OldYank's Unofficial Guide to

YAHOO! Bridge

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Lounges:

Yahoo Bridge is divided into a number of "Lounges" to allow players a choice in skill levels. To enter a "Lounge", click on the lounge of your choice. The screen will load and you will be in the "lobby" for that lounge.

 

 

The Lobby screen is divided into three sections:

  1. The upper gray portion shows all the active tables with the names of the players in each of the seats. Empty seats are shown by the word "join", or by a blank space.
  2. The right side showing a list of all the people in the lounge and the table number where that player is. (A name followed by no number means that player is not at a table, he is in the lobby.)
  3. The bottom left portion is the "chat" section. You enter your message in the area with the cursor then press enter to send the message. Once it is sent, it appears in the area below the entry line showing your name as the person who sent the message and the text you typed (everyone gets to see this).

 

By double clicking on someone's name in the list of players on the right, a pop-up box will appear which gives you a number of options:

    1. You can send that person a private message -

      2. Type the message in the area provided and click on "send". This message will only be available to the individual you sent it to. If there is a reply, it will appear in the pop-up box on your screen. NOTE: It is not considered correct to send a private message to your partner while at a table. In fact, a message is sent to your opponents stating that you have sent your partner a private message.

    2. You can view that person's profile.

      3. Click on the "profile" button and a new screen opens with the person's public profile. To close the profile, click on the "X" in the upper right corner of the profile screen.

    3. You can "Ping" that person.

      4. Clicking on the "ping" button sends an electronic "sonar beep" to the person's computer and records the amount of time for the "beep" to return. An excessive amount of time (more than a few seconds) would indicate that the person has lost their connection to Yahoo. This is very useful when someone at the table appears to be inactive for a long time.

    4. You can "ignore" that person.

Clicking on the "ignore" button will cause everything typed by that person to be ignored by your computer. You will no longer see anything he "says" in any of the chat boxes. Everyone else can still see what he "said", but it will not appear on your screen. This can be very useful if you want to stop someone from annoying you, but it can be horrible if you accidentally "ignore" a friend.

Profiles: Try clicking on your own name and going into your own profile. Notice at the top of your page, there is an option to "edit my personal profile". Clicking on this will allow you to change what you have in your profile. When you are done, click on finished and it will return you to where you were before editing. The profile is where we can put information about the systems we play and conventions we use. Even if the information is limited (no conventions - just learning; standard bidding; 5 card majors), it gives your new partner somewhere to start. If you put nothing, there is no way to know how you are playing. In Yahoo, not listing your bridge preferences in your profile is frowned on. Some people will not play with a new partner who has no profile listing.

 

 When you return to the "Lounge", notice there are 3 small boxes on the lower left side of the "chat section". Clicking on any of these boxes will place a check in the box. Clicking on the box again will clear the check mark. Checking the "Decline all invitations" box will automatically answer "no" whenever someone invites you to a table. Checking the "receive IMs from friends only" lets only people on your friends list (see Yahoo Pager) send you messages. The "small windows" box changes the size of the window.

 

At the top of the page is a button labeled "Create Table". Clicking on this button will put you at a new table. You will be the "Host" which allows you a number of options (see "Table Host"). Below the boxes is a button labeled "Exit Games". Clicking this button will take you out of the lounge you are in and puts you in the "Lounges" screen.

One last thing of interest in the lobby is the orange bar above the list of tables. There are links to "Home", Message Board", "Feedback", "Help", "Rules", and "Messenger". Clicking on the "Home" button will take you out of Yahoo Games and put you in the Yahoo Home Page. Clicking "Message Board" will take you to the Bridge message board where you'll find posts on many bridge subjects. The "Feedback" button allows you to send a message to Yahoo. The "Help" button enables you to get all kinds of information about Yahoo and how it works. "Rules" takes you to a guide to bridge rules, and "Messenger" opens the Yahoo pager. Clicking on the "Back" button from any of these windows will return you to the lounge.

 

Let's go to a

 

Table:

There are a number of ways to enter a "Table" from the lounge.

  1. Click on one of the "Watch" buttons.
  2. Click on a "Join" button.
  3. When an invitation to join a table pops up, click on "Accept".

 

For now, use the "Watch" button. You will be taken to another room. The room is meant to resemble a table with four players sitting around the table. Each of the players is identified by their Yahoo name and a picture. Partners are obviously seated across from each other. You will see that the "player list" and the chat section are the same as in the lobby. It is polite to say "Hi all" when you go in and ask if anyone minds if you watch. Don't do any more chatting than that unless the players are "talking" to you.

If there is a game in progress, you will see the dummy's cards on the table. An arrow pointing to one of the players indicates whose turn it is to play. The number of tricks taken by each side are posted on the board as well as the final contract.

To the left of the screen, you'll see a number of buttons. The one labeled "Start Game" will not be active as the game has already started. This button is used when a new table is started.

"Review Bidding" shows the bidding for the current hand. Double click on it to open it - click on the "X" in the top right corner of it to close it.

"Last Trick" shows which cards were played to the last trick.

"Last Hand" shows the cards played to each trick in the last hand.

"Score" will show the score for the match. It is presented much like a normal bridge score pad with scores shown above and below the line and a grand total at the bottom. It also shows vulnerability.

 

The "Stand UP" button is used when you are seated at the table and want to leave.

"Table Type" shows the status of the table (Public - anyone can join the table; Protected - only those invited may play at the table; Private - only those invited may join the table). This is controlled by the table host as is the "Invite" button which allows the host to invite people to the table. "Boot" is used for a number of reasons and is controlled by the host. The most common reason is to free a seat when a player becomes "frozen" due to server problems. Sometimes it has to be used to eject an obnoxious or undesirable player.

Under Options you will see three boxes:

The "Allow Kibitz" box is checked by the players. If they don't want people to kibitz, they remove the check mark on their screen.

Checking the "Kibitz" box allows you to see all four hands at the table. This is a privilege given to you by the players and the following strict rule must be followed when using it. Never make any comment about any hand during the bidding or play of the hand.

As a player, checking the "On My Turn" box gives you an audio alert each time it is your turn to bid or play.

In the top right of the screen you will see these buttons. They are used by the players only. "Undo" is used when a mistake is made by a player and they ask the other players to go back and correct it. "Skip Hand" is used when all agree to skip the current hand (normally because new players enter the table and it is impractical to finish the hand). "Clear Score" is also normally used when new players join the table.

This box is used by the declarer to claim the balance of the tricks in the hand. When the box is clicked, a box pops up telling the defenders that the claim has been made. They are given an option of accepting or rejecting the claim.

 

To exit the table, click the "Quit" button. To get help, click the "Help" button.

 

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