[nick_s]

I'd like an option to find another pair to play against.

What often seems to happen is that my partner and I create a table in the main bridge club, then wait for other players to show up. We then spend a couple of hours playing while various opponents of varying ability and varying seriousness switch in and out.

I'd like to be able to request another pair to play against instead of a couple of random singles. I think you could accomplish this by having a sign-up sheet for pairs that want to play against another pair.

[Codo]

yes! Please!!

[Echognome]

So let's see how this might work. You end up setting up tables that are only for pairs. So then the "pairs only" tables start becoming popular. And singles thus match up with other singles to become pairs. Then they have a disagreement and one leaves, so you get the next "pair" of singles and the single whose partner ditched him has to reenter the pool to find a partner. Sounds to me like it wouldn't solve the problem at all!

[nick_s]

Echognome, on Mar 19 2008, 01:26 PM, said:

So let's see how this might work. You end up setting up tables that are only for pairs. So then the "pairs only" tables start becoming popular. And singles thus match up with other singles to become pairs. Then they have a disagreement and one leaves, so you get the next "pair" of singles and the single whose partner ditched him has to reenter the pool to find a partner. Sounds to me like it wouldn't solve the problem at all!

Fair point... and you're no worse off than you were before.

OTOH, suppose you /do/ find another regular partnership to play against. There's no way do this right now - unless you already know the people involved and invite them to a game.

[1eyedjack]

I think the original suggestion has some legs. Sure, the objections raised have a point, but the question has to be: has it a net benefit. I say yes.

[Codo]

On ayn given minute we have between 2.000 and 20.000 players on the site, I doubt that the "pairs only" tables will acctract them all, so there will still be a big group of normal tables around. But even if the doubt of the gnome are right, what do we lose? Nothing.

[Tola18]

This proposal of a "pair-club" was up some year ago, with a lot people here supporting it.

Our (my) compromise suggestion was to change the Master club which almost nobody uses, into such Pair club.

Im rather surprised nothing has been done.

[TylerE]

I gave this some thought, and here's what I've come up with.

Add a new level to friends: "partners".

Allow a table host to designate a pair of seats as a "pair" or some such, either leaving both open, or specifying a single player for one seat. When a player trys to sit at one of these seats (only allowed if they have an available (e.g. online but not playing)), that player will get a pop-up box showing which of their registered partners are available. They can then pick one and send an invite, which would appear to partner, similar to a team game invite. They'd then join as a pair. Allow the sitting player, say, 30 seconds to invite a partner and then free the seat up.

[DrTodd13]

I've already patented all these ideas. Now, you all owe me money. Please deposit the money in my BBO account or you'll be hearing from my attorney.

[nick_s]

DrTodd13, on Mar 20 2008, 01:17 PM, said:

I've already patented all these ideas.  Now, you all owe me money.  Please deposit the money in my BBO account or you'll be hearing from my attorney.

I did a couple of searches before posting, but I guess I searched for the wrong things.
A search through DrTodd13's previous postings uncovered this thread:

http://forums.bridge...showtopic=21012

Evidently there was an even earlier request for this feature, but I can't find it.

[sceptic]

Echognome, on Mar 19 2008, 06:26 PM, said:

So let's see how this might work.  You end up setting up tables that are only for pairs.  So then the "pairs only" tables start becoming popular.  And singles thus match up with other singles to become pairs.  Then they have a disagreement and one leaves, so you get the next "pair" of singles and the single whose partner ditched him has to reenter the pool to find a partner.  Sounds to me like it wouldn't solve the problem at all!

I thought about this and think that a small (hahah I have no idea how small) adjustment to the software could be made to cure this problem, the numbers on peoples names could coincide when they sit together to tally up how many times that pair have played together , then you would have an indication of how regular they play together, as people that play together quite a bit tend not to desert each other

[DrTodd13]

nick_s, on Mar 20 2008, 12:25 PM, said:

DrTodd13, on Mar 20 2008, 01:17 PM, said:

I've already patented all these ideas.  Now, you all owe me money.  Please deposit the money in my BBO account or you'll be hearing from my attorney.

I did a couple of searches before posting, but I guess I searched for the wrong things.
A search through DrTodd13's previous postings uncovered this thread:

http://forums.bridge...showtopic=21012

Evidently there was an even earlier request for this feature, but I can't find it.

In the bridge system I wrote for fun, this was the only way of playing. You had to find someone you wanted to play with first. Then you had to find a pair that wanted to play against you. I could add a feature in my system to pair up people who don't care who they play with but what I hate is look at the tables, see someone sitting I'd like to play with, play a couple of hands then that person has to leave and somebody sits down who I definitely don't want to play with. I also had a special lobby where people looking for a partner could hang out and you could search by ratings, system, etc. I think if people have even a little invested in a partnership then they'll be nicer and the table churn due to bad results any total anonymity will be lessened. I also allowed two pairs to form a team and then search for other teams to play team games against.