One cool advantage to doing your ACBL Robot Individual boards early: you get a provisional score that wavers up and down as more people play the boards throughout the day. I finished my 24 boards first thing in the morning and I’ve re-checked my score today more times than I’ve checked the stock market (for me, that’s saying a lot).
Deal Pools / Anti-Cheating / Human Declare / Best Hand
In total, 2300 humans enter the tournament. As a security measure, not everyone plays the same boards. In fact, only 30 or so humans play each board, so it is very unlikely you share more than 1 board with any of your friends. That adds some luck and reduces the fun of discussing interesting hands later, but such is life.
Also, to ensure no one can coast through their 24 boards, the human player always has equal or more high card points than anyone else at the table. Furthermore, you declare whether your hand or your partner’s hand wins the auction. If you wind up on defense, you need to be even more focused – the bots do a lot of non-mandatory false carding, especially your partner.
Robot Individual Champions
Given all the randomness, it’s mind-blowing that the same players consistently score very well. Greater New York’s own Alex Perlin has won it TWICE – statistically more difficult than winning two pre-2004 World Series of Poker Main Events! There is definitely some skill to practicing with the bots, but every expert preaches normal, solid bridge. Psyching the bots or making dubious anti-field plays is unlikely to give a long-term advantage over 3 sessions.
This time around, a mysterious Flight C player named “chewylime” is in the lead after 2 days with back-to-back 70%+ scores. Who is this NLM with 0-500 points, schooling years of bot AI research? Is he or she secretly a new version of alpha-go or GIB Advanced Bot masquerading as a human? All will be revealed when the clock strikes midnight.
Personal Bridge Adventures: How Did I Do?
Day 1 was ho-hum. Unfortunately, I had a record-breaking bad Day 2, barely making 40%. A series of unfortunate events sparked an avalanche of poor decisions, snowballing into what I would kindly call a sub-optimal emotional state. Traders and poker players call it tilt, and it impacts everyone to some degree (maybe even the Advanced Bot – I’ve seen it tank, or maybe RCN was lagging).
So I enter Day 3 super relaxed. After all, I already paid for the 24 boards, and have no chance of winning anything? Might as well go all out! Bid all the Gurvich Hands and Jesson Hands I can. Bots stealing my contract? Double. Partner transferring into my 4333? Super-accept! I mean, I have the best hand, right?
JUUUUST kidding. I didn’t purposefully go for broke, but somehow it all worked out. If the score holds, I’ll have broken my personal worst and personal best record in the Robot NABC by a wide margin in each direction. All this excitement for only $34 (with early bird discount). You can bet I’ll play the next one!
