How do you play with robots?

There are several ways to play a robot-only game on BBO, with a variety of cost structures including several completely free methods (but you may have to suffer adverts). Some of the options may not be available if playing on a mobile device running under Android or Apple iOS.

The BBO servers offer two grades of robot. Let's call them "Basic" or "Advanced". The only differences are in the standard of their play, and their cost. The play standard differential may not be important to a learner, provided that the learner takes on board that neither robot plays a perfect game and their actions should not be taken as unquestionably best practice. Suffice it to say that all of the free methods are limited to Basic robots, and their standard of play is inferior to the Advanced robots.

Three of the free methods are available direct from the main log-in screen of the desktop web version anonymously, without logging in.

If your learner is prepared to accept a cost, then the available options increase.

You could rent basic robots at a rate of $1 per week, then you can host a table and sit yourself and 3 robots at the table.
You could rent advanced robots at a rate of $1 per day, and then likewise
You can enter a variety of robot tourneys at prices starting at $0.25 per tourney (typically $0.25 buys you an 8 hand tourney, and $1.00 a 12 hand tourney, assuming you do not want also to chip into the ACBL). All robot tourneys that come at any cost use only Advanced robots.

Some options would mean that while you only have robots sitting at your own table, this does NOT mean that no other humans are involved, as you may be part of a movement which contains one or more humans at other tables. This could be a desirable thing, as to be able to compare your efforts against other tables may enhance the learning experience. Indeed, as a learner you would probably benefit from having a history of hand records to revisit and analyse, and that would generally only be possible if you play hands that get recorded in the MyHands database. That would only happen if playing at tables with comparisons.

The robots only play one bidding system (2/1), and have virtually no defensive carding signals. If your learner is (say) UK-based and learning Standard English, this could be a cause of frustration. That said, the robot system is fairly well documented if you drill down enough. The Basic and Advanced versions play exactly the same version of 2/1, just to differing levels of competence in areas of judgement. Furthermore, the robots will assume that their opponents are also playing that same system and there is no way of informing them otherwise. This can lead to anomalies in results.

I don't have any experience of purchased stand-alone programs, but they may provide better options. "Jack" for example, will allow you to choose Acol as your system, and it plays to a higher level of competence than GIB. But you are talking about a cost starting at 89 Euros.

I am sure that there are other thoughts I could add to this, maybe later, by which time others will have piled in.

A "learner" describes a huge range of competence, and where the player is on that curve would well influence the desirable option.

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