| HOW TO GET STARTED ONLINE |
Bridge Base Online
There are many videos on YouTube to help you learn how to play on BBO.
A few of them are detailed on the following pages.
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PLAY ON BBO (Bridge Base Online) WHILE CLUB CLOSED
(With thanks to Little Clacton BC)
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| OVERVIEW |
EBBC VIRTUAL BRIDGE CLUB TOURNAMENTS ON BBO
(With thanks to Nottingham BC – please note that references to Nottingham BC contact details are therefore not relevant for East Bridgford BC Members)
Details of the tournaments are on our Home page and in the Calendar.
Further information is given below.
If you have any other questions, please email the East Bridgford Club Secretary using the address in the “Contacts’ left-hand menu.
Getting Started on BBO
Playing on BBO is fairly straightforward, but you need to get used to this new way of playing before you venture into our tournaments. We recommend Jeff Watkins BBO Beginner's Manual to get you started.
Playing in our Tournaments
Each member who wishes to play in our tournaments needs to register their BBO username by emailing it to the Club Secretary. This only needs to be done once. You will also, then, be added to our emailing list to receive notification of any changes in our tournament schedule.
Buying BB$
You pay for the tournaments with BBO's own currency, the BB$ which costs the same as a US dollar. Our tournaments cost 3 BB$, which is the lowest we are allowed to charge. You buy these from BBO - but beware that it is best to log in to BBO through your web browser, as Apple add a large mark-up if you use the iPad app. There is a video here showing how to buy using your credit card. The charge is in US dollars, so your credit card may add a foreign currency transaction charge. Although, it doesn't say so, the option to pay by credit card also includes debit cards.
Alerting
The big change for a club player, when playing on BBO, is that you have to alert your own bids. Failure to do this properly is the biggest cause of annoyance to other players and can slow the game down for everyone. Even if you think you know how to alert on BBO, you are asked to watch this video on alerting so that you do it "our way". Correct alerting is important because the opposition see this, but your partner doesn’t.
Finding our Tournaments
Click on Finding Virtual Club Tournaments to see how you find them and register to play in one. There are also a few tips on what to do when everything seems to "freeze" when you are playing.
Scores
If you wish to ask for an adjustment to any of your scores, you must email the Director or Club Sectretary within 20 minutes of the end of the tournament, giving details. Adjustments will not be made to the BBO scores but may be made to the scores before they are displayed on the Club web site and uploaded to the EBU for Master Points and NGS. BBO offers excellent opportunities to analyse your performance after the tournaments as explained in See your scores - and more.
Rules and Regulations
We aim to provide an enjoyable game of bridge but feel that it would be wrong to take online play too seriously. We are certainly not going to get into discussions about whether there was a hesitation! Nonetheless, if you are concerned about such matters, we endeavour to run our tournaments according to the EBU Sky-Blue Book and our own Virtual Club Tournaments rules as Regulating Authority for these tournaments. Note that these are NBC rules. Please use EBBC contacts.
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| HOW TO JOIN A SESSION |
To register, make sure you have enough BB$ - details on how to add to them can be found in the left-hand On-line Bridge menu section on the East Bridgford web site.
You'll need to register for the tournament, details on how to do so are below. This can be done within two hours of the start time. But please do not leave it until the last five minutes; this makes it easier to set up the movement in advance of the starting time.
Also, add vEBU211217, our virtual club number as a friend in BBO. This will be your Director on the evening. Message this username if you have any problems. Or use the call Director link in the table screen (Blue box with white lines in the top left-hand corner)
- Login to BBO
- On the Home Page Click on "Virtual Clubs" (under the green banner titled Featured Areas)
- Click EBU - England
- Click pending. The East Bridgford event will appear within 2 hours of the start time. So not before 5.15pm. You can register any time after 5.15pm, but once you have done so make sure you and your partner are still logged on before the Tournament starts.
- The tournament will be in the list East Bridgford BC (you can search for it with the search box top right of the tournament box if you can't find it in the list) with the date and start time.
- Click on the tournament to register and it will ask you to pay 3 BBO$. It will give you an option to pay for your partner if you want to. It will also ask you for your partner's BBO name, so type it in so that you are correctly paired up. It does seem to be easier if one person signs in and pays for both players in the partnership.
- You must both be logged in to register and pay as explained above. Your partner will receive an invitation from you, and to pay if you have not already paid for both of you.
- If you are without a partner, please let the DIRECTOR know and he will try and pair you up. We would prefer real players rather than robots if at all possible. If you do play with a Robot (they play a 5-card major system, SAYC) these cost 0.25$ and you pay for it when you register for the Tournament. I understand there is a find a partner method on BBO, but I have not seen how it works.
