Express Free Automated Fun Individual Tournaments

[Solinger]

Within the above mentioned BBO tournaments the time for decisions (in bidding and card play) of 30 sec is essential to be kept, not to be replaced by a robot. Normally - with average bidding and card play experience - this is of no great difficulty.

 

For beginning a new hand however - sometimes you have to wait more than 2 or even 3 minutes till a new hand occurs.

 

This waiting time is in normal bridge playing very unimportant and usually of no consequences. Occationally one may require some minutes to analyse an interesting hand, in bidding or in cardplay.

 

In these automated tournaments however the observation of the time till a new hand occurs on the screen is of greatest importance. One has to be very alert and pay attention to that moment of beginning to play and react in the new hand. The attention to be given to the start of the new hand is stressing m o r e than the time of 30 sec allowed for any proceding decission to be made.

 

And - the only indication of this important time one has to wait till a new hand occurs, is a full minute indication!

Very little information on this important factor in these automated tournaments !!

 

My suggestion - and my question is:

Isn't it possible to show also the seconds of the time one has to waite? The time indication (of minutes) must only be completed by two additional digits (and the colon ":")for the seconds. This would remarkably facilitate the concentration one has to give to the waiting time.

 

Awaiting a competent response to my question,

 

I am remaining a welldisposed BBO-fan.

Otto Albrecht

Solingen/Germany

[Bbradley62]

My understanding is that each new hand starts at the earlier of:

(1) 5 minutes after the previous hand started, and

(2) when all tables are done playing the previous hand.

 

It probably would be easy to tell you how much time is left if only (1) above mattered, but the system can't possibly know if/when (2) above will occur first.

[diana_eva]

HI Otto,

 

Similar suggestions have been made in the past, but the problem on BBO side is that our server does not count in seconds. If I recall correctly, it can recalculate remaining time every 15 seconds or so - which is why a MM:SS count-down clock is not possible.

 

There's a beep sound effect at the beginning of each round, doesn't that help? Also if you are on mobile and happen to be looking at the results while waiting for the new deal to start, screen will switch automatically to table when the round starts.