[ernietd]

I'm sure it's just me and the answer is very obvious. I would like to play but there are things that I just can't find.

On some of the ACBL tourney's "More info" sections, it says one must have a convention card filled out. And after filling it in, how do others know what it says? Where would I find that? How can I get from BBO to this forum without jumping out and signing back in?

On some of the tourneys, people say, partner must pay for me. What is that all about?

I keep seeing refernces to BBO's standard play, where is that? and there is also reference to a teaching section. Where?

Obviously every one else has found the answers to all this, so I feel really dumb. Help

[Bbradley62]

ernietd, on 2011-May-01, 15:03, said:

On some of the tourneys, people say, partner must pay for me. What is that all about?

Some tournaments are free to play in, but some are not. You can buy BBO dollars, which you then use to pay for the not-free tournaments. If you do not have any BBO dollars, your partner can pay for you.

[ernietd]

I figured that, but are these people so good I would want to pay for them to play with me? B

[barmar]

Have you clicked on Help in BBO? There's lots of information there, although I don't recall if your specific questions are answered.

If you use the web version of BBO, there are buttons "EW CC" and "NS CC" that display the convention cards.

You can get from BBO to the forums without signing out by opening a new browser window or tab.

I've also wondered about the players who have "Partner must pay for me" set and are looking for pick-up partners. Who's going to go for that unless there's a star next to their name?

When you click on Convention Cards, there are BBO standard SAYC and 2/1 cards that you can select.

There isn't a separate teaching section, but tables can be designated as teaching tables. When you go into the Main Bridge Club, look for "Teaching" in the Details column (where most tables say "Duplicate"). You may need to select "Full Tables" rather than "Open Tables", as most teaching tables will have players sitting in all the seats.

There's also the Beginner/Intermediate Lounge. Teaching tables are often likely to be found there. You get there by clicking on "All Public and Private" clubs.

[diana_eva]

ernietd, on 2011-May-01, 15:03, said:

I'm sure it's just me and the answer is very obvious. I would like to play but there are things that I just can't find.

On some of the ACBL tourney's "More info" sections, it says one must have a convention card filled out. And after filling it in, how do others know what it says? Where would I find that? How can I get from BBO to this forum without jumping out and signing back in?

On some of the tourneys, people say, partner must pay for me. What is that all about?

I keep seeing refernces to BBO's standard play, where is that? and there is also reference to a teaching section. Where?

Obviously every one else has found the answers to all this, so I feel really dumb. Help

Hi, welcome to BBO and to the Forums

To find and fill in a convention card, click the My BBO button at the top of the screen. You can view the BBO Stock CCs there, and choose one to customize with your own favorite conventions.
Click the Edit button next to the CC you would like to modify and either type your partner's name in the corresponding box, or mark it as your Favorite.
You can use a CC at the table by clicking the NS CC or EW CC at the bottom of the table. You can also view your opponents' convention card by clicking the corresponding NS CC / EW CC button.

To get to the Forums without leaving BBO open another browser window, like Barmar explained.

I am not sure what you mean by BBO's standard play - maybe SAYC (standard american)? If that is the case, you can view the SAYC CCs in the Stock Convention Cards (My BBO > Convention Cards).

As for the people who register in the partnership desk and mention that Partner has to pay their entry fee, well... It's an option and people use it You don't have to pay for anyone unless you have reasons to believe they are worth it. If they have a star in the profile, it means they have represented their country in live competitions. If they have an AKQJ10 symbol in their profile, it means they play a lot of pay tourneys, and they have won a lot of BBO Masterpoints - so they are probably experienced in how things go with that type of tourneys on BBO.

You can sort the list of people looking for a partner by clicking the "Payment Policy" heading.

There is no "teaching section" as a place where people go and get lessons anytime. There are lots of teaching and practice facilities, such as teaching tables, bidding tables, hand editor, dealer etc. You can explore them by clicking Start a table, then look in Start a training table.

To kibitz at a teaching table, check the list of Full tables and look at the description. It is likely that some of the teaching sessions are private, so either they require permission to join, or they disallow kibitzers.

If you are interested in taking lessons, a good way to get started is this free tutorial from the ACBL: Learn to play bridge And this is a free demo to practice hand play: BM2000 Demo Deals

Another option would be to join the Beginner Intermediate Lounge (BIL). The BIL is a private club that offers lessons daily, private mentoring and other facilities for advancing players. However they charge a registration fee. This is their site: the BIL site