6/10/2023 0 Comments Bridge baron bidding boxes![]() ![]() There's a brief adaptation time as players get accustomed to the feel. Since they slide across each other more easily, a tight grip can cause one to lose control of the cards. They do require a different grip and touch. Most, I believe, get a little thrill handling the luxurious feeling cards. The reactions from players at the games will always be mixed. There were no feed errors or stuck cards. I would get an occasional "leaner" that might cause a jam - mostly in the far-left North pocket, but those were rare. They sorted more quietly and settled smoothly into the board pockets. Indeed the new cards behaved beautifully in the machine. My friend Adam Barron was having problems with plastic cards in his Dealer4, and I wanted to see if the new cards would live up to the promise. I knew I was going to replace all of my cards with these.Ī couple of weeks ago, as a test, I ordered three dozen decks of all-plastic ACBL cards. I immediately started seeing dollar sign$ in my head. (I'm imagining some interesting material science going into the plastic formulation - inserting some ions into the mix that would dissipate the static charge.) I believe he even said they made some firmware updates to handle the cards better. Terry from Playbridge demonstrated how the new cards would sort perfectly and settle into their pockets. I knew that the main failure point for plastic cards was going to be the dealing machines, and they must have solved that problem. Between sessions, I visited the Baron Barclay booth and asked "What's going on here?" and got the response, "Oh, you noticed?" I had to play a couple of hands before I found an Ace of Spades in my hand so I could see the imprint there, which just said "American Contract Bridge League." They had a perfect handling weight and thickness. These were not the familiar plastic-coated paper cards, they were all-plastic, satiny finish, ACBL-logo playing cards. I happily pulled my hand from the board and almost jumped out of my seat, "WTF?" I sat down at my first event, seeing shiny new cards, in Imperial-Plus boards, with a Neo Classic bidding box at my side, the paper bidding cards neatly sorted into their familiar places. Undoubtedly this is why the machine itself needs cleaning so frequently.)įast forward to November 2017 when the NABC was being held in nearby San Diego. (Indeed using paper cards with the Dealer4 extends their life by giving them a bit of a cleaning as they pass through the rollers. It was always a treat to start a big tournament with brand new cards, knowing they would be toast by the end of the week. Back in San Jose I used to replace three dozen decks every month. After a dozen or so plays, I feel the need to throw them out and put in new ones. The paper cards also collect oil and dirt, turn a little dingy on the edges, and easily get burrs that catch on other cards. Best of all, when used with a Dealer4 dealing machine, they sort well. When they're new (or newish) they feel perfect, shuffle well, and handle confidently. The culprit appears to be static electricity - causing the cards to "float" slightly instead of landing smoothly in the pockets.Ĭlearly the choice to make was, again, the same as the NABC: the ACBL "plastic coated" paper cards. But if you put a couple of decks in the dealing machine, they would go flying everywhere. They had a perfect feel, shuffled smoothly, and lasted forever. (They take more space than the folding boxes, but are more durable.) I bought "Imperial-Plus" duplicate boards to use in a Dealer4 dealing machine, Cosco tables (the MECO tables are good too but have minor problems).įor playing cards, I had a treasured set of plastic cards from a company that's no longer in business. As the pinnacle of tournament play, and heavy-duty supply usage, I had a strong bias toward their selections. When I was deciding how to equip my bridge club, I took my cues from the ACBL North American Bridge Championships. ![]() My desk with boards, cards, and the Playbridge Dealer4 machine. ![]()
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