We are happy to announce that BBO will host the new ACBL regionally rated event: The Virtual Vacation Tournament!
So take your deckchair, put on your flip-flops, grab a cocktail and come earn Gold Masterpoints ®.
What: ACBL Virtual Vacation Tournament / Pairs event
When: August 27th to August 30th (Thursday-Sunday)
Awards: ACBL Gold and Red Masterpoints ®
Entry fee: $15 per player (Daily single-session events) / $30 per player (Daily two-session events)
Limits: ACBL members
Play daily single and two-session events to win Gold and Red Masterpoints ® or just come to play Daily Side Games (if you want to know more about these games, go check on the FAQ )
How do you register?
To find ACBL tournaments click on COMPETITIVE > ACBL MASTERPOINTS TOURNAMENTS or click on ACBL WORLD from the main menu then look for the tournament you want to register then register you and your partner.
Entries open two hours before the first session of each tournament event.
Be online with your partner on the BBO site and ready to play at least 10 minutes before game start time.
Schedule
What else you need to know?
- Be sure your ACBL number is updated at least 24 hours before the tournament starts. If you want to update or renew your member, please click here
- You must have enough BB$ on your account to register. Click here to purchase BB$
Comments
134 responses to “ACBL Event: tint your virtual vacation with Gold…”
where are conditions of contest for Aug 27-30?
There are no special Conditions of Contest for this tournament. You can find the General Conditions of Contest here: https://www.acbl.org/tournaments_page/charts-rules-and-regulations/conditions-of-contest/
which will apply to events at the Virtual Vacation tournament.
How many boards per session
18 boards per session for ALL EVENTS. Each session will take slightly more than 2 hours to complete.
$15.00 is entirely too much money for an 18 board game!!
$15 per session for 18 board match is ridiculously high. I’ll pass. Let the rich folks pay and I’ll play in the local games.
It’s worth the price, after all, the cards are cleaned and sterilized. 😉
Playing with a robot possible?
4-person game, no robots
must be an ACBL member
No, you will not be able to register to play with a robot. We may put robots in as temporary partners for players who have been disconnected.
Not
possible. Thank you.
Are there any double session events for players over 500 points?
Check top half of schedule. ALL double-sessions are open to players with up to 750 points with limits ranging from 750 to unlimited.
Yes, we’ll get the full schedule up here shortly. Here is the link to the complete tournament schedule: https://web2.acbl.org/documentLibrary/play/Virtual_Vacation_Schedule.pdf
There are single-session events for players with over 500 points. You can play in the Side Pairs which are all single session events.
are there team games
There will be no team games offered during this Regional
http://tournaments.acbl.org/schedule.php?sanction=2008132
Didn’t see any team games. Plenty of 500+ 2-session pair games.
WHICH ARE THE GOLD POINT GAMES FOR UNDER 500 PLAYERS
if we play single session 499 event roller coaster can we get gold points
No, gold points are not available in 499er or 99er evens. All points are red in those events.
Your best best bet for Gold are the Gold Rush and Super Gold Rush events
Your best opportunity for Gold Points if you have under 500 masterpoints would be the Gold Rush Pairs or the Super Gold Rush Pairs. You can earn gold by placing first in your section and direction or by putting together two good games in this two-session event.
What exactly are the side games?
The Side Game is a stratified pairs game that is just one session. It is similar to a club game.
Side Games award fewer masterpoints than events which require a two-session commitment.
They do offer a chance for earning gold points if you play in two or more sessions in the same
series; however, you must do well against players in the “open” stratification which has no masterpoint limit.
For this tournament, each series will consist of 4 games held at the same time each day; e.g. the Campfire side game series is held every day, Thursday through Sunday, at 10:45 am Eastern time.
I need a partner.
There is a Partnership Desk available for every event for players who do not have a partner. Go to the Registration Desk of the event you wish to play in and add your name to the Partnership Desk which you’ll see in the upper right side of the Registration window. Or choose
a player listed on the Partnership Desk and “invite” them to play with you.
Doesn’t the partnership desk open at the same time the tournament is posted, two hours before game time? For people looking for a partner now, is there still a partnership option on the ACBL website?
