What do I put in the ID number field?
Your email address.
Are ACBL masterpoints awarded?
Short answer: No 😤. (We can award cash prizes.)
Long answer: Early in the covid era, the ACBL contracted exclusively with BBO to run Virtual Club Games, Support Your Club Games, and Online “Regional” and “North American” Tournaments. That contract prohibits awarding ACBL masterpoints for play on any other online platform (except for the grandfathered “unpigmented” masterpoint games on Funbridge, OKbridge, and Swan).
(If you don’t like this policy, you might write to your representatives on the ACBL Board of Directors and Board of Governors.)
Even without masterpoints, we think RealBridge has so many advantages over BBO that many of us will want to play on RealBridge, at least occasionally!
How do I use convention cards?
RealBridge doesn’t support convention cards at present. It’s courteous to give your opponents a one-sentence system summary at the start of a round, and of course you should make the normal alerts and announcements (see the next question).
How do I alert?
That depends on the alert mode chosen by the director.
Normal mode: Alert (or announce) as you do in face-to-face play: when your partner makes an alertable (or announceable) call, click ALERT and either say “Alert” or make the appropriate announcement.
Self-alert mode: As on BBO, silently click ALERT and, if asked, silently type an explanation. (Alerts and explanations are visible to both your opponents but not to your partner.)
Screen mode: Imagine a sound-proof screen placed diagonally across the table so that North and East can see and hear each other but can’t see or hear South or West (and vice-versa). Alert both your own bids and your partner’s. Only your screenmate sees and hears your alerts.
Screen mode with self-alerts: You can only see and hear your screenmate, but you alert your own bids and type explanations as in self-alert mode.
Can I kibitz?
Not yet. (RealBridge does now support delayed kibitzing for major events.)
What if my device stops displaying what it should or stops responding to clicks?
First, try leaving the table and returning (by clicking Leave and then clicking the appropriate Sit button).
If that doesn’t work, try reloading or closing your browser window (or quitting your browser altogether) and then logging back into our RealBridge room (via the link you used in the first place).
How do I find a partner?
Meet others looking for partners at high-numbered tables. Log in at least 15 minutes before game time. Click a Sit button at a high-numbered table and talk with the others at that table. To move to a different table, click Leave, and then Sit. When you’ve found a partner, Leave the high-numbered table and Sit opposite each other at a low-numbered table.
(Players in the “lobby” can communicate by typing “chat,” but you can actually see and speak to each other if you Sit at a table together.)
Do I have to be a Westwood, Puritan, Midcape, or Dennis-Yarmouth member to play? Do I need permission to bring a guest?
No and no. Our club-organized RealBridge games are open to anyone. Our player-organized invitational games are open to any invited players.
I thought STOP cards were banned. Why do I see STOP cards on RealBridge?
The ACBL gave up on STOP cards because they were often abused and ignored. On RealBridge, players can’t abuse STOP cards because they’re automatically shown for ten seconds with every skip bid, and players can’t ignore STOP cards because they can’t call while the STOP card is showing. It’s all good!
What do you charge for RealBridge sessions?
Typically $5 without cash prizes or $6 with cash prizes. (We charge $6 on BBO. RealBridge charges us less than BBO, and the ACBL doesn’t get table fees for games without masterpoints, so when we charge $6 we return our cost savings to players as prizes.)
How do you collect table fees?
We bill you monthly by email. You can pay with a check or via an electronic payment system.
I’m having audio and/or video problems.
Click the “redial” icon to the right of your name to restart your embedded audio and video (see “Audio and video controls” in the RealBridge Player Guide).
Why am I hearing voices or noise?
Probably because a player’s microphone is picking up background conversation, radio, television, or other noise. You can figure out which player’s microphone it’s coming from by selectively turning down their volume—click the speaker icon to the left of a player’s name (see “Audio and video controls” in the RealBridge Player Guide).
Why am I hearing echos?
Probably because a player’s microphone isn’t suppressing echos from his speaker. You can figure out which player the echos are coming from by selectively turning down their volume—click the speaker icon to the left of a player’s name (see “Audio and video controls” in the RealBridge Player Guide). A player whose system isn’t suppressing echos should use a headset or adjust the volume and placement of microphone and speakers.
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