BGonline.org Forums

Rule changes

Posted By: Colin Owen
Date: Monday, 27 July 2015, at 8:26 p.m.

In Response To: Rule changes (Steven E. Carey)

Just to let you know, you're not alone in this world: I've been alternating the opening roll in most of my heads up sessions, for years. I prefer the variation where you change the opener after an odd number games, ABBAAB...rather than ABAB...where B is always playing catch up. Actually, I usually go further and we get the SAME openers; you can take it a degree further (which I do) and get a full cross section of opening rolls - over 30 games of course. I'm sure it'll soon catch on in match play... or not. But simple alternate openers could work, and would give an extra angle to consider when deciding whether to utilise your free drop at 1a 2a PC (and no doubt other scores - for the UBK's and Lamford's of this world).

Sure, would be quicker if we didn't have to re-roll doublets with Alternate Openers. But little things like that could affect much of the games literature. I still reckon that, on balance, counting all doublets at face value probably increases the win % of higher rated players, but it'd make the game less dramatic, and bugger up ALL the games literature. Any such rule changes, even a smaller one like being able to play either number when only one is possible, would have some buggering effect here. (And in programming, as has been pointed out to you.) Though fairly minor, this IS changing the rules of bg, applying to ALL games, whether match or money - unlike simply alternating the opening roll in match play (sans doublets), or even ditching the Crawford Rule, for example.

Further, I don't think that giving a player the choice of playing the lower number - which, unlike the higher one, doesn't leave a potentially devastating shot - is setting the IQ bar very high. Niuniuch observes how this would F up deep anchor equity; does the game benefit from this?

Players having the option, if both agree (and tick/initial the box on the score sheet) to play Alternate Openers would be a start. The effect upon MET's is something we could live with.

Messages In This Thread

• Rule changes
  Steven E. Carey -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 5:10 a.m.
  • Rule changes
    Trunky -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 9:21 a.m.
    • Rule changes
      RobertFontaine -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 10:55 a.m.
  • Rule changes
    TarHeelFan -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 10:54 a.m.
    • Rule changes
      Steven E. Carey -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 1:48 p.m.
      • Rule changes
        David Rennie -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 2:08 p.m.
  • Rule changes
    Tom Keith -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 1:35 p.m.
    • Rule changes
      niuniuch -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 3:14 p.m.
      • Challenge
        Tom Keith -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 3:54 p.m.
        • Challenge
          David Rennie -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 4:14 p.m.
          • Challenge
            Ray Kershaw -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 8:18 p.m.
            • Challenge
              David Rennie -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 8:32 p.m.
        • Here you are (guess where I found it :))
          niuniuch -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 4:54 p.m.
          • Here you are (guess where I found it :))
            Colin Owen -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 6:33 p.m.
        • Challenge
          Bob Koca -- Tuesday, 28 July 2015, at 4:32 p.m.
          • Challenge
            Tom Keith -- Tuesday, 28 July 2015, at 6:28 p.m.
            • Challenge
              Bob Koca -- Tuesday, 28 July 2015, at 9:13 p.m.
        • Challenge
          Marv Porten -- Thursday, 30 July 2015, at 5:17 p.m.
          • Challenge
            Bob Koca -- Saturday, 1 August 2015, at 1:27 p.m.
  • Rule changes
    Phil simborg -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 2:48 p.m.
  • Rule changes
    Casper Van der Tak -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 3:04 p.m.
  • Variations
    Timothy Chow -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 3:42 p.m.
  • Rule changes
    Keene -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 3:45 p.m.
  • Rule changes
    Colin Owen -- Monday, 27 July 2015, at 8:26 p.m.
    • Playing doublets once each instead of twice
      Tom Keith -- Tuesday, 28 July 2015, at 12:39 p.m.
      • Playing doublets once each instead of twice
        Colin Owen -- Tuesday, 28 July 2015, at 1:07 p.m.
  • Rule changes
    grant Hoffman -- Tuesday, 28 July 2015, at 9:20 p.m.