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2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
User Manual – uBid Bridge
List of content
1. Product overview
2. Installation
3. Basic bidding
4. The Power of uBid
5. Actions on hands
6. Self help functions
Preface
This is user manual for uBid Bridge. An app to practice and improve your bidding skills with your
partner.
Go to Chapter 1 to get familiar with uBid.
Go to Chapter 2 to Install and register.
Go to Chapter 3 to start with bidding.
Go to Chapter 4 and 5 to discover all uBid posibilities for bidding.
2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
1. Product overview
1.1 Features & Services
uBid Bridge is not about winning but about practicing and improving your bidding in cooperation with
your partner(s).
uBid is an app for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. But uBid can run on PC or Mac via
emulation of an Android phone
To be able to use uBid you need a partner who has also installed uBid as well.
You can in-app-invite your bridge friends by e-mail.
Partners don’t have to be present at the same time at the “table”;
Figure 1 uBid can be used anywhere. Your partner can be elsewhere and bidding can be done at a convenient time.
Players should respond within 72 hours with a bid, otherwise a hand will expire.
Players can chat during bidding or evaluate after finishing a hand.
uBid unique features
uBid is highly customizable to fit your needs which could be:
• Just bidding and chatting with your partner and get star-scores for your contracts
• Exercise basic, standard or advanced conventions
• Get guided by hints to bid otherwise or
don’t get disturbed and go your own way
• Get post mortem explanations of the suggested auction
• Agree on your own auctions with you partner
An uBid account allows you to
• play with an unlimited number of partners
• bid unlimited number of hands
• install uBid on multiple devices either Android or iOS devices or even a mix of both
Do a chat and
get another 72
hours.
2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
1.2 Bridge content
uBid includes about 7000 different bid boards which are grouped by main themes and sub themes
A main theme is for example Opponents bid 1M which has sub themes like:
• Slam interest,
• Balancing,
• Partscore,
• Invite
• 2m overcall
These sub themes have multiple deal sets containing multiple boards with equivalent distribution
A deal set has one suggested auction, set of hints and explanations and score table.
Figure 2 Some uStandard themes and subthemes.
1.3 Special functionality for experts
Experts can use uBid while ignoring the themes and store their own preferred auctions.
More details in Chapter 5.
Figure 3 Example of uBid bid table with a preferred auction.
More about current themes http://ubid.newinbridge.com/ubid-themes/
2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
1.4 How does uBid reward your results?
You are rewarded for the contract and auction.
Contract
For the contract your partnership can be rewarded by three to zero stars. See Figure 4 below, three
blue stars for the optimal contract.
To decide about optimal contract following aspects are taken into account:
• opponents bids vulnerability,
• optimal side to make contract,
• scoring system.
Auction
If the auction, is according the editorial suggested auction or according preferred by your partnership,
the My Hands item will be covered with a blue transparent.
Figure 4 Finished hand 9190 with blue transparent
uBid is based on thematic dealsets with annotations which are composed by editors on a best effort
basis. In real Bridge taking the "right" or "variant" path can lead to success or failure.
uBid is not different so in rare cases the "optimal" contract could go down! and the suggested auction
can miss the optimal contract! And of course editorial mistakes and software bugs can not be
prevented, so we are very interested in your feedback!
The best way to provide feedback is directly from the hand via the Discuss Board function.
The scoring for the uBasic thematic dealset differs from uStandard and other theme sets. uBasic's purpose is just to learn basic conventions so only the suggested auction is rewarded.
2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
1.5 Support
uBid has a support department that reacts fast and can be reached via in-app menu or via e-mailing to
1.6 Terms & Conditions
The Terms & Conditions can be found here (http://ubid.newinbridge.com/terms-and-conditions/) Here
we sum up some important ones:
• Newly registered players get one month free playing time for uBid Premium.
• When the playing time expires a player can still review existing hands but cannot bid or be
invited to bid.
• To continue using uBid one should subscribe via the App stores of Google and Android to one
of the annual plans. Subcriptions are renewed automatically.
• To cancel subcriptions is easy, look for iTunes here and for Android here
Upgrade and downgrade is possible during a running plan. The unused balance of the old
subscription will be applied on a pro-rated basis to the new subscription.
1.7 Plans
uBid comes in three packages Clasic (*) Plus (**) and Premium (***) which differ in functionaliy.
The main differentiator between packages is access to hints and explanations of hands with differrent
complexity level. All users can encounter any level-hand but access to hints explanation and suggested
auction is dependant on the purchased plan.
Acces to hints & explantions per plan
Plan / Type of hands uBasic uStandard uAdvanced
uBid Classic ✓
uBid Plus ✓ ✓
uBid Premium ✓ ✓ ✓
Complexity level of hands
A
2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
2. Installation
To get started there are five simple steps:
• download
• install
• launch
• register
• finalize
Step 1: Download the app
If you have an iPhone and or iPad go to https://itunes.apple.com/app/ubid-bridge/id980255984
OR search in the Appstore for "uBid Bridge”.
If you have an Android phone or tablet, go to
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.newinbridge.ubid OR search in the Playmarket app
for "uBid Bridge”.
Step 2: Install the app
Follow up the instructions of Google and Apple.
Step 3: Launch the app
After a while you will see the START screen:
If you have been using uBid in the past, tap on “Already Member”, otherwise tap on “No member?
Sign up now”.
Tip: You can install uBid on more than one device.
2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
Step 4. Register
You will see the SIGNUP screen:
You can sign up with an email address and a password or via a social network account of yours.
