[xeno123]

Now that some tournaments have the "Human Declarer" feature, is there any reason at all to not make this standard when playing with 3 bots? People use bots to practice, and watching 3 bots play (sometimes badly) is not why anyone would bother to rent a robot. Human Declarer would double the number of contracts you play, and also remove some of the luck involved when your partner bot massacres an easy contract.

Given no improvements to bot play in the near term are likely (focus is on bidding improvements), isn't this an obvious and easy way to make users happier? Is there any possible defense for the current "bot declares" system other than inertia?

I tried emailing support on this - they said post in this forum and I would get a response. I hope that is true.

Peter

[pigpenz]

for me I could care less, bots will play the same at all tables
when bidding is the same
will also play the same provided cards played for first several tricks are the same
so doesnt really make any difference

I myself would like to see the best hand at the table done away with as that is not real bridge,
and maybe also letting you pick which seat you want NSE or W that would also add some variance.

[Bbradley62]

pigpenz, on 2012-December-14, 11:08, said:

for me I could care less, bots will play the same at all tables
when bidding is the same

Not true. It appears to me that OP is talking about playing with three robots in the MBC, where different players have different robots and those different robots can behave differently.

[xeno123]

Bbradley62, on 2012-December-14, 11:12, said:

Not true. It appears to me that OP is talking about playing with three robots in the MBC, where different players have different robots and those different robots can behave differently.

Correct - the bots do sometimes play differently, even with the same bidding. But that's not the main issue for me - the key is I want to practice my play and, bidding permitting, compare my play with that of experts from Viewgraph matches (using the neat new feature that lets you play Viewgraph deals). Watching 3 bots play among themselves is just wasting my time.

[pigpenz]

xeno123, on 2012-December-14, 16:34, said:

Correct - the bots do sometimes play differently, even with the same bidding. But that's not the main issue for me - the key is I want to practice my play and, bidding permitting, compare my play with that of experts from Viewgraph matches (using the neat new feature that lets you play Viewgraph deals). Watching 3 bots play among themselves is just wasting my time.

true
there are several old versions of bbo that you have to install
there is the flash version and the different rental versions

I assumed since we were talking about tournaments that they were the normal pay as you go bots which are supposed to be the best. there the results should be pretty
much the same, in the main bridge club its like playing at a local club with no experts or maybe all experts

playing with bots today

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in main club half the field opened 1♥
also balanced 20 hcp 4 out of 16 opened 1NT
results have to be take with a grain of salt