HOW TO PLAY AGAINST BRIDGEBASE ROBOTS |
BridgeBase robots are a great idea, but some people find them off-putting. You can get used to them, though. Click here to see their system and convention card (5-card majors, 15-17 1NT, three Weak Twos, 2-over-1 game forcing)... and they think everyone plays that. A 12-14 1NT is thus a great weapon against robot opponents, because they'll think you have 15-17.
Don't get sucked into their pace. If they make an unfamiliar bid, take as long as you like reading the pop-up explanation. They don't care. They're robots. That's also true when you're their partner, and you can hover over any bid you're considering to see what the robot will think it means.
With robots, it's often good tactics to open 1NT (or 2NT) at every possible opportunity, even if it means stretching by a point or two. They understand 1NT auctions. You're less likely to have a disaster. Also, when the auction goes 1NT 3NT, robots often "play safe" and find a passive lead that might even be your best suit.
Their defence is inhuman. If they lead a card, you'll have no idea what they hold in that suit. Honours? Rubbish? There's no way of knowing.
The craziest thing about robots is their competitive bidding. They can be thrown completely by psyches (e.g. overcalling 2♥ at favourable vulnerability on a yarborough with two small hearts) and they'll make insane assumptions in situations that a human would recognise as merely competitive. The following are real hands, which happened to me recently. (I was the only human at the table in both stories, with the other three players all being robots.)
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CRAZY ROBOT HAND #1 |
You hold ♠ K4 ♥ 65 ♦ AK42 ♣ AQ1094 and your right-hand opponent opens a 12-14 1NT. You double, since you're holding a pretty 16-count with good suits to lead. Left-hand opponent bids 2♦ (transfer to hearts) and right-hand opponent bids 2♥ (completing the transfer). You decide to compete with a frisky 3♣ ... and your robot partner bids 3NT on ♠ J9853 ♥ 10743 ♦ 65 ♣ 86, which would only make sense if you held 24 points and only four clubs. Yes, this gets doubled.
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CRAZY ROBOT HAND #2 |
Right-hand opponent opens 1♥ and you double with ♠ K973 ♥ void ♦ AJ108752 ♣ AQ. Left-hand opponent bids 2♣ (should have redoubled), partner passes and right-hand opponent rebids 2♥. You double again (still for takeout), which goes pass pass. Your robot partner has converted your takeout double into penalties. You're doubling for penalties at the two level... so obviously you double again when right-hand opponent retreats to 2NT. This is starting to look juicy. Dummy rescues declarer back to 3♥... and declarer accepts the "invitation" to 4♥, despite having been doubled for penalties in two. You double again (your fourth consecutive double in this auction) and collect 500 from 4♥x-3.
If anyone asks about robots' weak points, you can answer "the game of bridge".
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