Step 5: Finalize registration
Before finalizing your registration you will be asked to fill in a uBid nickname and answer some short
questions. This information will help us improve uBid so that you can get out most of the app. Your
personal data will not be shared with third parties.
After finishing registration you will see this screen:
2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
3. Basic bidding
In this chapter we get you started: start a new hand, bid, invite and finish a hand.
3.1 Start new hand
Tap on Start new hand. A hand will be displayed and you will see a question mark below your
nickname meaning that it is your turn to bid.
In the text that follows we assume that your nickname is “Billy”.
3.2 Enter a bid
With the keyboard you can enter and submit bids.
Tip: when you tap on the question mark, a hint will be displayed.
2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
3.3 Get guided by hints or not
There are two ways you can get hints before your bid of after your bid
a. Get hinted before you bid
It is Jane’s turn and she taps on the question mark, a hint pop-up
b. Get hint after your bid
In this example Billy wants to pass, however, uBid’s automated bidding assistant (we call it “Side
Kick”) does not agree. But don’t worry, it is only a suggestion of uBid’s editorial board.
Billy can ignore uBid’s suggestion and Submit Pass anyway.
Alternatively he can ask for a hint or Consider other bid.
3.4 Set Side Kick Off – No hint during bidding
If you don’t like hints and explanations during bidding, you can switch the Side-Kick off via in-app
menu
2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
3.5 Inviting a partner by e-mail
Billy enters the email address of his partner “Mary” and invites her by tapping on “INVITE”.
Please note: after entering e-mail address the keyboard hides the button INVITE.
As shown in the image below : Tap on RETURN to show the INVITE buton.
Partner has not installed uBid yet what happens?
In case your partner does not have uBid installed, an e-mail will be sent with installation instructions.
After installation your partner will be able to respond to your bid!
Tip: You can also enter an e-mail from you address book. uBid will request permission to access your address book. Don’t worry: NewInBridge will have no access to your address book.
2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
3.6 Finish a hand
Continue bidding. When the auction is finished the hand will be stored in the Finished Hands section
of the My Hands overview. And your contract will be star-rated .
See below some Finished Hands-examples with explanations:
2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
4. The Power of uBid
In this chapter you will find many of uBid features, like invite a new partner by email, next hand with
most recent partner, search and sort for hands, etc.
4.1 My Hand Sections are collapsible
Tap on the labels My Turn, Partner’s Turn and Finished Games.
These sections are collapsible.
4.2 Next hand with most recent partner
When Billy and Mary have finished a hand, uBid remembers the most recent partner. In order to start a
new hand with the last partner, Billy can click on (+) and a new hand will be started for him and Mary.
4.3 Invite new partner by e-mail
Your can bid in uBid with multiple partners: In order to invite a new partner click on Menu (upper left
corner in the app) and select Start New Hand.
2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
4.4 Searching for hands
Just enter a board number or partners nickname and you will find what your are looking for.
4.5 Sorting of hands
You can sort on partner, board number, time, result and themes.
4.6 Chat and Discuss Board
You chat with your partner and discuss the board with other uBidders.
4.7 Set Theme Scope per partnership You and your partner can select which bidding themes you would like to practice in particular. Go in
app menu set themescope select the themes that you want to exercise with your partner any
combination is possible just select one or excude some of the themes.
2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
4.8 Help center & support
uBid support department can be reached by email [email protected]
uBid’s help center can be reached via in-app menu For Members Only
FAQ
Discuss Themes
You can monitor follow-ups of
you request
You can look back to your
community contributions
Submit a request
Provide feed back
Learn about uCoach functions
Just try these function which are self-explaining.
2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
5. Actions on Hands
You can access these functions by tapping on the icon in the upper right corner of My Hands
5.1 Sharing multiple hands from MyHands View
a. Tap on Share via e-mail and social networks
b. select the hands you want to share
c. Tap on Share
d. Select the way you want to share
In case of sharing by email
enter a destination address.
An emeil with a link to a PDF file will be sent to
destination address
2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
5.2 Set an auction as preferred
When you finished a hand and you evaluate the contract and auction with your partner, there these
cases have to be considered.
Opinion about suggested auction Action
You both agree None
You both disagree and your
actual auction preferred
One of the partners can set the
actual auction as preferred
Your both disagree but you
actual auction is not the way to
go
You can replay the hand and bid
according preferred and then set
the auction as preferred
Tap on from the Hand details screen which you discuss
and if your action was different from suggested you will see this
When you tap "Enter this auction as preferred" uBid will store, the last actual auction, exclusively for
your partnership as preferred, for hands with identical distribution. Your partner will be notified that
the auction has been set as preferred. uBid will show by adding adding a blue transparent if a hand
with identical distribution has been bid according your partnerships preference.
An example:
Actual auction is same as preferred-> blue transparent
If your last auction was not preferred you can as stated before first tap Replay the hand according your
preference and then “Enter this auction as preferred”.
Partner will be notified when an auction is set as preferred.
2017-09-12 - User Manual – uBid Bridge
6. Self Help functions
uBid operation is dependent on many components such as third party code components,
performance of the handheld, operating system version, proper Internet connection, wireless
transmission, notification systems run by Google and Apple which are not under control of
NewInBridge B.V.
And of course uBid’s code includes bugs, bug free software has still to be invented.
The rare “Frozen Hand” issue can be caused by a variety of environmental issues, such a low or
cluttered memory, high latency of internet and more.
6.1 Remedies
Try the following in presented order
• In app menu Synchronize
• In app menu Settings Reload Hands
• In app menu Setting Logout | Launch uBid
• Uninstall | Download and reinstall uBid
