Where to play
What BBO is
BBO stands for Bridge Base Online, the largest online bridge site in the world, running since 2001. This page explains the name, what you can do there, and its robots.
What the name means
Three letters, one for each word: Bridge Base Online. Players use "BBO" and "Bridge Base" interchangeably.
The company behind it, Bridge Base Inc., was founded in 1990 by Fred Gitelman and Sheri Winestock and sold bridge teaching software. The online platform followed in 2001, first as a Windows program offering free multiplayer rooms.
What you can do there
Registration is free, and a lot of the site is free to use.
- Casual play with other people, in a very large open lobby.
- Solo play against robots: the Just Play Bridge format, free and unlimited.
- Tournaments, many of which charge an entry fee.
- Sanctioned events run with national bridge organisations including the ACBL and the EBU.
If you want online results that count towards a national ranking, your national organisation decides which events qualify, and those events are run on BBO.
GIB, the robots
BBO's robots are GIB, Ginsberg's Intelligent Bridge player, named for its author Matthew Ginsberg. They bid two over one game forcing, and they can fill an empty seat or give advice.
A subscription offers robots playing other bidding systems. GIB is strong in the play of the cards; its bidding is criticised more often.
Just Play Bridge
BBO's solo format. You take one seat, robots take the other three, and you play a full deal on your own.
It's free, unlimited, and needs no account. It also doesn't keep your hands: Just Play Bridge deals aren't stored in My Hands the way a normal table's are, so there's nothing to go back to afterwards.
It has its own guide here: how Just Play Bridge works.
Where else people play
If BBO suits you, there's no need to leave. Players who look elsewhere usually give one of these reasons.
- They want their hands kept. Reviewing your own boards afterwards helps you improve, and the free solo format doesn't save them.
- They find the lobby overwhelming. A very large open room suits players who want a game at any hour, and can be a lot to take in if you're new.
- They want a quieter interface. This is mostly a matter of taste.
BridgeArena is a much smaller alternative. Practice against robots is free, every board is saved with its auction and all four hands for replay or PBN export, and there are no sanctioned events.