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Need a quick pick-me-up? Try the Express – 4 Fast Boards indy tournaments! 4 Boards. 6 minutes per board. BBO Point awards. 0.10 BB$ entry fee.
If you play casual games on BBO, be aware of recent changes which affect your ability to switch to tournaments: Watch this Youtube video.
You’ll empathize with Sue Morse after reading Bridge in the time of Coronavirus in the June 2020 edition of the ACBL Bridge Bulletin (pp 14-17).
The May 2020 edition of the ACBL Bridge Bulletin features a two-page article on BBO by Paul Linxwiler (pp 24-25).
► Local club games on BBO
There are some local club games on BBO. VBC has a Friday limited game at 9:45. Monterey’s games change too often to be regularly scheduled so ask Nicole to find out when.
To access these games, go to Virtual Clubs in the FEATURED AREAS section. Then click on ACBL Virtual Clubs. A list of games will appear. Using the search box at the top, type in “Victoria” to select the Victoria game.
► Victoria mentor games on BBO
Mentor Game Organizers Heather and Terry are Mentor Games on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month, starting at 12:15.
As with the local club games, go to Virtual Clubs in the FEATURED AREAS section of BBO. Then click on ACBL Virtual Clubs. Using the search box at the top, type in “Victoria” to select the Victoria mentor game.
Given the extra work this entails for the organizers, players are asked to arrange their own partnerships. If you are really stuck, let us know by emailing us at mentorgame@bridgevictoria.ca and we will try to help you. Players are not expected to play in every game (although all are most welcome) but they will have more options timewise. The price remains the same with the Mentees registering and paying $3.00 each for both themselves and their Mentors.
► Help Using BBO
BBO (bridgebase.com) can be somewhat overwhelming when you first start using it. Fortunately there are many web resources available to help you understand how it works.
As might be expected, ACBL has a large collection of tutorials explaining how to use BBO, which can be found here.
Alternatively, for a very good and short introduction (assuming you understand Australian), try this video by Peter Hollands.
Once you’re familiar with BBO, Pete will help you with table play here.
How to set up a casual table to play with your friends
Maybe you just want to play an open-ended casual game with some friends. It’s easy to set up a table. Watch this short video and you’ll be up and running in no time.
How to buy BB$ without paying extra fees.
If you play competitive games on BBO, you’ll need to keep a credit balance in the form of BB$. You might be using an app to play BBO on your device, however when it comes time to buy more BB$, don’t use it. Instead go the website (bridgebase.com), log in and click the blue BB$ box in the top right corner (shown below).
You can then choose the Purchase option and pay with a credit card or through Paypal with no additional third-party fees. If you use a US$ credit card, then of course you pay no exchange or administrative fees. And you can set up automatic payments and never have to worry about running out just as you’re about to start a game.
The Sagamore Bridge Club is another excellent resource offering a series of videos on various aspects of BBO.
For your convenience, they are listed below as clickable links:
- How to Join BBO
- How to add $ on BBO
- How to find YOUR club’s games on BBO
- Need a Partner? Learn how to use Partnership Desk
- How to Bid & Play on BBO
- How to Self-Alert bids on BBO
- How to make a BBO Convention Card
- Comprehensive tutorial (38min)
► Finding your friends on BBO
If you’ve logged onto BBO and would like to play with someone you know, you need to know their BBO username, aka “handle”. To make it easier for Victoria players, we have created a webpage with the names and handles of local players. Currently, 96 Victoria players have signed up. You can do so by clicking here. Note that the list is only available to registered players.
The next step is to actually befriend the person on BBO. You might be friends in real life but BBO doesn’t know (yet). So you need to ask your prospective friend and he/she then needs to reply. You do all of this on BBO through a few clicks. I’ve put together a two-minute video featuring me (HikerJP) and my friend-to-be (stonecrop1) going through the steps.
This page is a work in progress. Suggestions and comments will be gratefully received. Please send them to webmaster@bridgevictoria.ca