Virtual Club Games with Unit 540!  In association with Unit 542 (Santa Barbara) and clubs in Santa Maria, Lompoc, Thousand Oaks and Visalia, we offer online bridge games at Bridge Base Online (BBO) with ACBL black masterpoints being awarded at an amount 25% higher than the value shown on BBO. Entry fee for all games is $4. Here is the schedule:

The name for our combined virtual club is CALIFORNIA COAST & FRIENDS. The director will always be VACB159004. On the first BBO screen under Featured Areas, go to Virtual Clubs, then ACBL – North America. Games will appear and be available for registration two hours before their start times. When you find our game, click on it and invite your partner to join you. Your partner must be logged in to BBO at that same time in order to receive and accept your invitation. Need a partner? Click on the “Need A Partner?” menu item for information.

To participate, you must first join BBO (become a member) at https://www.bridgebase.com/v3/, add some money to your account (go to BB$), and input your ACBL number.

Questions or problems at game time? You can initiate a chat with our director named VACB159004 to explain your dilemma and ask for help. Here are some ways you can do this.

• If you make it to the list of our games under Virtual Clubs, and see your game in the list, click on the blue box in the upper-left corner labeled VACB159004 and type your message at the bottom of the window which just opened. Click Chat to send it.
• On a computer — in the lower left corner click Lobby, Private, and type VACB159004, click OK, type your message and then click Chat to send it.
• On a tablet or phone — at the bottom tap Messages, then select Chat on the top row. From here on the steps are the same as above. Lobby, Private, Send to VACB159004, tap Message and type your message, then tap Chat to send it.
• One additional method. Add the director as a BBO friend, select the director in your list of friends and type your message at the bottom of the window which just opened. Click Chat to send it.

Unit 540 supports a Zero Tolerance policy that creates a pleasant atmosphere by eradicating unacceptable behavior. We are all familiar with examples such as negative comments to or about partner or opponents and badgering of other players at the table. In the virtual world, it also includes failure to adequately alert bids, or to explain alerted bids when asked to do so, excessively slow bidding or play and suspicious bidding or play. If you observe any of these behaviors, please call the Director during the game. Click here to read information from ACBL regarding how to report a deal and your role in keeping the game honest. In addition, please feel free to note the Game, the Board, the opponents’ names, and the infraction, and give that information to our members on the CC&F Virtual Club Committee:

• Deb Cameron at: debcameron.d22@hotmail.com
• Carol Raimondo at: craimondo1@gmail.com
• Linda Seifert at: elljay4254@gmail.com