This page contains getting started info as well as rules that may be helpful to those playing online.
Our online club games all take place on bridgebase.com. This page is all about getting you started and playing on BBO. The following videos were put together by various clubs across the USA to help people start playing in BBO club games. I think they did a great job. Click on the links below and all will be revealed.
The ACBL is sponsoring weekly Zoom help sessions to get players comfortable with playing on BBO. Here is a schedule. I highly recommend Lynn Yokel’s session. http://web2.acbl.org/documentLibrary/clubs/TD_Zoom_schedule_2020.pdf
Join ACBL
This is all easier if you have an ACBL number. Our games are stratified. Without a number, the system assumes you are a top player only compares your play to the best players in the game. With a number, you only compete against players at your level. Try it out for 3 months with this link. You will need our club number, 159244, and recruiting membership number, use 2509865. You can also use the link below.
https://my.acbl.org/membership/join?club=159244&member=2509865
Learner’s Duplicate
There is Learner’s duplicate at 1 PM on Wednesday. We play 12-18 boards, with a break every 3 or 4 boards for a conference call to discuss the boards. This is a novice game limited to those with 99 masterpoints or less. Please call Libby at 209-610-7003 for more information. Novice and beginner players only.
Playing in Modesto for the first time
If you are playing in Modesto for the first time, make sure that the director knows your BBO user name. You may call, text or email Libby with this information. After you sign into BBO, go to Competitive from the home page, then All Tournaments. You will see all the tournaments running on BBO listed in order of start times. Type MOD into the search window, Modesto tournaments will show up. Hopefully, you won’t have to do this every time and can just go to Virtual Clubs instead.
Go to BBO Play online!
This is the best BBO tutorial. Peter Hollands gives a great tour of BBO and shows not only BBO basic features but some others I was unaware of even though I have played on BBO for several years. Highly recommended for anyone who hasn’t played on BBO and BBO veterans.
How to add money to BBO If you are playing on a phone, you have to follow this link to add money https://www.bridgebase.com/purchase/pay.php . When you return to BBO the money you added will be there. On a phone BB$ does not show up.
Please add money while on the BBO site, not from an app.
How to Bid and Play on BBO it uses a self-alerting system, which is different but not difficult once you know about it.
How to Alert on BBO you still have the right to ask questions about any bid you don’t understand when it is your turn to bid. You do this by clicking on the confusing bid. A box will come up for that player to use to explain his bid. Partners cannot see alerts by their own partners.
How to make out a BBO convention card If you do not have a convention card filled out, we will assume you are playing Standard American Yellow Card systems.
Comprehensive tutorial on how to use Bridge Base for new players, in case anything has been left out.
For game results, click here.
Here is a link to BBO help
Other Tips
Private chat is used when it is necessary to ask a followup question on an opponent’s bid. The goal is to never give unauthorized information to your partner during an auction.
1. You start a private chat by clicking on the user name of the opponent who has made a bid where you need more clarification.
2. The opponent gets your question (and he/she should notice it says “private” and not “table”)
3. The opponent can now answer your question by either A) clicking on the bid in question and using the explain box OR B) answering in the “private” chat box. OR C) by clicking on the User’s name of the person who asked you the question and typing your answer.
4. Please make sure that when you answer a private question during an auction that you do not type it in the chat box IF the left blue box says “table.” It should say “private.”