[arepo24]

When four friends choose to play in the relaxed room is it perfectly permissible for them to casually have a 4-way phone conversation while they are playing the hands? Are there any rules to the contrary?

[sfi]

arepo24, on 2020-April-23, 16:27, said:

When four friends choose to play in the relaxed room is it perfectly permissible for them to casually have a 4-way phone conversation while they are playing the hands? Are there any rules to the contrary?

You can do what you like if all four of you are happy with it. We play while on skype all the time.

[Vampyr]

How is the relaxed room different to whatever the other room is called?

[paulg]

Vampyr, on 2020-April-23, 23:45, said:

How is the relaxed room different to whatever the other room is called?

There is no functional different between tables in the Main Bridge Club and the Relaxed Bridge Club.

Originally there was just Main Bridge Club. After a few years BBO introduced the Relaxed Bridge Club, which I believe was done to provide a less competitive environment and perhaps avoid the worst excesses of competitiveness that was occasionally seen at tables. If a player, or pair, were happy to face more serious players, typically with more complicated systems and conventions, then they'd go to the Main Bridge Club.

I don't know that it has ever made a significant difference, but at least the nomenclature sets an expectation.

I believe results are only compared from other tables within the club you are playing.

[arepo24]

Would it be different if you are playing in the Main Bridge Club with your four buddies? Is skype or 4-way phoning acceptable there too? I should think it also would be.
The only time cheating could rear its ugly head would be if they were not all friends in agreement to using the phones.

[mycroft]

Why would there be an issue in the Main Bridge Club? What could you possibly be doing in a 4-way conversation (two-way, I get!) to cook results and hands that will match the 7NTxx bailers, the splinter passers, and the self-kibbers? I'm not saying there are very many of any of those either, but what could your one table do?

And if someone else's results are poor because of whatever you cooked up in that game - what of that, either? What difference does that table make compared to the "midnight game" I play on occasion, where the bridge is good, but the tequila is better? Or the game I play where I'm practising my rusty EHAA, or "illegal" Phantom Club, or Forcing Pass system?

Discord meets would be great for this (or Skype chats, or...) Bridge - at least in the BBO club - is for entertainment, and whatever's entertaining for the four of you is great.

In a tournament or other game where the results matter (even for 0.14 Masterpoints worth of matter), of course, rules is rules.

[barmar]

You can do whatever you want when playing with friends, it doesn't matter which room you're in. It's just like playing around a kitchen table.