Henry, I need a partner also. I have 240-250 points. If you still need one we could exchange info and see if we are compatible.
gaye nelson gaye-n
Hello Gaye-n,
Yes, I still need a partner. I have ~280 master points. Tel: 760-787-0574: email tilestonleases@yahoo.com. Please contact your earliest.
Be well,
Henry
Where are you?
Hi must you be current ACBL member to play like NABC robot? or is it like normal virtual club games?
Yes, you must be a member of ACBL to play in these events.
I need a partner. Currently hold about 715 pts. Play 2/1 or sayc Can you help?
There is a Partnership Desk available for every event in the tournament. Click on the event and you will see “Partnership Desk” in the upper right hand corner of the Registration window.
I
I play 2/1 and have 324 points and am interested in playing Gold rush games.
I need gold to become a life master. Can I play in the Gold Rush and you supply me a robot?
You are not allowed to play with robots in this tournament. There is a partnership desk available for every event (see above question)
Will each session be 18 or 24 boards?
Each session will be 18 boards and will last slightly more than two hours.
Wish there was a Gold tournament with a limit of 750 points in the late morning or early afternoon for us West Coasters.
Not fair to people playing in the west coast. The stratifications should be the same for both gold rush tournaments.
Can you explain “barometer” movement?
“Barometer” means that you see the score for boards you have played at the end of each round. It’s the same way the ACBL Speedball and most of the BBO tournaments are run. You will know after round one that you are at 58%, round 2 49%, round 3 54% (or whatever), and so on. This can be done because everyone is playing the same boards each round (round 1 everyone plays boards 1-3 at the same time, round 2 everyone is playing only boards 4-6, etc.).
It is not like the traditional club game where you only have a ‘feeling’ for how you are doing, and don’t know your standing or scores until the end of the game.
Is there a limit on the number of pairs that can play in each event? Do we have to get on 2 hours early to have a chance to play?
Entries will be unlimited. If an event fills up, we’ll add another section. You do not have to register 2 hours before game time to ensure your spot, but we do encourage you to register at least 15 minutes before the start of the game to make sure there are no issues with logging on to BBO, etc.
The Endless Summer Regional Tournament had the 750/400/200 Golden Sunset Gold Rush games at 5:45 and 9:15 pm. Tougher for the East Coast and better for West Coast. It’s nice and appreciated that the planners have us taking turns. Thank you.
for the daily single session games, there are four per day. To play in all four would that be $15 each, for total of $60?
Yes, per person. Registration for each session is separate.
I live on the West Coast so the Sandcastle mid-flight pairs is early for us but the Seashell mid-flight game does not work for us. If we sign in for the Sandcastle game at 7:00 (30 minutes before it starts) are we guaranteed to be able to log into the game. I do not know if you have a maximum that can play.
There is no limit to the number of entries for this tournament. We encourage you to register at least 15 minutes before game time to avoid any problems with heavy BBO traffic, etc., but there will be room for all players who register before game time in every event.
How do we login for two Ferris Wheel individual sessions two hours in advance Since we will be in the middle of a game when it is time to sign up for the second session?
You can log in to an event in advance even if you are playing in another event.
Click on the Tables tab on your far right, then ACBL Masterpoint Tournaments. You should be able to find your event there. Your partner will need to be logged in also to accept your invitation.
Make sure you are logged in five minutes or so before game time, and on the _competitive_ side of BBO, not the “Casual” side.
Keep in mind that you are not required to register two hours before the game, that is simply when registration opens. Registration remains open until the game starts. However, we encourage you to register at least 15 minutes before game time to avoid any glitches.
can I use a standard American convention card?
I have the same concern. Please let us know how that is possible, unless we can sign up for both before the First Session.
Yes. It’s still best to create a convention card with you and your partner’s BBO names. There may be some boxes you want to check even if starting with the Standard American Card. Click on the account tab on the far right of your screen, then convention cards. You can start with the Standard American Convention card template, add your partner’s BBO name (not their real name) where it says “partner” and check anything you and your partner play that is different from the SAYC.
Great investment of $30 for Gold Rush Pairs….you are up against Jon and Kim Temple who averaged 47% in the 9 games preceding COVID and have averaged 64% in the 13 games post-COVID…they are way too skilled for me!
$15 for an 18 board online game is ridiculously overpriced. Regional two session, Swiss teams are about $24 for 49 boards, about half the price per board and are live, with snacks.
