[mikeh]

pigpenz, on Aug 29 2008, 01:25 PM, said:

ArtK78, on Aug 29 2008, 12:03 PM, said:

Online points are unpigmented (they have no color).  They do count towards the various life master and beyond rankings; however, no more than one-third of the points needed for any particular ranking may consist of online points.

For example, no more than 100 online points can count towards Life Master rank; no more than 1667 online points can count towards Diamond Life Master rank (5000 points); etc.

Online points do not count in the various annual masterpoint races except for the online masterpoint race.

so why do the top 3 or 4 people rated continue to play for the 2500masterpoints that they have won?
1. extra money to spend
2. dont care about points that dont count for ranks
3. are all over 10,000 so there is no upper limit for online usage?
4. are all addicted, so they are pleading insanity

Who plays for the masterpoints?

Ok, if you are trying to win some race somewhere, or need to show a lot of points in order to justify one's playing fees, as a pro...ok. But winning points should be secondary...play for the fun of the game, or the challenge, or as practice for an important event, or because of friendship with partner or teammates.. not for the points.

[matmat]

ArtK78, on Aug 29 2008, 10:57 AM, said:

There are club games in my unit and in the neighboring Delaware Unit that routinely award over 7 points in a single session game.

back when I still played club games here I don't recall the awards ever going substantially over 1MP. I thoroughly didn't enjoy the club experience either...

[matmat]

mikeh, on Aug 29 2008, 02:55 PM, said:

Who plays for the masterpoints?

Ok, if you are trying to win some race somewhere, or need to show a lot of points in order to justify one's playing fees, as a pro...ok. But winning points should be secondary...play for the fun of the game, or the challenge, or as practice for an important event, or because of friendship with partner or teammates.. not for the points.

I don't have an easy access to the numbers, but I imagine that the bridge playing population in the US is much larger than the ACBL membership. The status of life monster, however easily attainable, is bound to be used as a status symbol in some circles, despite the relative ease of attaining it.

that said, i still don't like that the various levels are called "master."
"Apprentice" seems much more fitting, though I doubt that would ever catch on...

"I made sectional apprentice today, dear!"

[ArtK78]

As I recall, the title of "life monster" was awarded by the disciplinary committee of the club in the Bridge in the Menagerie series. If a player was found to have committed a certain number of offenses, he was awarded the title of Life Monster.

[blackshoe]

Heh. That one would be pandemic.

[mike777]

I noted they voted on a new Platinum Pairs event also.


http://web2.acbl.org/documentlibrary/about...082-Minutes.pdf

[SoTired]

mikeh, on Aug 29 2008, 02:55 PM, said:

Who plays for the masterpoints?

Excuse me, I have to ask. Exactly what planet are you from?

Quote

Ok, if you are trying to win some race somewhere, or need to show a lot of points in order to justify one's playing fees, as a pro...ok. But winning points should be secondary...play for the fun of the game, or the challenge, or as practice for an important event, or because of friendship with partner or teammates.. not for the points.

Should! Is this wishful thinking or projection?

If you take offense, I apologize in advance for this post. It is late and I am still dumb-struck by the clever weaselness and reverse weaselness in the "UI?" thread.

[JoAnneM]

It is said that 25 million people in the US play bridge. Approx. 160,000 are paid up members of ACBL. Some would say the ACBL members are the elite players. I say that duplicate bridge is just a different form of bridge and we belong to the organized part of the game because of its ranking goals, club structure, and tournament play.

There are probably non duplicate players out there playing at home who could rival the great players of our time but they just are not interested.

[655321]

JoAnneM, on Aug 30 2008, 05:32 PM, said:

I say that duplicate bridge is just a different form of bridge and we belong to the organized part of the game because of its ranking goals, club structure, and tournament play.

There are probably non duplicate players out there playing at home who could rival the great players of our time but they just are not interested.

I disagree with your position.

[hrothgar]

JoAnneM, on Aug 31 2008, 01:32 AM, said:

It is said that 25 million people in the US play bridge. Approx. 160,000 are paid up members of ACBL. Some would say the ACBL members are the elite players. I say that duplicate bridge is just a different form of bridge and we belong to the organized part of the game because of its ranking goals, club structure, and tournament play.

There are probably non duplicate players out there playing at home who could rival the great players of our time but they just are not interested.

Sorry, I don't buy into any of this..

First of all lets consider this oft bandied claim that there are 25 million bridge players out the in US. The are (roughly) 300 million people in the US. I don't believe that 8% of them play any meaningful amount of bridge.

There might be be 25 million people who have heard of bridge. Perhaps they played the occasional hand long long ago... However, I think that the cable television, dual income households, the cineplex, and the internet, killed the social game a decade or two back. The social players who were too set in their ways to migrate to new and better things are probably either dead of old age or alternatively take the game seriously enough that there are ACBL members. You might be able to scrape up "social" bridge players, but I suspect that they are bridge payers in the same way that I am a tennis player. I know how to play. I used to play. However, I haven't picked up a racquet in a couple decades.

There might have been 25 million bridge players in the US once upon a time, but those days are dead and gone.

As for the claim that the world of social bridge is populated by unknown Helgemos, Rosenbergs, and the like... I'd be shocked. I'm sure that there are lots of very good players out there. I kow for a fact that players like Zia and Hallburg have been able to move effectively from high stakes rubber bridge to high level duplicate. However, I think that cut throat high stakes rubber bridge is ever bit as far removed from the "25 million" playing around their kitchen as tables are is ACBL style duplicate,

[CSGibson]

hrothgar, on Aug 30 2008, 04:37 PM, said:

JoAnneM, on Aug 31 2008, 01:32 AM, said:

It is said that 25 million people in the US play bridge.  Approx. 160,000 are paid up members of ACBL.   Some would say the ACBL members are the elite players.  I say that duplicate bridge is just a different form of bridge and we belong to the organized part of the game because of its ranking goals, club structure, and tournament play.

There are probably non duplicate players out there playing at home who could rival the great players of our time but they just are not interested.

Sorry, I don't buy into any of this..

...

Though I cannot quote statistics saying who does and does not play bridge, I would like to point out that there are bridge columns in practically every daily newspaper, and whenever a newspaper tries to remove them, they get enough mail and phone calls that they put them back into circulation. To me, that says that Joanne's supposition as to the number of social bridge players may be close to correct, as I don't think duplicate players in an area could come close to making a big enough ruckus for major newspapers to react.

As to the quality of the social bridge player - not close in most cases, primarily because of the bidding innovations that have not leaked into social circles.

[bill1157]

I think it is ok to raise the requirements for lm. Taking my own case, after i made LM i stopped playing much duplicate for about 20 yrs. I have recently gotten back into it, but i think many curtail their tournament playing after they make LM, so why not make them keep trying for it a little longer?
The inflation of MP's is ok, because having special club game that award more points increases attendance. For me 1st/6 tables is more exciting than 1st/3 tables!
LM needs to be attainable, but not too easy.. it still has to have some appearance of being an achievement.

Bill

[kfay]

mike777, on Aug 29 2008, 03:48 PM, said:

I noted they voted on a new Platinum Pairs event also.


http://web2.acbl.org/documentlibrary/about...082-Minutes.pdf

Wow this looks brutal.