[ArtK78]

I have been playing a lot lately in the ACBL Robot individual tournaments, where you play with a bot against 2 bots in a 12 board MP tournament. Each real person sits South.

There were a couple of hands lately that I found to be extraordinary. I have learned to accept the eccentricities of the bots. But sometimes what the bots do goes way beyond the pale.

Recently, at unfavorable vul, I held a good 6-1-1-5 hand. If I remember correctly, it was AKT9xx K x AKQxx. The bidding was (3♥) - P - (4♥) to me, and I bid a calm 4♠ which was passed out.

The opening lead was a small diamond (also interesting that the bots lead an unbid suit) and the dummy held:

Q x AKQJTxxxxx J

10 solid diamonds and my robot partner passed over 3♥!

Another hand I found interesting was this one. I held ATx x AKQxx KQJx. I opened 1♦ and my LH Bot bid 2♠. This was passed back to me and I chose 2NT. Pass by LH Bot. 4♥ by CH Bot! I didn't think this was right, and, despite a premonition of what was about to happen, I bid 5♣. Sure enough, CH Bot bid 5♥. I gave up at this point. My partner held xx Kxxxxx xxx xx. Funny thing, I saw the bidding at another table that went the same as mine, except the human at the other table did not give up over 5♥. He bid again, the bot bid 6♥. The human tried 6NT and the bot bid 7♥! The human bid 7NT knowing that the bot could not bid 8♥. The other bots started doubling above 5♥, and the 7NTx contract was ticketed for a huge number except the human refused to play it and exited the tournament.

[TimG]

I think that GIB assumes at least a doubleton in every suit for many NT calls and once it gets it in its mind that its 6-card suit plus your doubleton is trumps, there is no changing its mind.

[jdonn]

1st hand, is probably just so extraordinary that it's not covered by the rules regarding initial action. Or maybe there is a rule requiring more than 13 hcp for a 4 level overcall over an opening preempt.

The second hand is not weird at all. If it believes 2NT shows a balanced hand, as it 'technically' does, then your bot has every right to expect the hand belongs in hearts. No amount of later bids you make will change that you have shown a balanced hand. Extraordinary is a huge huge overbid.

[barmar]

BTW, there's now a forum specifically for posting comments and complaints about GIB.

[barmar]

TimG, on Dec 14 2009, 02:35 PM, said:

I think that GIB assumes at least a doubleton in every suit for many NT calls and once it gets it in its mind that its 6-card suit plus your doubleton is trumps, there is no changing its mind.

The converse of that is that GIB is reluctant to let you play NT when IT has a singleton, even if it's in your first bid suit.

[arigreen]

Josh is correct -- GIB doesn't have any special rules for what to do with 10-card solid suits over enemy preempts. Nor is it likely that it will ever have such specific rules. GIB requires 16 total points to overcall at the 4 level, and the given hand Q.x.AKQJTxxxxx.J has 17 total points, so it should have bid 4D. ArtK78, are you sure that you got the hand exactly correct?

[ArtK78]

I will have to go back and check.

[ArtK78]

Apparently, I did not have a very good recollection of the hand. However, now that I have found it, I find it is even more interesting than I originally thought.

Here is the hand:

Scoring: MP

(2♥) - x - (4♥) - 6♠
All Pass

---

So, with 10 solid diamonds and a spade void, over an opening 2♥ bid to its right, GIB doubled.

Not unreasonably, I felt there was a slam on the hand, so I shot out 6♠. This was very successful when LHO led its singleton diamond and the spades split.

[TimG]

When I use "my BBO" -> "Hands and results" -> "Recent tournaments" and then select "my hands" for a Robot Rewards tournament I am spit back to the "Hands and results" menu. That is: I cannot view hands played in Robot Rewards games through "My BBO". Am I doing something wrong, or is it just not possible?

[arigreen]

You are not doing anything wrong. Hands from Robot Rewards tournaments cannot be viewed at the moment. It is likely that your Robot Rewards tournament hands will be viewable soon.

[arigreen]

Agree that X of 2H was awful with that hand. GIB evaulates ♠-- ♥K ♦AKQTxxxxxx ♣Qx as 18 total points (14 high card points, 3 for the void, 1 for the singleton K) and the rules tell it to double with any hand of 18 or more total points.

If GIB's 10-card suit had been spades instead of diamonds, it would have bid 4S. I can add a rule to tell GIB to bid 5D with a strong hand and 8 or more diamonds.

[TimG]

Today GIB held

♠ AQ9753
♥ Q
♦ KJ7642
♣ --

and saw (2♥)-2♠-(3♥).

GIB bid 4♠. I later looked at the explanation for the bid and saw "3+ S".

Is this a similar situation to the 10-card suit? GIB doesn't have rules for this kind of support of partner's overcall?

Edit: #1011, bd 26