It really seems to be taking advantage of an unfortunate situation to charge these prices.
why can you not pay for both you and your partner as I believe we did before
You will be able to pay for your partner at registration. Click on the the “I will pay for my partner” button when registering.
do juniors get discounts like ACBL nationals?
Yes. At the conclusion of the tournament, send an email to online.tournament@acbl.org stating player’s BBO ID, real name and ACBL number and how many sessions played in the tournament. A refund of $10 per session will be credited to that player’s BB$ acct.
QUESTION: CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP US WITH OUR STRATIFICATION LEVEL?
WE HAVE 187 AND 330. WHERE DO WE PLAY IN THE GOLD GAMES?
DO WE AVERAGE OR IS THE 330 PLAYER NOW PLAYING IN 500?
did you find that out, would appreciate knowing, thanks
Once you are eligible to play in an event, stratification is by average. Your average is a little more than 250, so you would qualify for the under 400 strat in the Gold Rush Pairs and the under 300 strat in the Super Gold Rush Pairs
Is kibitzing allowed.
kibitzing is not allowed in Online Regional Tournaments
I need a partner. I have about 20 MPs. Please helP. Thank you.
Shirley Oakes aka uclanite
I want to make sure I understand this. If my partner and I each have just over 100 MPs, we’d be in the 200 section of the Gold Rush pairs. The FAQs said “In order to win gold points, you must: (1) play in a two-session event; and (2) for strata of 750 masterpoints or more, place first in your section and direction or be among the overall winners. ”
The FAQs also say “Single-session events and events or strata limits below 750 masterpoints award red points only. So since we wouldn’t be in the ‘strata of 750 masterpoints or more’, does that mean we can NOT get gold?
When you enter the Gold Rush event you will be playing against players with up to 750 masterpoints. If you have a good enough percentage game that you do better than all the players in your section and direction (that includes players with up to 750 masterpoints), you will win Gold points. There is no “200 section”. Players from all stratifications will be playing against each other in every section (there will be a mix of A, B and C players in each section and in each direction). Your stratification simply means that you will be eligible for masterpoints if you place high in your stratification — so if you do well against the other pairs with under 200 masterpoints in your section and direction, you will win masterpoints. However, masterpoints for doing well in Strat B or C will be red, not gold. To answer your question, yes, you can earn Gold Points even if you and your partner have under 200 masterpoints. However, to earn gold points you must do well against EVERYONE in your section/direction (including players with up to 750 masterpoints).
Just please confirm….in CA, what is 10:15 am ET? Certainly not Eastern Time 7:15!!
Thanks!
Yep, 7:15 West Coast time
Thank you. This is regarding the 2-session event on Sunday, August 30th.
My partner and I are members of both ACBL and ABA. I have 2711.94 points in the Association and am closing in on 2000 points in the League. Clara has 8079.48 in the Association and a lot less in the League. Do we need to play in the A-X event? Thank you. My name is Tanya.
ABA points count towards your eligibility for ACBL Tournament Events in online bridge just as they would in Face-to-face Regionals or Nationals. Clara’s 8079.48 ABA points count as 4039 ACBL points, so you would add that to her ACBL points for her total. Since she has more than 3000 masterpoints by that reckoning, you are not eligible for any events other than Open Events (A/X two-session pairs or Side Pairs).
So, one must be registered and paid for a TWO SESSION event to have a chance to earn GOLD, otherwise it is RED, like all the REGIONALS have always been in my ACBL District (D25), correct? Am I to understand that even though the events are STRATIFIED (ex: 750/300/100 or whatever A/B/C) you will ONLY win GOLD if you are TOP in the A strat? TOPS in B or C strat only win RED? So, even though a player with 50 points (‘C’) plays against the players up to 750 MPs (‘A’) and that 50 point player scores 1st in “B” and first in “C” and maybe 6th in “A”, they will have to settle for RED POINTS, even though it is a two session event? This sounds NEW and unfair to me. Why bother to have strats? And you are charging $60 for the PAIR for this?
