RealBridge Guidelines

RealBridge has a comprehensive guide to playing on their website and so we are not detailing how to play here but adding details specific to DBC.  The RealBridge guide can be found at

https://realbridge.online/player-guide.html

DBC intends to play a duplicate session every Wednesday evening until further notice.  Each session costs £1/player.

If you would like to play please log in via the Danetre Website, using the link under the calendar fixture list, before 6.45pm and either sit at a table or stay in the lobby. You do not need to stay in front of your screen but this will allow you to receive any notifications announced by the director.  Play commences at 7pm and finishes around 10pm.

We will play 12 x 2 board rounds and each round will last 15 minutes.  The movement will only be made early if all tables have finished, in which case the director will announce an early move.  If you are unlikely to finish the boards in the 15 minutes please can you try and keep to time by making a claim.

We will continue to allow undos for mis-clicks in the bidding, but undos should not be requested or allowed during play.  If you are struggling with playing the right card you can change to larger cards in your settings.

During play please remember that others at the table can see you and please be respectful of them.  If you need to sneeze, cough, eat etc you can turn your sound and camera off.  We recommend that you mute yourself whilst playing, to shut out background noise, muttering etc..

Finally if you are struggling with staying connected RealBridge recommends that you refresh your screen periodically.  This is the circular arrow on the RHS of your name bar. 

I have copied the hardware/ software requirements from the RealBridge website, these are:

RealBridge runs on any laptop, desktop computer or tablet that supports video calling from a web browser.

On Windows or linux PC, Apple macOS or Android tablet you can use any modern browser, such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. (Note: older versions of Edge and Internet Explorer do not work.)

On an Apple iPad you must use the Safari browser, because Apple does not allow other browsers to support video calling on iOS.

RealBridge requires around 0.5 Mbps of download and upload bandwidth for video. If you have a weak connection you can turn off your camera and/or the incoming video to reduce bandwidth requirements.

Below are some of the points of good practice that we encourage. These are guidelines rather than “club rules”, and you will not be penalised for breaking any of them!

We encourage playing to a modern Acol system (weak no-trump, and so on) although you are of course free to use other systems.

We use pre-dealt “Boards” to enable duplicate scoring.

North is responsible for “board control”: passing on the boards between rounds, placing boards in the correct orientation ready for play, removing boards after play, etc.

Boards should be kept on the table during play, correctly oriented, until play is completed and each player has shuffled their hand and has returned their cards to the correct pocket in the board.

It is also North’s job to manage the tablet and for East to confirm the result.

Bidding Boxes are used. After bidding, bids should be left on the table until the lead is made.

As Declarer, you should normally tell Dummy which card to play for you. Only if Dummy has left the table should you touch the card yourself, and then try not to touch more than one.

Whether bidding or leading, try not to hold things up. But, before doing either, make sure that it is your turn! Also, when you are in an impossible fix, try not to keep everyone waiting while you seek desperately to escape. On the other hand, as Declarer, the other players should appreciate that you need a little time to plan your strategy  before calling for a card from Dummy.

A bit of chatter is not a bad thing, and makes our Club the sort of friendly gathering we hope it is. However, please bear in mind that for some members at least, concentration on the game is absolutely essential. Try not to distract others while they are concentrating.

Above all, enjoy your Bridge, and help others to enjoy theirs!