> > Have any of you played on BridgeBig.com? Do you think it will lure people
> > away from BBO?

> Just gave it a try, plus perused their website. Whether it gains
> tractions is anyone's guess, and how well their software operates is
> still an open question (it is, after all, a beta that they admit
> "requires care").

> One group to which I think it will appeal are those who are looking for
> a money-centered venue. That's something that BBO does, but (in my
> opinion as a longtime rubber bridge player) doesn't do all that well.

> Another group to whom it should definitely appeal are those who use
> iPads, iPhones, and similar mobile devices.

> The major impediment to gaining the traction is that overcoming an
> entrenched competitor requires both a _significantly_ better
> product/deal and for that competitor to stumble, however briefly, to
> provide the window of opportunity. (You also need the funding to
> continue to evolve.)

>> In article
>> <271747723350706024.758638dave.doran.wex-gmail....@nntp.aioe.org>, Dave
>> D <dave.doran....@gmail.com> wrote:

>>> Have any of you played on BridgeBig.com? Do you think it will lure people
>>> away from BBO?

>> Just gave it a try, plus perused their website. Whether it gains
>> tractions is anyone's guess, and how well their software operates is
>> still an open question (it is, after all, a beta that they admit
>> "requires care").

>> One group to which I think it will appeal are those who are looking for
>> a money-centered venue. That's something that BBO does, but (in my
>> opinion as a longtime rubber bridge player) doesn't do all that well.

>> Another group to whom it should definitely appeal are those who use
>> iPads, iPhones, and similar mobile devices.

>> The major impediment to gaining the traction is that overcoming an
>> entrenched competitor requires both a _significantly_ better
>> product/deal and for that competitor to stumble, however briefly, to
>> provide the window of opportunity. (You also need the funding to
>> continue to evolve.)

> Okay, I've given it some more exercise, both on the computer and iPad.
> I tried it on the iPhone, but the screen is just too blasted small.

> There's a lot of "waiting" time for the table to form for a deal, but
> if they get sufficient players online that should cease to be an issue
> (I haven't encountered more that 9 people signed in at one time so
> far).

> The interface for bidding/playing is pretty good...I like it a little
> (buy only a little) better than what BBO and OKB offer. With such a
> small sample size, I won't give a rating to the level of play other
> than to say that the very few I've played with and against are
> definitely better than the random players you'll find, for example, in
> a BBO individual event (what they call an Express).

> At this point, the "waiting" is the biggest issue for me. One of the
> main things I'm reminded that I dislike about face-to-face bridge is
> how glacial the pace is (we just had a sectional here and we had to
> wait for tables or opponents virtually every round and always had 15-20
> minutes between matches in the Swiss...finished the last match almost a
> half hour before the event ended.

> The focus of the site is exclusively on their competitions. So far as I
> can tell, there is no venue for partnership practice or casual play, so
> that's going to kill its appeal for the multitudes. Unless that
> changes, it will not offer either BBO or OKB any competition.

> >> In article
> >> <271747723350706024.758638dave.doran.wex-gmail....@nntp.aioe.org>,
> Dave >> D <dave.doran....@gmail.com> wrote:

> >>> Have any of you played on BridgeBig.com? Do you think it will
> lure people >>> away from BBO?

> >> Just gave it a try, plus perused their website. Whether it gains
> >> tractions is anyone's guess, and how well their software operates
> is >> still an open question (it is, after all, a beta that they admit
> >> "requires care").

> >> One group to which I think it will appeal are those who are
> looking for >> a money-centered venue. That's something that BBO
> does, but (in my >> opinion as a longtime rubber bridge player)
> doesn't do all that well.

> >> Another group to whom it should definitely appeal are those who use
> >> iPads, iPhones, and similar mobile devices.

> >> The major impediment to gaining the traction is that overcoming an
> >> entrenched competitor requires both a significantly better
> >> product/deal and for that competitor to stumble, however briefly,
> to >> provide the window of opportunity. (You also need the funding to
> >> continue to evolve.)

> > Okay, I've given it some more exercise, both on the computer and
> > iPad.  I tried it on the iPhone, but the screen is just too blasted
> > small.

> > There's a lot of "waiting" time for the table to form for a deal,
> > but if they get sufficient players online that should cease to be
> > an issue (I haven't encountered more that 9 people signed in at one
> > time so far).

> > The interface for bidding/playing is pretty good...I like it a
> > little (buy only a little) better than what BBO and OKB offer. With
> > such a small sample size, I won't give a rating to the level of
> > play other than to say that the very few I've played with and
> > against are definitely better than the random players you'll find,
> > for example, in a BBO individual event (what they call an Express).

> > At this point, the "waiting" is the biggest issue for me. One of the
> > main things I'm reminded that I dislike about face-to-face bridge is
> > how glacial the pace is (we just had a sectional here and we had to
> > wait for tables or opponents virtually every round and always had
> > 15-20 minutes between matches in the Swiss...finished the last
> > match almost a half hour before the event ended.

> > The focus of the site is exclusively on their competitions. So far
> > as I can tell, there is no venue for partnership practice or casual
> > play, so that's going to kill its appeal for the multitudes. Unless
> > that changes, it will not offer either BBO or OKB any competition.

> I agree with you - it's going to have to offer a lot to coax people
> away from BBO. I've been glancing at it over the past few months, and
> although the graphics are great, I've never seen any more than a dozen
> people at any one time. I believe that their aim is to have some
> serious money in prizes, but to be honest, unless they get some
> players soon, I can't see this taking off. Still, I wish them the
> best of luck; it's always nice to see something new in online bridge.