1. There are three ways to play online:
- You can install the BBO software on your desktop or laptop computer by searching for “bridgebase.com” in your browser (Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, Edge etc). From the top result, click on the subtitle ‘Install Bridgebase Online’, then follow their instructions,
- To play on your iPad or tablet you can download the BBO app,
- You can play online without installing anything. In your browser, go to www.bridgebase.com and click on ‘Play Bridge Now’.
2. To play, you need an account. Click on ‘Become a Member’ and create a User Name (it needs to be unique so choose something distinctive that your partner can easily recognise). You must also create a password and provide your email address. It is recommended to provide your real name, but ignore ‘ACBL number’. You can include a brief summary of the system you play in ‘Other’, but you can do this later when you have seen what others include here. You can also select a skill level or leave it Private, and Country can be England or Great Britain. Then click to agree to Terms of Service and click on ‘Register’.
Before you can log in, you will receive an email containing a registration confirmation which you should accept.
3. Playing online is simple and intuitive as nearly everything happens automatically - have a practice with Solitaire bridge. The bids you make and the cards you play are a matter of just clicking on each. You alert your own bids for your opponents (see below), and it is impossible to revoke!
4. It is advisable to open an account (it is in Dollars) to provide funds to make payments. You can pay via a credit card or Pay Pal - click on the BB$ button on the top right of the screen and follow the instructions to do this.
5. For our Bolton Bridge Club online duplicates, it will simply be a matter of registering your intention to play (with your partner) before the start and you will be invoiced monthly account.
Further information:
● Self-alerting - when you make an alertable bid you have to alert it yourself, so describe it in the bidding box before you enter your bid (e.g. type in ‘12-14’, then bid 1NT). The opposition will be able to see the explanation, but your partner will not. If you forget to put an explanation in the bidding box (opponents may ask for one), you can click on the bid and then you will be able to add an explanation.
● If you mis-key, you can change a bid or a play by using ‘Undo’. Click on the blue box with 3 horizontal lines at the top left to find the Undo option. You need to ask to Undo before your opponents have bid or played, and your opponents will both have to agree.
● Your Profile settings can be changed at any time through the ‘Account’ tab (usually at the right hand side or along the bottom). On the Account page there is another row of tabs including ‘Settings’ where you can turn on options to ‘Confirm Bids’ and ‘Confirm cards’. Switching these on makes it less likely you will make bids or play cards by mistake.
● If you use the ‘History tab’, this allows you to look at the hands you have played and what others did.