[awm]

What do you think about barometer in team matches? Does length of match matter? Seriousness of match?

[mike777]

After midnight I think most prefer Barometer, fun.

[Trumpace]

What is Barometer?

[uday]

'Barometer' is an option available to the person who creates the team game.

If set, the running score of the match is visible to the players

[Rain]

I like it off. Always. Tourneys too. Unrealistic :|

[chicken]

it slightly changes the game, because i know when i have to start swinging

[helene_t]

mike777, on Apr 6 2007, 03:41 AM, said:

After midnight I think most prefer Barometer, fun.

Yes, but that's because it's early morning when it's midnight to you.

[paulg]

The team matches I play in fall into two categories: serious and non-serious.

Serious matches will be league/ladder games and formal practice matches where we like to emulate f2f competition. These are rare but barometer will be off. You have to make your own assessment of how you are doing.

Other matches I prefer to play without barometer but recognise that a clear majority prefer it, so I will set matches with it on. Even when playing with a regular partner the fact that the opps may play more swingingly near the end does have practice value, as you will see this in f2f too.

p

[SoTired]

Bridge is one of the few games where keeping a running score is optional. I think keeping the running score is more exciting, skillful, and more fun.

If the final result is to win, not knowing your running score entering the final stages of the game, makes it impossible to be a true competitive challenge. It is like match golf against par rather than match golf against an opponent.

Look at a basketball game in the final minutes. If the team down 2 points did not know they were down, they would always take the percentage play. But if they knew they were down 2 points, they could deliberately foul in order to try to win the game.

In the final session of a 4-session event, they did it barometer after every round. Going into the final round, I knew we were 2nd and that 1st was too far away to catch. So we played it safe to hang onto 2nd place. If 1st was catchable, I would take serious gambles to try to catch 1st as 2nd through 8th place are still losers, but 1st is a champion.

[Gerben42]

In non-important matches I play each board as if it was the first one but I like Barometer to see the result quickly (curiousness). But down 9 I won't try and gain 10 on the last board as I don't like that at all.

Serious matches are usually with VP so barometer makes no difference, so prefer it to be on out of curiosity. If it's win-loss match, no barometer please.

There is a cultural difference also, Americans like 1 winner, Europeans can also like a draw.

[helene_t]

Gerben42, on Apr 6 2007, 01:10 PM, said:

There is a cultural difference also, Americans like 1 winner, Europeans can also like a draw.

Yes, Americans only want to be number one, we are usually satisified if we do better than we did last time

[dogsbreath]

hi

I voted 'dont care' .. because my experience is that most players prefer in ON .. but i suspect it leads to more leavers .
Rgds
Dog

[keylime]

I like it off; to me it promote a more "true" feel of playing team. When it's on I feel it promote more swinging and anti-percentage play.

[Rossoneri]

I would agree with the rest and say it depends.

If it's a serious training match: yes, switch if off, simulates RL bridge.

But usually I am playing short matches with juniors who are still quite new to the game, so barometer on allows them to see their results instantly instead of having to wait till the end...makes it more fun and less serious for them as well.