[E Laurvick]

Is there any way to get absolutely incorrect explanations changed or are we stuck with continually guessing?

On a hand tonight the explanation was that the robot's raise of my suit showed at least two card support. Dummy came down with a void. In my suit. I don't know what the bid really meant, a correct explanation would have been helpful.

[barmar]

E Laurvick, on 2014-April-07, 00:39, said:

Is there any way to get absolutely incorrect explanations changed or are we stuck with continually guessing?

On a hand tonight the explanation was that the robot's raise of my suit showed at least two card support. Dummy came down with a void. In my suit. I don't know what the bid really meant, a correct explanation would have been helpful.

Sometimes the robot will deviate from the system based on simulations, just like players do in real life when they can't find a perfect systemic bid. And as in real life, the explanation is based on the agreement, not what the player actually holds.

[sdwcheney]

Understanding GIB bidding - Robots cannot not count = 6 card suit ( can be anywhere from 4 to 6 cards)
Rebid of a suit = 5 card suit (2,3,4,5,10) robot can bid it 3 times
High Card Point count = singleton King = 5 pts; Ace, King, x, x = 7 pts.
same with Queen or Jack! (no sense of suit quality)
Notrump bid by person, shows at least 3 card support for all suits.
So when the bidding goes 1 club, pass, 1 spade, pass
do not bid 1nt with 12 to 17 points if you have a
singleton spade. Robot will go to 4 spades with a
poor suit if you bid a makeable 3nt.
Competitive bidding, do not take one more bid, if you do Robot will always
raise it one more level so that you go down more.
Always remember when playing Robot Tournaments that you are playing against 3 robots!

[cooleyesee]

I think the Robot GIB system have some problem, for ex. 2D pass 3D then i bid 4D, my 4D mean double high suit, but robot bid 6N, why robot didn't bid 4H, or 4S, actully 4S, 4H all can make, but 6N down many! so I think should change robot bid style!

[kenberg]

I will give the link and then, in case it depends on operatng system, describe what came up on my computer (Windows 10, Google Chrome)

http://www.bridgebas...DT%7Cmc%7C11%7C

The issues is the bot's 3S call. The given explanation is:

4++C; +4++S;+10++HCP;+10-+total+points

Has the Bot been drinking? I don't mind that he/she/it has only 3 clubs, not 4, let alone 4++, and I can assume perhaps +4++S means either four really good spades or 5+, although T984 hardly qualifies, but what on earth is +10-+ total + points?

Maybe I should get us to 5C, it does make, but it's a bit lucky. We have 11 tricks in clubs, they have 9 in hearts, LOTT predicts 9+10=19<20 total tricks. Of course if N has 4++ clubs then LOTT says 20, maybe even 20++, so who am I to argue with the Bot?

As always, I enjoy playing with my new BFFs the bots. But there are times that we seem to have a failure to communicate.

+150 was worth 5.38 imps btw.

[wcneumann]

barmar, on 2014-April-07, 12:13, said:

Sometimes the robot will deviate from the system based on simulations, just like players do in real life when they can't find a perfect systemic bid. And as in real life, the explanation is based on the agreement, not what the player actually holds.

The Robot's bidding explanations quite often bear little resemblance to either its HCP, suit length, or total points. Quite often it will choose to violate all three in one bid. I see little value, for example in a Robot AI that chooses a bid, among alternatives that promises 6 spades when he holds 5 spades along with 6+ HCP when he holds only an Ace with no compensating distribution. Especially, when there are alternative bids are available that don't violate the explanations. It's just awful Robot AI programming. Until / unless BBO chooses to make an investment in their Robot AI programming and explanations, I guess we're all just stuck with the randomness of the code as it exists. Very sad. If I were programming the Robots I'd put a line of code in that doesn't let the Robot violate the explanations by more than two between suit length and HCP / total points. Unfortunately, BBO's programmers will let the Robots violate suit length and point count by 3 or more all the time! A little effort would go a long way towards making the Robots more friendly.