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TBC Virtual Club
 
 
  Registering for a game

Both you and your partner must be online to register. Once registered, you can pop on and off as much as you want. Just make sure you are both online please 10 minutes before game ...

Once you are all set as per steps in item #1, registration for a game starts 2 hours before the start time. This means, using a 9am game as an example, you can register from 7am-8:59am. Apply that same note to any start time. Proceed as follow:

  • Log into BBO
  • Ensure your partner is also online
  • Ensure you have sufficient funds for the game fee on your acccount
  • In the PLAY OR WATCH BRIDGE section of BBO's home page, click on COMPETITIVE
  • Click on ACBL Virtual Clubs to be presented with a list of games ... we simply call them tournaments even though they are regular club games

You will be presented with a list of Pending games as per the following example:

Click the TBC Ottawa game you are interested in. A (the green-shaded area will contain the text vacb185736) screen similar to the following will appear:

Proceed as per the requuired item on the screen. Further information about the game can be found by clicking on Details

  TBC-V Q&A

Do we need to be a member of ACBL to play in the virtual club?

Yes. Recently (as of May 28 2020) we have been instructed by ACBL that since we run games with an upper MP limit (referred to as limited games) our players must have an ACBL number.

To see what their free guest membership is about/getting one, click here. At the end of this 60-day period, your number stays with you and you can play limited games until your MPs are above an upper limit for a game. Click here to proceed to a page where you can join ...

Will the same MP limits be followed?

Yes, as per the description of the game you are interested in.

How much will it cost?

$3 USD with a higher fee for some games with MPs other than black.

How will we pay for the game?

You will need to put money on your BBO account using this link (https://www.bridgebase.com/purchase/pay.php). When you register, you can pay for yourself or for both you and your partner at the same time. If you pay for both of you, naturally the funds for the two of you will come from your BB$ balance. 

Do not put $$ on your BBO account from your cell or tablet. There is a 30% premium when you do so from there. Use a browser interface to buy BB$.

Are the funds in USD or CAD?

USD.

Must we come with a partner?

Preferred but we do have an online partneship desk accessed in the same window where you register for a game.

Will TBC be able to find me a partner?

Yes ... Click here to see how to do it.

Since each board is timed, what happens if we do not finish a board in the allotted time?

When the time expires, your table will be switched to the next board even if not done the current one. The Director, if necessary, may end up adjusting a score for a board that was impossible to complete. 

Robots finish playing the board and notify the Director if they believe further human intervention is required.

Who will be organizing and how would that person be contacted?

‘Twould be me, Michael Abbey and, if general Q&A or a question needs to be answered of the general nature … by email. If within 30 minutes of game time, a call to my cell.

If you need to contact by cell for any reason, you would be asked not to contact between 10pm and 8am eastern.

Will there be hand records and results like we are used to on Bridgewebs?

Starting May 16, 2020, the results on our website are as they were in the F2F (face-to-face) club. These results are posted up to 3 hours after a game. To see hand records immediately, use the History tab in BBO.

Must we register for a game?

Yes, as per instructions on how to pay further up this page. When you register, you will be asked the BBO username for your partner and be given the option to pay for that person too.

We hate playing with robots. Will robots be used?

No.

Once the game starts, must I stay for the duration?

Absolutely. 

Can a game be started with less than 6 tables?

6 is a guideline rather than a requirement, so we will take each on a case-by-case basis.

If we have paid for a game and there are not enough tables, what happens to the money we may have already paid to play?

Money is not taken from your account until game starts. Thus, if this happens, your balance will not be affected,

I have never used BBO. How do I learn?

Speak to a colleague or search for topics on playing at BBO. There is a lot of material out there that could help.

What do I need to play, and can I use my cell or tablet?

A browser on any computer or a BBO app that is available for popular cells and tablets.

Will TBC help “neophytes” to BBO and people who are not computer-savvy?

Quick questions … yes. Extended discussions … no. Remember that the word quick in this context is something like “Is my BBO username case sensitive?” An example of an extended discussion is something that starts with “Can you help me get up to speed on using BBO?”

How many boards will be played per game and is it any faster since we are doing it online?

A minimum of 18 boards will be played, unless something else is required based on the number of tables. Most of the time we manage to play boards faster online. Many games, regardless of the experience of the players, can do 22 boards in 2h15m.

Will the 9am Tuesday game be supervised?

You are on your own and the virtual Heidi robot has not been released yet. It has been created but not fully tested.

In other words, no.

Will cookies be available on BBO?

For the techies out there, yes they will be in your browser cache. For the non-techies, check your cupboards.

If I have resgistered for a game and end up not being able to play, what do I do?

Contact Michael by chat or phone (343-262-4063) as soon as you know. 

         

  Helpful advice

For any game (especially morning) you can register 10-15 minutes before start time meaning more time for relaxation when you rise; no need to rush onto BBO and register 2 hours before game time. Virtual game registration opens 2 hours before game time.

Topic  
Alerting See here
New to BBO? See here
Partnership desk See here
Registration issues See here
Substituting in a TBC-V game See here

Playing at these games is restricted to people who normally play at The Bridge Connection. There are many clubs participating in this virual club module. We are committed to not poaching their players as they are to ours.

