[zasanya]

I have often seen pick up partners misunderstanding each others' bidding/signalling and then starting a verbal duel .I can understand this happening with some frustrated souls who want to satisfy their ruffled egos
I have the highest respect for the regular posters on this forum ,yet I cannot understand why they play with pick up partners and if they do why do they publicise these incidents.Surely they know enough people on BBO to have a game where they can be reasonably sure of Partners' abilities?
On rare occasions when one cannot find a compatible Partner aren't there are many other interesting things to do?
Why play with a pick up Partner and if one does and when the inevitable misunderstanding happens why discuss it?

[sceptic]

to try and learn from it, if you supposedly both play sayc, why should you not be able to ask questions

and any way if you dont play with pick up pards, you lower ur chance of social interaction and meeting new friends

[kenrexford]

1. Why play with pick-up partners on BBO?

Because the vast majority of people on BBO are competent, friendly folks. If you want to play a few hands late at night, and just want to jump in wherever, you are almost guaranteed a pleasurable and fun experience with a "stranger." That has always been the #1 draw for me about this site. The "riff-raff" is top-notch.

2. Why publicize the bad incidents?

Pure frustration with the amazing capacity for the rare person who is amazingly rude AND amazingly inept at the same time. Bidding or play miscommunications occasionally occur with pick-up partners. These can be hilarious. Ideally, they may occur among two "expert" players when each knows what the bid "should" mean, but one is not yet confident that the other is bidding at that level with a pcikup partner. The comments than go, "I was not sure that's what you were doing," then, "I thought I'd try it," and "OK." From that point on, the game is at that next level, and IMPs roll in.

However, some pseudo-experts claim to be experts and then cannot figure out simple "expert" interpretations. They assume, instead, that the call was an idiot mistake. They are probably frustrated by all of the "idiot mistakes" that all the other real experts they pick up make. So, rather than figure it out, they start typing rude insults and prove their own inadequacies, at the table and socially. This frustrates some of us, and we lash out on a rare occasion.

[SoTired]

astute observations, kenrexford. Makes sense to me.

[keylime]

Same logic applies with new partnerships. I know Larry and I being only 3 months into it at times get lost in an auction or a hand. Temperament is key, and I am fortunate that I have an even-keeled partner that simply wants it right and doesn't result.

[barmar]

I often wonder the same thing about people who enter Individuals and then berate their partner for doing something stupid or silly. When you play in an Indy, you should expect randomness; if you can't deal with it, don't enter it in the first place.

[jikl]

When I enter an Indie and get a player of dubious quality, I just hope there are enough rounds left for me to get this person as LHO or RHO instead of CHO

Sean

[adhoc3]

I've made many friends playing with random pard, that's made more good bridges for me. We were all strangers when we started in BBO.

Usually, the replies are much more than whatever the original poster is about, and bring wider vision and creative ideas. Truely thanks I think many others may feel the same with me.

[civill]

"Pick them up and then complain",It's a process of picking,I think.

[Tola18]

sceptic, on Sep 10 2006, 06:47 AM, said:

to try and learn from it, if you supposedly both play sayc, why should you not be able to ask questions

the problem is I think, many interprets a curious question or polite suggestion as hidden criticism - yes even insult.

And sometimes it IS polite criticism...


Taken from the other side: a weak point in BBO is almost nobody discuss bridge...

One reason is perhaps english isnt motherlanguage to most, it is difficult to write correctly and quickly with all nuances. And you cant write in your own motherlanguage even if partner IS from the same country, opps thinks it is rude if you dont use english or other language common to all four....

Another problem in communications is many uses extreme shortings. If you dont know the shorting-jargong you will not understand the message anyway, even if partner do tries to talk bridge...

[boris3161]

If, for example, two Turkish players are playing together, I think it would be churlish ops who would object to a discussion being held after a hand in Turkish, especially if someone was to say "do you mind if I explain my bidding/play in Turkish?". However, if the conversation carries on during play of the next hand, most of us would have no way of knowing wnether it was still on the original topic or exchanging unauthorised information. Most of the time, you can trust the honesty of opposition, can't you?