ability to cheat. Not only can one time their sips, non-sips, or cup adjustments, they could also turn the cup in many ways. Perhaps removal of the lid at certain points could be an indicator. Playing behind screens? Maybe a friendly kib walks over and says, "Hi. I just bought you a frapomochalate." The secret message being that a tricky slam is possible on board 21. If people are worried about one signaling with a phone call or IM, I'd think they'd be just as worried about adding a new cheating prop to the table. Determined cheats can not be stopped by allowing or denying certain items at the table. jmc <the above is all said a bit tongue in cheak>

After taking the "exam" perhaps one's profile might have "certified intermediate by BBO" or some such. Maybe the term BBO Expert could stop being a pejorative. I can imagine someone at the partnership desk at a National Tournament saying, "I am a BBO certified Advanced player with 2100 masterpoints." LOL some might say it could never happen but as I think about the first time I logged into BBO at 11 at night andthe only table was Fred playing with some Canadians, I wouldn't have imagined it'd soon host 10,000+ people and dwarf okbridge. :-) jmc