I played bridge against intelligent computer players like GIB years before I would sit down at a bridge table to play with any real-life players. Even today, I prefer the comforts of playing an online game to having to travel to a physical game.

In this way, I was raised by bots: A feral child of bridge who learned from computers first and humans second. Bots would teach me more about card games than I would pick up from my parents.

I suppose that you could say it shows.

Are there any other players who can say that they had their playing influenced primarily by bots before anything else?

Here are some sure signs of a bridge player that took most of their cues from bots.

Shuffling

I can shuffle in a few ways, and I can cut a deck just fine.

But this has never meant that I’m advanced in the ways that I shuffle or deal. This is one of the first things that nobody will notice during an online game of bridge, but something that will stand out as blindingly obvious once you sit down at a table with real people.

I’m constantly working on my shuffle and “feel” for a real card deck, but it’s still apparent: I was raised by bots!

Slower at Scoring

I’ve seen many bridge players have the score down pat throughout the game without looking at a single sheet: I always admire these players, because I’m not one of them.

When it comes to scoring anything, whether a bridge game or a round of a TCG, players raised by bots will prefer their scoring done in app form, automatically. I know that I do.

Zen

What do I do if my bridge partner makes a questionable (or terrible!) move in the middle of a bridge game – one that could risk the whole thing?

I do the same thing I would do when a bot did it: Shrug if off and move on.

There’s no point getting angry at (or frustrated with) a bridge bot. They do what they do, and no amount of anger changes the move a bot might have made.

Viewing human “mistakes” the same way brings you to a point of zen where you can work with anything the cards (or your partner) decides to do – and you’ll be totally calm throughout.

No Talking at the Table

Other than being calmer towards any bad or questionable moves at the table, having a history of playing against bots first and people second means that table conversation comes second – even during online play with a full room of people talking.

Bots don’t talk, and it’s taught me to focus on the game while it’s going on – and on nothing else, including what people might be discussing in the chat window.

Cryptic Bidding

Occasionally, you’ll see bots make weird bids – and you’ll see someone posting about experiencing this weird bidding with or against a bot shortly thereafter. It happens, and it doesn’t just happen to bots. Sometimes I do it too.