This is how it’s been at Regional Tournaments for a long time. You cannot earn Gold points unless you do well against players of a certain skill level. If we gave Gold Points for first in the under 300 strat, that would be like giving gold points for playing in a 299er event. The event is stratified so players with fewer masterpoints can still earn points against players of their same skill level; however, those points are red. In the Super Gold Rush events, you can earn gold for a 1st in the second strat (which is up to 750 masterpoints). Gold points are supposed to be more difficult to earn.
should be more generous with gold points during COVID considering “regionals” are only available periodically making them REALLY HARDER TO GET
ACBL Conditions of Contest specify that REGIONAL tournaments are hosted by an ACBL District. What DISTRICT is hosting this “vacation” and do they gain/lose money from it running Online? Are we playing only with players from our own Districts? How can you call this a DISTRICT or a REGIONAL event?! Are you making Sections based at all on geography, like a Regional would? Are Clubs, UNITS, or DISTRICTS receiving any piece of this $15 entry fee?
This tournament is referred to as a Regional Tournament since the events and awards are what you would expect at a face-to-face Regional. However, this tournament is not affiliated with any particular District, Unit or Region, but is ACBL-wide. Clubs, Units and Districts are not receiving any revenue from fees collected in the Online Regional Tournament.
We think it’s just too expensive. It’s several dollars more per session than the face-to-face tournaments charge, and we are not receiving any free goodies, like lunches, snacks, coffee and other cerces, and there would seem to be less expense to the sponsors for renting space. Maybe if we understood where the money is going?
The times are inconvenient for west coast players. For the next regional rated tournament please have 2 session events at more reasonable time for west coast players (e.g. 10am and 2pm, or 4pm and 8pm).
There are two “sets” of events every day to satisfy players from the East Coast and the West Coast. The second set of events starting between 2:15 and 2:45 for the first session and 5:45 and 6:15 for the second session we hope will appeal to West Coast players who are not early risers.
We live in Hawaii. Our best chance for earning Gold is toi play in the 400and under but that means my partner and I must play in the 4:15 am events.. Can we have these a little later?
The Super Gold Rush Events are a good opportunity to earn Gold Points. Even though players with up to 1250 masterpoints are eligible, you can still earn gold by placing first in you direction either overall or compared to players with up to 750 points (the “B” strat) or putting together two good sessions.
What happens if you get disconnected while you are playing? Is there a special site we can go to, to get back on?
If you get disconnected during the tournament, do your best to log back in to BBO as quickly as you can. We will wait for about two minutes (which should give you plenty of time to log back on) before replacing you with a sub. If you are unable to get back on in that time frame, a sub will be put in your seat for the remainder of the hand, but you will be returned to your seat at the conclusion of the hand or at the first opportunity once you get logged on.
Why is Super Gold Rush pairs in the evening every day? This seems tot be designed for the west coast. What about rotating it between early and late by day? In a 4 days tournament it could be early 2 days and late 2 days.
In the last online Tournament in June, the Super Gold Rush Pairs were in the morning and the Gold Rush Pairs was the later event. We try to mix them up. Will take your suggestion under consideration.
Is the golden rush is pairs or Swiss? do we need to be 2 or 4?
All events are Pair events. There are no team events.
Is it like earlier competitions where the entries were filled within the first 5 minutes? Do my ptnr & I need to be online ready to register 2 hrs before session or we won’t get in?
The April/May regional sold out fast, but the June regional generally did NOT sell out (more events, more capacity in each event). I don’t expect this regional to sell out either, but it never hurts to register “early”.
Entries will not sell out. We have unlimited capacity. You are not required to register two hours before game time, but we strongly recommend you register at least 15 minutes before the start of the game.
Not good for West Coast players. One has to get up either very early for the 7:30 am 1st session, or play through dinner time for the 6pm 2nd session start time.
I am from Louisiana, if we loose power during a session can we get a refund?
If you have an issue outside of your control that prohibits you from completing a session, please send an email to online.tournament@acbl.org with all the pertinent information. We will be reviewing refund requests immediately following the conclusion of the tournament
nterested in partner for Sunday Gold Rush. I have 670 masterpoints. contact cnmrry@aol.com
Where are the results with points?
Go to Live.ACBL.org and click on “Regional Tournaments” It’s the first one listed 🙂
Any thought of making a virtual sticker/iron-on patch like the ones handed out at sectional, regional and national tournaments? For our virtual convention card holders 🙂
Good idea! Will pass that on….
We earned 2.44 Gold/Red points today in the Golden Sunshine event — how do we find out how many are Gold and how many are Red??
