BBO Points Tournaments

All TEXT in YELLOW is a link to another page

Rewards Schedule ( what you can cash in your points for)

BIL Exchange Reward Points - ACCUMULATED TOTALS - please email admin@bilbridge.com to request an update when you wish to make a CLAIM

At the heart of duplicate bridge—the TOURNAMENT!  Some tournaments sponsored by the BIL award BBO Points to the winners, adding an exciting dimension to online play.  What are BBO Points ?  When a player on BBO places well in a BBO Points tournament, they are awarded BBO Points which are accumulated and at specified levels a numerical award is posted by the player’s name. Details here.

This numerical ranking, which becomes highly visible in a player’s profile, indicates the player is a tournament player—and is consistently in the top placings!  Though it does not indicate a specific level of proficiency in bridge; this ranking does suggest the player has been in the victory lane more than a few times. 

The advantage of playing in BIL-Sponsored BBO PointsTournaments is that they are restricted to players with beginner or intermediate skill level .   The BIL EXCHANGE tournaments are for fun, BBO Points, and BIL REWARD Points ! These are, however, a serious competition - The BIL Exchange Reward Points can be converted into private lessons, Audio Visual Lessons or Cash. E.g. 350 RP converts to BB$10. The BIL offers many free and fun teaching tournaments but only those that are “pay-to-play” tournaments award BBO Points.
 
The BIl Exchange tournaments have a $1 entry fee .

To pay entry fees, a balance is required in your BBO BB$ account.  To buy BB$, using the BBO Web Client click on BB$$ on the main page or use this link https://www.bridgebase.com/purchase/pay.php  The entry fee is deducted from your account by BBO software after the tournament starts.

The BIL currently sponsors:

Daily BBO POINT Tournaments -

Host: MPTforINTS: BIL EXCHANGE at 19:00 ET PAIRS - (effective March 14, 2016) - 6 min Bds Hosted by MPTforINTS

To Play

Log into BBO  www.bridgebase.com
Click on Competitive
Click on BBO Points Tournaments
Scroll to find the  BIL Exchange tournament. BIL Exchange tournaments are hosted by MptForINTS
PAIRS: The form that comes up will  ask if you know who you want to invite as a partner  -  if you do -fill that in  with their BBOID (user/nick name)
Clicking on Partnership desk allows you to have your BBOID listed as one who wants to play  - others looking for someone to play with can invite you to partner them  or you can  click on another person on the list and the software sends them an invite to  play with you. ( do not stress if they say no it maybe that they have just accepted an invite from someone else )
Clicking on the  BBOID of someone already listed brings up their profile

In the EXCHANGE EVERY player receives at least 2 Reward Points every time they play

• one must become familiar with the Rules of Contest (see below)
• one must play to time - keep checking the time clock on your table ( the T's are set for 6 min bds)
• When waiting for a round change please do not use Tournament Chat as it will disturb the tables still playing -  the round will change the moment the last table finishes playing even if there is still time on the clock. – do chat and make friends with those at your table while you wait

The EXCHANGE tournament BBO Points are awarded the day of the tournament. The EXCHANGE REWARD points are accumulated until the player chooses to cash them in .  The accumulating REWARD points for the players are posted regularly (usually updated weekly) throughout the month so players may follow their totals. Or you can email admin@bilbridge.com and ask for an update.

NO Tournament Director?  If for some reason, the TD is unable to be online when a tourney starts—click on the People Tab on the right of your screen and ask a “Yellow” Host to

• Cancel the tournament and request your “release” from the tournament or
• Add a TD who is playing in the tournament to the Director list of the tournament to handle any issues that may occur or
• Add subs so the tournament may continue

Leave a message for BILmanager if the tournament is cancelled—and if BBO has not refunded the entry fee, the BIL will do so. The refund from BBO should happen automatically. Check your BB$$ account.

On the BBO Web-Client you can only register an hour or so before the start. Be sure to register early - don't l;eave it until the last minute. The TD cannot register you.

If you do miss the start you can click on the tournament Substitutes button and the TD will call you if they need a sitin for a partial table or if a player is disconnected and unable to get back within a minute

All BIL tournaments are subject to:

• Zero Tolerance of any form of bad behavior—being rude to one’s partner or opponents, deliberately disconnecting, etc. – See “Tournament Rules” below.
• All Artificial Bids are to be Alerted and Explained.
• Undos are allowed – for bidding misclicks only
• No psyches
• State You System & Carding at the beginning of each round
• State your line of play when claiming
• The Tournament Director’s decisions are final.
• Call the Director as soon as a problem presents itself—but only call, once.  Each time the Director gets a call it stops them from completing the task in hand and they have to start over - the more often you call the more likely your call will not get dealt with!
• If the round times out before the hand is played out BBO will adjust the result automatically for you at the end of the round if there are only a few cards left!

The schedules for all BIL Tournaments are accessible 24/7 in the Events Calendar.

ARCHIVES - previous BIL BBO Points series

Power of One Masterpoint Matchups - discontinued May 2012
Jackpot tourney Results to 31Jan 2012

The table below provides important links for more detailed information.

In closing, please note this very valuable learning tool.  To review your hands after a tournament, look in MYHands. 

To look up your running total of BBO Points shortcut/bookmark to your desktop this link - www.bridgebase.com/points

The BIL Exchange tournaments are the practice for the real thing for BIL members - a preparation for competing in the open tournaments on BBO

• where one has to learn to play to time
• to be aware of the Rules and Conditions of Contest

There are BBO Points to be won
There are the BIL Reward Points that every player on the day can win to accumulate towards cashing in for Lessons, Audio Visual Lessons, Membership, cash

They are a serious undertaking by all involved.

Enjoy competing with your peers, the more you play the better player you will become.