- Now you just sit and wait for the tournament to start. You will see the countdown on your screen. If you do log out make sure you are both logged back in before 6.45pm, you will be automatically be placed at a table when it starts. The start will be on time, but sometimes there be a short delay caused by BBO.
- Remember if you need to call the Director click on the blue sign with the three white lines near the top left of your screen.
- Don't worry if you get disconnected during the game your place will be reserved for you and the Director will try and get you back at the table.
- The results will take a short while to come through. Especially if there are Director decisions to be made. Allow half an hour.
- NOTE that Undos are not allowed. So, click carefully. We advise players to turn on the options to “Confirm cards” and “Confirm bids” in their account settings to minimize mis clicks.
- Please announce your system at the start of each round. Example ACOL 12-14NT, 4cM, weak in 3.
- Please self-alert all bids which are a convention. Unlike at a real table this must be done for every such bid up to 7NT. Even if you know the opponents and the system they play. If you forget to alert, click on your own bid and add an explanation. You can also click on opponents bid and ask them to explain. Do not use the Table messaging system as this gives information to those not entitled to see it.
Please note that the standard time for a Board is 7 minutes. We will allow 8 minutes per board initially. The Director will review as required. It is important to have a balance between allowing a reasonable time vs slow play. If you run out of time, then BBO with assign a score. You have 20 minutes from the end of play to appeal. It is possible to appeal before the end of play.
Click here for a useful video courtesy of Mervyn Jones, Keyworth Bridge Club
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JN_1vyUXuw&feature=youtu.be
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| PAYING FOR A SESSION |
Paying for a Session
There are two ways of doing it. 1. Paying for your PARTNER or 2. Paying for YOURSELF
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1
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Paying for your PARTNER
BOTH players MUST be logged in to Bridge Base Online
The player NOT paying – wait on the BBO HOME page – Do nothing else
The player who is paying – Click on Virtual Clubs (in the lobby area)
below FEATURED AREAS (under Green banner)
Next Click on EBU – England
Then find Wednesday East Bridgford pairs and Click on the club
For the person paying the System asks for your partners BBO name - Enter it
System asks if you want to pay for your partner - Tick the box to say YES
Next to your partners BBO name there is the word INVITE - Click this word
6$ will be automatically taken from your BB$ account
At this point Partner must be online to receive your invite on their computer screen. – Partner clicks Accept
Sometimes a blue box appears – DON’T PANIC! - just click OK
Now just wait until 7pm when the TD will take you to a table
You can log off, but make sure both of you are back on BBO by 6.45pm
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You are now both on and in the tournament together which lights up in yellow – sit and wait for the tournament to start.
IF you do log out make sure you are both logged back in 15 minutes before the session starts, you will automatically be placed at a table at 7pm when the session starts by the TD.
Take it in turns to pay for each other, it's much easier to do it that way.
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2
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Paying for YOURSELF
Log in to the Lobby area (first screen)
Click on Virtual Clubs below FEATURED AREAS (under the Green banner)
In Virtual Clubs – Click on EBU – England
Then find Wednesday East Bridgford pairs and Click on the club
System asks for your partners BBO name – Enter it (check it is correct!)
If paying for yourself don’t tick the box to pay for partner, just click the word INVITE Next to your partners name. 3$ will be taken from your account.
Sometimes a blue box appears – DON’T PANIC! - just click OK
You are registered to play
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Your partner does exactly the same as above
You will meet up in the bridge room at 7pm.
Sometimes a blue box appears – DON’T PANIC! - just click OK
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No Partner?: We can find you a partner or you can play with a Robot (they play a 5 card major system) these cost 20p extra, you pay when you register for the Tournament.
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| ANNOUNCING AND ALERTING BIDS |
On BBO, you self-alert during bidding, your partner cannot see your explanation.
Please alert more than you would normally would and all the way to 7NT!
If you forget to alert, you may tap on your own bid and add an explanation.
If you tap on opponents bid, it asks them to explain.
Click here for a useful video courtesy of David Dunsford, Nottingham Bridge Club
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrj7xnHqZDQ
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| MORE ON SELF ALERTING & ANNOUNCING |
There is also an article from Bridge Magazine that you might find useful
It explains the terminology in Virtual Alerting, the use of the 'Explain' box and the importance of Alerting before you Bid
Click 'here' to access
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| ACCOUNT SETTINGS ON BBO |
We advise players to turn on the options to “Confirm cards” and “Confirm bids” in their account settings to minimise mis clicks. Undo’s are not allowed in Tournaments.
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| SKY BLUE BRIDGE FOR ONLINE BRIDGE |
Supplement to the Blue Book and White Book for online bridge
Sky Blue Book on EBU site
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