Because you were 1st in your direction which is worth 1.59 Gold, that is the gold you will receive. You received .85 red for your placing in the first session. Those are your totals.
My partner got kicked offline tonight in the 2nd session of the tournament 5 minutesinafter it was supposed to start. We had been online 15 minutes before the session was supposed to begin. He did not have time to get back on in time to play the session. Consequently we lost our registration fee and any chance at winning any points. I was told by one of the directors after trying to contact someone for 30 minutes, that they could do nothing about it and to Gcontact ACBL. Good luck on doing that. I don’t know whether to try to play tomorrow or not. I don’t want to repeat this experience again.
If you are disconnected and unable to play the second session, contact online.tournament@acbl.org to request a refund of your entry fee.
What are red points? My husband and I supposedly got .71 in the ferris wheel events at the 215 Seattle time game. Can’t find where I saw it and I don’t know what it is. Can you explain and tell me where to look as well? Thx.
You can see how many points you received and what color points they were at live.acbl.org, click on “regional Tournaments” then choose the first one on the list. Red points can be used toward rank advancement (there is a red/gold points category that they will satisfy). They also count toward your overall number of masterpoints as you work your way up the ranks.
6
what is the difference between 7106 and 7105
For large events such as the Gold Rush, ACBL sets up two (or sometimes 3) separate sections to handle the large number of entries. There is no difference between any section and you should register for whichever section you want.
When and where will you post the results from Thursday’s Gold Rush Pairs?
I
Results are posted at live.acbl.org (click on Regional Tournaments and it’s the first one listed). We try to get the results up as quickly after the end of the event as possible.
It is actually now 9:15 in NY but the comment above posted as 3:15PM.
Where are you?
Why does the Gold Rush event cost so much? Tournament organizers only have to pay for Directors and have no conference facility or food expense. Who gets the money, BBO, ACBL, Al-Qaeda?
I’m not a tournament director or involved in BBO etc, I do know that there are BBO fees, ACBL fees and director fees. Take a look at how many directors are on one session. These are huge events and require many hours and organization. I have played in many tournaments and fees are the same. When you say food, coffee and a bagel, is not worth the fees they charge.
Need a partner for one of the red pts game today. I have 188 pts and play 2/1.
results
live.acbl.org
It’s worth the price, after all, the cards are cleaned and sterilized. 😉
I played in the tournament yesterday and earned red points which have not yet been posted to my bbo account Should they have not been posted a day later?
Points awarded at Online Regionals are ACBL points, not BBO points. They do not count toward your BBO points total.
I played in the 2 Golden Sunshine Games Yesterday, but my Rank and Masterpoints from those Games do not show up on the BBO History Chart. Will it remain just zeros and Blanks? I did receive an e Mail from the ACBL that was confusing to say the least.
Go to Live.ACBL.org to see how many points you received. Contact online.tournament@acbl.org if it is unclear how many points (and what color) you earned
Way too expensive for 18 boards. Way too much cheating going on.
I had a score change in Sandcastle session 2-a downgrade of nearly 2.5%
How do I learn why? The BBO history still shows the higher score but the ACBL notice and show the smaller %. It effects the gold warned
Contact online.tournament@acbl.org with the information and we’ll look into it for you.
We were registered for two games today and just as the game was starting got a Chat message that I was removed from tournament! Does that mean my partner and I were also removed from the afternoon session?
Yes. Make sure you “chat” back and forth with your partner about 5 minutes before game time to ensure BBO does not see you as inactive and think you are offline which will cause your registration to be cancelled
In cAmpfire side game # 7531 .. I was told we were given a 6 club making board and now have learned it was taken away .. The game times out but I believe I would have made it. The oppenents can look to see how they could have set me AFTER the fact but weren’t necessarily going to during play.
AND twice I was notified that the ^ making would hold.
How do I get resitution?
Please send the information to online.tournament@acbl.org so we can look into it.
In cAmpfire side game # 7531 .. I was told we were given a 6 club making board and now have learned it was taken away .. The game times out but I believe I would have made it. The oppenents can look to see how they could have set me AFTER the fact but weren’t necessarily going to during play.
AND twice I was notified that the ^ making would hold.
How do I get resitution?
Oh and I had a plan which would have made before we timed out. Campfire side game.. #7531 I think. I shld