Online bridge: Managing your time at the table

In face-to-face play, most clubs and tournaments set the rounds to allow about 6-7 minutes per board. Part of that time is used up by sorting your cards, making notes in your private scorecard, entering the final result and moving people and boards to new tables. There are also occasional delays to adjudicate revokes, insufficient bids, bids out of turn and other irregularities.

All of those time-killers are gone when you play in an online club. You have the full clock just to bid and play the hands (and chat with your partner and opponents if you finish early).

This should give you more than enough time to think about every decision without feeling rushed. If you have problems finishing the rounds, though -- or if you're concerned about your tempo -- here are some tips that will help you relax and use your time more efficiently:
 

During the bidding and play

Claim early, claim often.
   Claiming speeds up the play for everyone. It’s a courtesy to your partner and the opponents, who appreciate a quick end to a hand where they have no further decisions.
   If you're nervous about claims, you can wait until you've drawn all the trumps and have the rest of the tricks. Neither is necessary, though. When you click the "Claim" box, just select the number of the remaining tricks you will take. Type chat to the table with a short explanation – “pulling trump” or “you get a club at the end”, for example.
   If you realize later that an accepted claim was incorrect, contact the director. He will check with your opponents and can adjust the score.

Be generous about accepting claims.
   If declarer’s intentions are clear, accept promptly, even if he didn’t type an explanation. Don't nitpick or reject a claim just because you think declarer might have made a mistake if he had played out the hand.

Use the “claim” button to concede.
   Declarer or a defender can also use the claim button to concede the rest of the tricks. Just click the claim box and select “zero" for the number of tricks.

Be prompt when making alerts.
   When you're making an alertable call, click “Alert” in the bid box before you choose your bid. Type in the explanation, then click the bid.
   If you forget, you can add the alert and explanation later (just click your bid in the auction display to get the pop-up box). Doing this before you bid, though, will help your opponents make their decisions more quickly.

Take advantage of the review features at your table:
   If play has begun and you're trying to remember the bidding, click the box with the name of the contract to get a quick display of the entire auction. Click any highlighted bid to see the alert or explanation. Click again to close.
   To see the previous trick, click the box that shows the number of tricks you've taken (or the box with the number of tricks the opponents have taken). Click again to close.

Director, please?
   If you've called the director, you’ll see a pop-up box when he arrives at the table. Explain the issue immediately. Don’t wait until the hand is over.

Use your “passing” time to think.
   When the opponents are doing all the bidding, don’t just wait for them to reach a final contract. Use that time to plan your defense.
   As the auction progresses, try to form a general picture of each opponent’s strength and suit lengths. Predict possible final contracts and start deciding on your opening lead.

If you need extra time to make a decision:
   Always be aware of the round clock (lower left on your table).
   You don't have to rush if you have a tough decision. You can take time to think, but be sure you’re actually evaluating possible bids or plays, not just worrying that you’ll make the wrong one. If you haven’t come up with a solution within 15 seconds or so, more time probably won’t help. Just make a bid or play a card to avoid being responsible for an unfinished board.
   If there's plenty of time left on the clock and you believe you'll need several seconds to consider your action, type “Thinking” in chat to the table. This will let everyone know that you aren’t offline, “frozen” or unaware that it’s your turn.

Your Bridgebase settings

Minimize distractions by turning off Bridgebase pop-ups.  On the Account tab, click Settings and:
   Scroll down to the Chat heading. Slide the green button to the left (“off”) for “Show lobby chat”.
   Scroll down to the Notifications heading. Slide the green button to the left (“off”) for all three “Notify me when …” options.

Turn on sound. This will play a ding when a it's your turn to call or play, a shuffling sound when new board is dealt and a "blip" when an opponent asks a question.
   On the Account tab, click Settings. Under the General heading, slide the green button to the right (“on”) for “Sound effects on”.
   Scroll down to the Sound Effects heading. Slide the green button to the right (“on”) for all seven options.

Be sure you can see the chat area.
   Your opponents or the director may ask a question that appears there. Be ready to type a response.
   If you cannot see chat: On the Account tab, click Settings and scroll down to the Chat heading. Slide the green button to the right (“on”) for “Show chat”.
   If you have problems with the screen layout on an Ipad, contact Ann Caparros for help: anncaparros@aol.com

Experiment with card display settings.
   Many players find it easier to see and select cards when their hand is displayed as a diagram (AKQJ letters and numbers) instead of pictures of cards.
   If you prefer pictures of cards, be sure to wait a second after the last pass and before clicking your opening lead. The Bridgebase screen rearranges your cards when the auction is over, so your cursor may be on a different card than you intended if you click too soon.
   You can switch the display during a game. Click the blue box at the top of your table, then Hand diagrams.

Technical problems

If a player is not responding: 
   If it’s a disconnect: The director has already been notified, so there’s no need to report it. Wait a minute to see if the player can return.
   If there’s a longer delay: Call the director (blue box at the top of the table).

If you are unavoidably delayed: 
   Contact the director as soon as possible. The director can put in a robot if you'll be away for a short time or a permanent sub if you can't return.
   If you’ve lost your connection: Keep trying. It may help to close and reopen your browser.
   If you have a problem that prevents your return: Call your partner if possible and ask him to tell the director to seat a robot or substitute.

If you have problems with your web browser:
   Check to be sure you're using the latest version of your browser software.
       In Firefox: Click "Help" (top menu), then "About Firefox", then the "Update" box.
       In Chrome: Click "More" (top right), then "Update Google Chrome", then "Relaunch". If the Update button isn't there, you already have the latest version.  
   If your browser seems sluggish, you may be able to speed it up by clearing its cache and cookie files. Instructions for doing this on all browsers are here.

Scoring issues

If you don't finish a board:
   When the round clock expires, play ceases and you’ll be moved to the next table. Bridgebase software will analyze the play and determine the result. This usually happens instantly.
   If you haven't played enough tricks for the software to determine and assign a score, the director will review the play and make an adjustment.

If you cannot play a board:
   Bridgebase will not deal the next board if there are fewer than three minutes left in the round. You’ll receive an average score for any board you're unable to play.
   The director has a report of how much time each player used for every bid and play on every board. If the director determines that the delay was caused by your opponents, you’ll receive an average-plus score (60 percent of the available matchpoints) for an unplayed board.