Quick link to North Penn online games: here

You will be able to sign into the games beginning 2 hours before start time.

The cost is $5.50 BB for most games, $6.50 for special games.  The games are about 18 boards (depending on participation).  They are all barometer scoring, you will be able to see your result as soon as you finish playing.

You need to have a Bridge Base Online (BBO) name to participate.  See the following news item on how to get one.  If you are not on the following list, get a name and send it to northpennbridge@gmail.com.

If you can’t find our game, go back to the home page. Click on Virtual Clubs in the Featured Areas section, then click on ACBL. You can search for our game by entering “north penn” in the search area above the clubs.

Results can be found here.

Roster of BBO Names

Here is the list of names we have so far.  I will add your name when I receive it.

Show names

99er Nite Club Game

The club has enrolled in the 99ers Nite Club to provide additional opportunities for our novice members to play.  We are doing this in conjunction with ACBL DIstricts 4 and 9.

The 99er "Nite Club" is a 12-board ACBL game played on BBO and awarding masterpoints.  It offers a mini-lesson before the game on Zoom, followed by a post-game analysis of the hands on Zoom.    To be eligible to play, you must have less than 100 masterpoints, and you should have played in at least one virtual game on BBO. 

The entry fee is $6.  Players that have fewer than 100 masterpoints will receive an email each morning inviting them to join the "Nite Club".   Only players with fewer than 100 masterpoints will be contacted.

Here's the schedule:

District 9 - 99ers “Nite Club” Event Schedule  -  Monday - Friday 

• 5:00 PM ET - Registration opens on BBO.
   
• 6:30 PM ET - Welcome  Zoom Link sponsored by TheCommonGame.com. Come and ask any questions you might have and watch us demonstrate features that might be helpful. Lynn Berg will also join us to answer questions and give out guidelines and Mini-Lessons.
• 7PM ET - Game Time - Head to BBO and look for D9 "99ers Game"
   
• 8:30PM ET - Zoom "Post-Mortem" Featuring assorted teachers: - The Link will be provided in BBO Chat.  

Why can't I log on to BBO?

Why can't I find the North Penn game?

Why can't I register for the game?

Why am I in strat A?

Why is the time set to 8 minutes a board instead of 7?

Why is the time set to 7 minutes a board instead of 8?

Can I sit North, South, East, or West?

How do I set up a convention card?

What conventions may I use?

Is a donation to the club tax deductible?

Why didn't I get more points than someone with a lower percentage?

Robots at Virtual Club Games

Open Games

Player/Robot pairs – Players may register to play with robots.

Robot/Robot pairs – Although human subs are preferred, the directors may decide at their discretion to use a robot pair to fill out a section.  The robots are scored normally, but they will be marked as ineligible by the ACBL and will not receive masterpoints.

Robot substitutes – The directors may put in a robot substitute if a player drops out.

 Limited Games

Player/Robot pairs – Players may not register to play with robots.

Robot/Robot pairs – The directors may decide to use a robot pair to fill out a section.  The robots will be assigned a score of Avg Minus and their opponents a score of Avg on the boards they play.

Robot substitutes – The directors may put in a robot substitute if a player drops out.  If the robot plays the majority of the boards, the directors may decide to assign a score of Avg on all boards played by the robot and return the player’s entrance fee.

Guests at Virtual Club Games

The ACBL has instituted a guest policy for Virtual Club games. 

A member of the club is allowed to invite a guest to play with them.  Members play with their guest for a single game.  

To invite a guest, send a chat message to the director (vacb187690) at least 15 minutes before the game, with the BBO name of the guest.  Please use the chat facility in BBO, do not send an email.  The invitation is good for that one game only.  You have to make a separate request for each game.

If you are a regular at the North Penn Duplicate Bridge Club, and you wish to play on-line at another club’s Virtual Game, you may run into a snag if you haven’t played at that club within the most recent 12 month period. ACBL policy is set up to prevent clubs from ‘poaching’ players from another club; this is to protect the ‘home’ clubs’ interests in these difficult times. If you have played at another club, you may play there at any time, but in order to play in a new venue, you will need to get permission from your ‘home’ club.

