[keyjames]

I've started playing robot duplicate games routinely. I think the robot games offer a lot of potential for players to improve their game. However, the "best hand" principle makes the duplicate games into a novelty, as opposed to Real Bridge. I would like to request that the people who run BBO start offering "random hand" robot duplicate games (currently only the "Robot Reward" games are run in the random hand format).

The reason I would prefer random hand games is that it would give me an opportunity to develop my game in a more comprehensive manner. In real bridge, you have to defend a lot more hands -- I want to work on my defense. In real bridge, auctions are much more likely to be competitive -- I want to work on my competitive bidding. In short, I want to work on all aspects of my bridge game, and the "best hand" format just isn't doing it for me.

I really enjoy using BBO and playing the robot games. I hope to see more "random hand" robot games offered in the near future!

[mgoetze]

Welcome to the forum, keyjames.

I agree with this post wholeheartedly.

[jdeegan]

Well said about the novelty part. The problem is that spending an evening defending opposite a robot is worse than a root canal. To my mind trying to win these idiot robot games is futile, but the bridge practice is useful.

[Bbradley62]

Instead of selecting only hands where South has the best hand, maybe the program could select all hands where South has at least some minimum total point count, to keep the human player interested? Something around 6?

[derq]

does gib play any attitude, count, suit preference signals? without reliable carding agreements, it's hard to study defense with the robot.

[pigpenz]

I have enjoyed playing agaisnt the bots in the main club good practice etc
even though GIB doesnt seem to count his tricks very well at times

but some of the other robot games are gimmicks it seems
could you imagine a real acbl game where you always had the best hand at the table?
Let smake it real random deals etc, you can go with the field by sitting sout with everyone else
or go antifield and sit in a GIB seat (North East West). I am well aware that there is a strategy
involved for the ACBL games but come on giving away masterpoints for this!

Read the robot race strategies, I can even imagine wanting to do this, but I a sure it does become addictive.
Where we pass hands out or whatever so we can only have game and slam hands....this doesnt seem like real bridge.

[barmar]

derq, on 2011-August-13, 07:42, said:

does gib play any attitude, count, suit preference signals? without reliable carding agreements, it's hard to study defense with the robot.

Sometimes it seems like GIB gives count signals. But it doesn't do so reliably. And as far as I know, it never looks at your signals.

Since signalling is such an important part of defense, this is why defending with GIB is not very good practice.