Uploading hands for team matches on BBO

A couple of years ago I published my guide for running team matches on BBO. This is still as valid today if you are using the Windows client - I might run a guide for the web version some day.

One of the facilities that I often use for set team matches is the ability to provide your own hands for the event. I tend to do this for a number of reasons:

1. Specific practice session - I will prepare hands that test slam bidding, competition or specific conventions that some of the players wish to practise in a competitive environment.
2. Hands from a major tournament - I will use the Vugraph archive or Vugraph Project to generate some hands so that the players can see what happened when world-class players played the hands. This is very popular with the players.
3. For some special events with multiple team matches, it allows the same boards to be played at all the tables.

So how is it done?

First, prepare your hands.

BBO uses a proprietary file format, known as a 'lin' file, to specify the hands. I use Dealmaster Pro for generating specific hand types; this generates an appropriate 'lin' file for use on BBO.

If I use existing files, from the vugraph archive or Vugraph Project, then you need to edit the lin files to get your boards. The main task, using a text editor, is to remove all the boards from the closed room of the archive so that each board is only specified once in the lin file. You may also wish to reduce the number of boards, or concatenate files to give a single bigger one.

Secondly, prepare your tournament as described in the previous post.

Thirdly, the tricky bit! When you create the team match, it is placed on the list of team matches. It will remain on this list until the eighth and final player accepts the invitation, and then the match will start within about 30 seconds.

You need to download the boards for the team match in the short time between match creation and the match start. You need to be able type quickly. Alternatively, and a lot simpler, you can ask one player to delay accepting the team match until you have downloaded the boards.

After you have created the team match, click on the specific match in the list of team matches. Now click the green TABLE button to edit the team match - a window will pop up and one of the options is 'Upload pre-set hands for the tourney'. Execute this function, browse to the file and load it.

Then tell your friendly player to accept the tournament and it should all work. Note that you still have to work fast as there is a 2 minute timeout for the match creation.

Further thoughts

You can preload hands in exactly the same way if you are a directing a tournament. Except that the time between tournament creation and tournament start will be hours or days, rather than 2 minutes, so it is a lot less hectic.

Therefore, if you have tournament creation privileges, you can use them to test your lin file of hands and practise your uploading skills.

I suggest you create a 'test tournament' that starts in 24 hours, 30 minutes in the future. Find the tournament in the list (should be the first one in the 24+ hours list) and use the TABLE button to edit the tournament and upload the hands. When the hands are loaded it will tell you how many have been accepted. Then remember to cancel the tournament.