  • You must be a member of BBO, and, since we play limited games 5 mornings a week, you also need to be a member of ACBL. TBC will give you a free play when back in the club to offset the temporary membership fee ... an $8 CAD value.
  • ACBL sells a 30-day membership for $10.40 CAD and the number you receive stays with you even after the 30 days. That allows you into our limited games. See here for where to purchase. The temporary membership gives you full benefits and you may especially enjoy the monthly Bridge Bulletin.
  • It does not cost anything to join BBO. If you need to become a member of BBO, this link will transport you to their login page.
  • You must have a balance on your BBO account, as the games cost $3 USD. Proceed here (not on your cell phone or tablet app as there is a 30% admin fee, that is NOT applied anywhere else) to put money on your account or check to see what your balance is if you have done this before.
  • Contact me (Michael A.) using one of the following mechanisms:
    • Email me ay abbey.fenderpbs@gmail.com
    • Call me at 343-262-4063
    • Use our web site's contact page located here
  • Regardless of how you choose to contact me, we need
    • Your BBO username
    • Your email address mandatory please if you have one (and a phone number if possible)
  • I will register you as a friend of TBC and your subsequent requests to play will be honoured automatically

If you are not a regular player at TBC, please contact us before trying to register for a game please contact vacb185736 (343-262-4063). See 4- below for another clarification.

  General info including headache reduction

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We have virtual club games as per the entries on our calendar located here. Suffice to say we have limited games Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri at 9am, an OPEN game Thu at 7pm, and a limited game Saturday at 9:45am. Questions can be sent to us using our web site's contact page located here. All you would ever need to know about our virtual games can be found using the links at the top of this page ... see what people are saying about virtual clubs by clicking here.

If you have entered the Casual area of BBO after registering for a virtual game, please be sure you return to the Competitive area 5 minutes before game start. This will ensure you are brought into the game as it begins.

Click here to view a document when you end up running into some roadblocks .... in other words "How do I do this?" or "Where do I find this?"

  Expectations
  • The games are a minimum of 18 boards, though sometimes there may be more based on the number of tables
  • You are committed to playing for the full game, just like at the club
  • Zero tolerance is followed
  • You will alert your own bids; your opponents will see your alert but not your partner
  Tips on auction and play

The auction

  • One must self-alert a bid that would normally be alerted by one’s partner. The alert and accompanying explanation is seen by your opponents and not your partner.
  • See here for a video showing the alert and announcement procedures while playing at BBO
  • When alerting a bid, give the details of the alert (e.g., showing 4+ card support for partner’s major and opening HCP). If you want to name the convention, do so after offering an explanation.
  • Do not put any text in a chat window that may provide unauthorized information to your partner.

Play of the hand

  • There is no UNDO button; a call made or card played cannot be undone.
  • Be careful letting the mouse cursor hover over a card during the play. An inadvertent play may occur if you click the mouse by mistake over the wrong card.
  Results displays

Results are on ACBL Live (located here) without hand records almost immediately after the game.
Results are in your History tab almost immediately as well as BBO's results site (located here).
What we have discovered so far in order of preference. These are delayed for 3 hours or so since hands are played by other clubs in different time zones:

  1. Click here to go results on our website ... BBO-style results appear at this location immediately immediately after the game, then they change to our standard display version << up to 3-hour delay ... good place to replay hands as well as see/download hand records.

    In virtual club results on our site, your pair number is not what you may be used to ... pair numbers are assigned based on Ranking at the end of the game ... get your pair number from the Rankings page before you delve into the results. You can also change the display in the travellers to show player names as per the icon highlighted next:


  2. Click here to go to Bridge Finesse with hand records and travellers side-by-side << up to 3 -hour delay ... good place to replay hands as well as see/download hand records.
  Problems at game time

Sudden disappearance of game

A configuration error by the Director could cause a game to start then abend. If this happens to you, do the following:

  • Check back over the next 5-10 minutes to see if the game has been rescheduled
  • Chat vacb185736 to get any further information you need
  • When game reappears, register again

Lurkers

We have heard of a pair (or more) who registered for the game but, for some reason, were kicked out of the game just when it started. We do not know why this happened, and would suggest the following if this happens to you:

  • Chat with vacb185736 immediately saying you are available if we need to fill one or more seats (referred to as lurking)
  • Watch for an invitation to sit in the game
  • The Director will invite you to join the game once he knows you got booted and there is a half table in the game
  Best practices
  • Email is not the best way to communicate with me on game day as I need to manually remember to check
     
  • Chat me on BBO is best ... vacb185736
     
  • Calling me is next best ... 343-262-4063 ... I get notified of voice mail when you leave one
     
  • Text message is good as I get beeped ... 343-262-4063 ... please include your name (not BBO username) to speed things up
     
  • If you finish before all tables are done, you will have to wait until the allotted time per round OR the clock runs out
     
  • This is a learning experience for all ... hope disappointments do not sour participation
     
  • Most screen freezes rectify themselves within 2-3 minutes (and sooner most of the time) ... feel free to let me know after you have waited upwards of a minute
     
  • If a player has connectivity issue and show as offline that as well is probably short-lived ... feel free to let me know after you have waited upwards of a minute for that person to show as online again
     
  • BBO will not permit you to start a board once the clock says (minutes left)
     
  • Colin and I thirst for ways you may have to improve the online experience ... email using our contact page (located here) is preferred, but feel free to use another method
     
  • You will find the interface on whatever device you are using is close to exactly the same. We recommend your using a computer and mouse as it is the most effective way to avoid touching the wrong place om your cell/tablet screen.
     
  • Make sure whatever decice you use is fully charged and/or you are able to plug in any time
     
  • If you choose a username for BBO, make it short (and unique) and it may be wise not enter information in your profile that mentions/suggests your gender.
     
  • Stay close to your device even when you are the dummy