The North Penn Club grants its regular players unrestricted permission to participate in any Virtual club games at any time.

To obtain ACBL clearance to participate in other games, send an email to PoachMaster@acbl.org and provide:

• your player number
• the club number where you want to play
• our club number, 187690
• reference this website for evidence of permission

You have to get signed-on to BBO to play in a virtual bridge game.  Here's how to start:

1. Go to Bridge Base Online at https://www.bridgebase.com/v3.  Select "Become a member".
2. Fill in the form with a user name, password, and email address.  Be sure to enter your ACBL number (all digits) if you want to receive points.  You can still play in open games if you don't have an ACBL number, but you won't get points.  You must enter your ACBL number to play in a point limited game.  Check the terms of service and then register.
3. Click on the BB$ button the top right.  This is where you purchase BB dollars to play in the game.  North Penn is charging $5 per game.
4. Send your name and BB user name to northpennbridge@gmail.com

Here's how to start a game:

1. Log in to www. Bridgebase.com/v3. Find the section for “Play or Watch Bridge” (blue stripe). Click on “Competitive”. Under “Tournaments” (green stripe), click on “ACBL Virtual Clubs”.   The tournament will be visible 2 hours before game time.
2. Look for games identified as North Penn. Click on the game to see details about the game or to send an Invitation to your partner for play in the event. Hint: Unless you plan to pay for your partner, your registration will be pending until your partner also logs on and accepts your invitation to play. Please stay on-line until this occurs and you receive a confirmation that your entry has been completed. 
3. Once the registration is complete, you do NOT need to stay on-line. Please log back on 10 minutes prior to the game start time to make certain you have no connection issues.

There is a tutorial on the ACBL website at https://www.acbl.org/bbotutorials.

To access Bridgebase Online (BBO), go to https://www.bridgebase.com. You will need to create a logon ID (free), a password of your choice.  Remember your screen name/logon ID, because you or your team leader will need it to set up matches.

Here is an instructional video on how to play a hand on BBO. (The play is weak, but it explains the basic mechanics.)
Here is a video demonstrating play against robots.

Note that the Alert feature on BBO differs from face-to-face methods.  BBO bids are self-alerting.  When you are about to make a bid that should be alerted, you enter a description of your bid on a line in the bidding box before you submit the bid.  That description is visible to your opponents but not to your partner.

Help information is available here.

BBO common abbreviations are described here.

In on-line games, there is no “UNDO” of bids and plays. If you are prone to clicking the wrong bid or play, there is an option in your profile that forces you to confirm all bids and plays. You can virtually eliminate (physical) mistakes by turning that feature ON.

If you want to play, but your favorite partner is unavailable (or unwilling to play with you again), you can register your name under ‘Partnerships’. Nothing automatic will happen, but if you’re looking for someone to invite to play, that would be a good place to start.

Results from the Virtual Club should (eventually) show up on Live for Clubs!

There are several things that you should be aware of when playing on-line. The pace of play is a bit ‘brisker’ than at the club. While there remains a social aspect, it usually occurs after the hands in the current round are concluded. And we expect that if you can claim (or concede) the rest of the tricks, you will do so promptly to keep the game moving. There is a “Claim” button on the screen when you are playing or defending a hand.

Additionally, players ‘self-Alert’ their artificial bids.  Unlike the Club, where you Alert your partner’s bids, on-line we Alert our own bids and calls.  You do this by entering the meaning of Alertable bids on the line provided when it is your turn to call; then hit the Alert button before actually entering the call you are making (bid, pass, double, or redouble). YOUR PARTNER WILL NOT SEE YOUR ALERTS.  When you receive an Alert from an opponent, they are NOT CHEATING… remember, their partner cannot see their information to you.

Chatting at the table is permitted (there is a message button available at the bottom of your screen), but anything you say to the Table is public information and can be seen by all parties. You are able to communicate privately with either or both opponents, but not privately to your partner.

And (fortunately for the game Director) there is no Bridgemate upon which you can enter or approve wrong results. All results are recorded automatically, so you don’t have to worry with checking the accuracy of the final results. 

The Valley Forge Bridge Club has an excellent FAQ here.