7NTDbld

Thanks so much for your speedy reply. I've done Pairs before, so I know what those are all about, but how do they differ from Indy pairs? When I register for one, there's no place to sign up a partner, so who do I play with? That's the stuff I want to know. I tried a Robo tourney once, but never again! Phew! After the first two or three tricks, the cards started flashing by so fast, I couldn't see what they were. Then, as the hand progressed, I'd play "one" card, and several "tricks" (not cards) would flash by faster than the speed of sound. With eyes wider than saucers, I was left there scratching my head in bewilderment. I guess I need to replace my brain with a computer chip, sigh. That's why I'd like to know ahead of time what's invovled with each type of tourney. I'm getting too old for brain surgery. Thanks again, Carol

Where can I go to find a description of each type of tourney at BBO? I give up trying to find anything in the Help section or the Tournament area. In particular, how do the Individual ACBL Tourneys work? Do you play with a robot? What about Robot tourneys? And Speedball? I'd like to know what they're all about before I try one. Thanks, Carol

Lately, when an opponent makes a "Claim" and the box pops up asking if you accept or reject the claim, you only have few seconds to verify the claim before it "times out" to a Reject. Why such an unreasonably short "time out"? When the claim is made at the end of a hand, that's one thing. But, when there's several tricks involved, or it's done early in the play, there just isn't enough time to verify it. The fear of an auto-reject drives me to click "Accept". I'm a speedy player and definitely not a beginner, so I can usually think through most claims quite quickly, but not in the few seconds the "time-out" allows. Please try to understand the dynamics that happen once a Reject hits the table. First of all, the opponents get highly upset. Why did you reject my claim? Or they say something more profane. My partner asks why I rejected the claim. I say I didn't. You did. No I didn't. Then who did? I don't know........... on and on it goes while the opponents splay verbal abuse at our obvious stupidity as they re-claim and re-claim, and we re-concede and re-concede. By the time everything settles down, everyone is upset, a lot of feelings are hurt, and valuable time was wasted, time that could have been better spent verifying the claim to begin with. Whatever the perceived problem was that needed to be fixed, it's nothing compared to the nightmare that reigns now. Please, let's get rid of the "time out". Things were just fine the way they were. If someone dallies with a claim, we'd just ask what the holdup is, and that usually solves the problem with a minimal amount of time lost, and no upset players. Thanks, Carol

Uday, I just read your post. Please read my previous posts, which outline the reasons why the Seniority Rule should be reinstated. I understand the problem of a kibitzer becoming a Host. I once witnessed a Host who left the table, but no new Host was assigned. I couldn't figure it out until I noticed he had become a kibitzer while retaining his Host designation. While it wasn't ideal, at least he had been playing at the table for awhile as a very stable player. Everything went smoothly, and he soon left. This is the only time I've ever seen a kibitzer as a Host. But, under the new SWNE Rule, I've already seen outsiders come in as Hosts. It's a much more common problem than the other. Maybe the programmers can change things so kibitzers can't become Hosts. That's where the problem needs to be resolved, not by allowing "crazy" outsiders to become Hosts without first allowing the residents to accept or reject them as players. Thanks, Carol

Until recently, the most senior player at the table became the new Host when the previous one left. It's been like that for as long as I've been playing here, which is 6 years now. The Seniority Rule helped increase the odds that a reasonably stable player became the Host. Under the new SWNE Rule, it's possible for any new player to the table to become the Host right off the bat. This is not a good thing, and here's why. There's a huge problem with players popping-in or popping-out during the bidding and play of the hands, and it's only getting worse, not better. Some of these "crazies" pop-in, bid crazy, then pop-out. Others pop-in, then die, and have to be bounced by the Host. Others hang around awhile but are rude and obnoxious. What's the rationale behind allowing a new player to the table to become the Host of the remaining residents who have been there for hours? It's bad enough when a "crazy" infiltrates a table, but at least the Host can bounce them. But, when they join as the Host, we're stuck until they pop-out, or we can get a Yellow to deal with them. In the meantime, the game is in chaos, and the remaining players dessert ship, further acerbating an already bad situation. It says in the BBO rules that when a player joins a table, he should first ask if he's welcome. This implies that the current residents have the privilege of accepting or declining a new player. BBO further states that such a rejected player is expected to politely accept the decline without incident. This being the case, why must we now accept a new player Host without the privilege of accepting or rejecting them as a player, much less a Host? The Seniority system filtered out the "crazies" quite well, while protecting the rights and privileges of the residents. No outsider should be allowed in as a Host. New rules should solve problems, not create them. Please restore the Seniority Rule. Thanks, Carol

I haven't played at BBO for awhile, and I'm shocked to find the Table Host Seniority System gone. Why did they change it? We play for hours at a table, yet a pop-in becomes the Host? If they're abusive, do weird stuff, and/or die, we're stuck. That happens plenty enough with non-Hosts, so why make it easier for those types to become Hosts and mess things up for the rest of us? Please, reinstate the old Seniority System. Thanks. Carol

I've been using BBO for several years. I've been away for awhile, and I'm appalled with the conditions at the table now. Opponents incessantly come and go without impunity during the bidding AND playing of the hands. Worse, when someone loses their connection, their seat is no longer reserved. Why did they revert back to the old dinosaur days? I understand when the Host lost their connection, it froze the table if they didn't return. I remember that happening when logging onto a new table, only to sit there forever waiting for the Host to bid, fearing that if I left "in the middle of the hand" I'd get dinged. Please, isn't there a way to "time out" lost connections, so when the Host doesn't return, the table is freed up? I'd rather jump onto a frozen table once in awhile, because I can at least bail out and go elsewhere, even at the risk of a ding or two now and then. Judging by how frequently players abandon hands now, there doesn't appear to be much "real" risk at all anymore. Maybe it's a matter of the lesser of two evils? Thanks, Carol