[Trysalot]

fred, on Aug 20 2008, 08:51 AM, said:

So to call either scheme "unfair" is a bit unfair

I agree the word "unfair" was not the correct one to use but I was unable at the time to come up with anything better to use.

How about this? People (including me) who budget a certain amount a day to lose in money bridge tournaments would probably find it more attractive to play the $5.00 an entry games if they have a chance to recoup even $1.00 or $2.00 for a lower level placement such as 5th or 6th and win a little less if lucky enough to be 1st Place or 2nd Place.

Thanks, Fred, for saying the prize scheme will be looked at soon and may be structured like the $1.00 tourneys are now.

[fred]

Trysalot, on Aug 21 2008, 05:35 AM, said:

fred, on Aug 20 2008, 08:51 AM, said:

So to call either scheme "unfair" is a bit unfair

I agree the word "unfair" was not the correct one to use but I was unable at the time to come up with anything better to use.

How about this? People (including me) who budget a certain amount a day to lose in money bridge tournaments would probably find it more attractive to play the $5.00 an entry games if they have a chance to recoup even $1.00 or $2.00 for a lower level placement such as 5th or 6th and win a little less if lucky enough to be 1st Place or 2nd Place.

Thanks, Fred, for saying the prize scheme will be looked at soon and may be structured like the $1.00 tourneys are now.

The new prize scheme is in place now.

You will now win exactly 5 times as much money in a $5 MBT as you would by finishing the same place in a $1 MBT with the same number of tables.

You won't see any prizes less than $5 in these tournaments because we have a general rule that the "last place" prize is never less than the entry fee. At some point we might revisit this policy for the $5 tournaments, but that probably won't be happening for at least a few more weeks.

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[Trysalot]

Thank you so much, Fred, for this information. I will definitely be playing in both the $5.00 and the $1.00 MBTs along with playing money bridge tables and ACBL tourneys. All I have to do now is figure out which ACBL tourneys I want to give up in order to play the $5.00 MBTs which start at the same time as the Speedballs. I was doing pretty well at maneuvering the cafeteria line to taste everything every evening and now you've not only added another item to the menu but you're making me choose between it and something else. I just LOVE having to make these decisions. FUN! It's what BBO is all about. THANK YOU.

[Trysalot]

Oh, WOW! I posted in here BEFORE going online to play bridge. Just found out I don't have to choose between $5 MBT and ACBL tourney after all because now the new MBT will be on the half hour as well as the hour. That's terrific! I can play a $5.00 MBT and get out of it in time for the next Speedball. Thank you. Thank you.

And, yes, I noticed the entry limit has been raised to 49. What fun!

[barmar]

Have you given any thought to MBTs longer than a half hour?

It doesn't happen as much in the "best hand" format, but when the opponents make a slam against you it can be almost impossible to catch up in just a half hour.

Has anyone ever won an MBT without making 2 slams? I don't think I have.

[barmar]

I never seem to be able to play more than 11 boards in an MBT. I admit that I'm not the fastest player, but it also seems like the bots spend their fair share of the time thinking, often going into the tank for 10-20 seconds when there's nothing to think about (e.g. which spot card to play). I don't see how to play 17 boards in a session, that's only 1.5 minutes/board. Even when GIB N is declarer, so it's all bots playing, it's rarely that fast.

One of the things that wastes time, especially when trying to bid slams, is having to mouse over all the different bids to see what GIB thinks they mean. I'm never sure whether it will take a bid as a cue bid or a game/slam try. Probably I should just bid what I think is right, and not spend time trying to find out what GIB will think.

But 1.5 minutes/board still seems incredibly fast. My 2.5 minutes is already twice as fast as speedball, and speedball allows claiming.

[fred]

barmar, on Aug 25 2008, 02:34 AM, said:

Have you given any thought to MBTs longer than a half hour?

Yes we have thought about this. It would not surprise me if we run some longer MBTs one day, but I doubt it will happen soon.

We have some other interesting ideas for new tournament formats, but given that we have made 2 recent and rather big changes (introduction of best hand format and introduction of $5 MBTs) we are somewhat concerned about doing too much too quickly. Knowing which new products to release when and what to call them without alienating or confusing our existing customers is more complicated than you might think.

At least it is more complicated than I would have thought

Something else we are considering is some kind of a "jackpot". For example, we could put a little money from each entry into a pool and give the pool money out every time someone scores 10,000 points, makes 7NT redoubled, wins the last trick in a grand slam with the 7 of diamonds, or similar.

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[uday]

I'm showing my age or something -- what does it mean to score the beer?

[fred]

Jlall, on Aug 25 2008, 09:58 PM, said:

uday, on Aug 25 2008, 04:56 PM, said:

I'm showing my age or something -- what does it mean to score the beer?

The 7 of diamonds = the beer card. If you score it on the last trick your partner owes you a beer (as long as you went + on the board). Fred mentioned a possible jackpot for scoring it in a grand.

Fred wasn't being completely serious about this particular type of jackpot contest, but since I have a chance to be your hero if...

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[paulg]

Jlall, on Aug 25 2008, 09:58 PM, said:

uday, on Aug 25 2008, 04:56 PM, said:

I'm showing my age or something -- what does it mean to score the beer?

The 7 of diamonds = the beer card. If you score it on the last trick your partner owes you a beer (as long as you went + on the board). Fred mentioned a possible jackpot for scoring it in a grand.

The corollary is that you must not make fewer tricks in any attempt to make the beer card, otherwise you owe your partner the beer.

[Ant590]

And it must be in a non-diamond contract too.

[mycroft]

Unless you're on defence (and set the contract) or it's doubled, or...

My favourite is still a Crazy Bridge event where the rule on the board was "second highest card played to the trick wins", where I made a defensive beer (the 7 under the 9 IIRC). Since the game was held in a bar, it was immediately paid, even!

Of course, after 3 hours of CrazyBridge in a bar, I got to handscore the 5-table Howell. I was really glad I had someone else (equally unsober, but still) to doublecheck my matchpointing and addition!

[barmar]

cardsharp, on Aug 26 2008, 03:09 AM, said:

The corollary is that you must not make fewer tricks in any attempt to make the beer card, otherwise you owe your partner the beer.

What's GIB going to do with a beer?

[Patapon]

Quote

I still think 20 % is a ton and it seems like at some point with higher buy ins the percent BBO is taking should lessen.

Actually it is not really important how much % BBO takes on these tournaments since BBO$ cannot be withdrawn!

How can I use my BBO$ if I cannot withdraw them please?

Can I buy some BBO nightshirts or stuffed toys with this money?

[jdonn]

fred, on Aug 25 2008, 12:34 PM, said:

Something else we are considering is some kind of a "jackpot". For example, we could put a little money from each entry into a pool and give the pool money out every time someone scores 10,000 points, makes 7NT redoubled, wins the last trick in a grand slam with the 7 of diamonds, or similar.

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

It was funny for me going back and reading this. I have played quite a lot of the best hand tourneys now, and the 10,000 barrier is my holy grail, I simply haven't hit it yet! One tourney I was at 9100 after 16 minutes, but I actually went down over the last 9 minutes.

Anyway the idea of jackpots sounds fun. Another idea is a bad beat jackpot, like in poker rooms when you have a huge hand but lose. Every day/week/whatever it could go to the highest score that does not win its tournament. Or maybe split between that person and the person who beat him.

Also, perhaps some kind of leaderboard for these things? Or maybe it exists already and I just don't know?