Pro Bridge manual final.qxd 2/8/2006 11:42 AM Page 1 Saitek TM Pro Bridge 311 User Manual Pro Bridge manual final.qxd 2/8/2006 11:42 AM Page 2 QUICK START To enjoy a game of Bridge right away, without reading the entire manual first, simply follow these Quick Start steps! 1 Locate the battery compartment in the base of the unit, and slide the cover off in the direction of the arrows. Insert four "AAA"(AM4/R03) alkaline batteries, making sure that you observe the correct polarity (+/-). Press the Cover Release Button, and then lift up and remove the protective cover. For convenience, you can store the cover by attaching it to the back of the unit whenever you're playing! Press GO/STOP to turn the computer on. When the display shows the Main Menu (PGSIBLR), we're ready to start! If your display shows something different, press ESCAPE until the Main Menu is displayed. The flashing P indicates the current option, Play. Press ENTER to select this option for our sample game, and you'll be taken directly to the Deal Menu. The display now shows RNES, with the letter R flashing to indicate Random deal. Press ENTER to select Random Deal, and the computer will automatically deal the first hand. If you'd prefer a different random hand, simply press ESCAPE and ENTER for another deal. Your hand is displayed, along with any bids made so far. SOUTH flashes, indicating that it's your turn to bid for South. Press a Suit Key (q r e w), and then a Value Key (2/3/4...) to make your bid. The NO TRUMP Key is also available for bidding. Finally, press ENTER. As you'll see later, the Cursor Keys can also be used for bidding and play. To pass at any point during bidding, press PASS, and then ENTER. Bidding continues until three consecutive passes ( P) have been made. The display now shows your hand and dummy's hand. The trump suit, if any, is underlined on the left-hand side, and play begins. If it's your opening lead, SOUTH will flash; otherwise the computer automatically leads, and SOUTH will flash on your turn. 2 The computer plays East, West, and North (if North is not declarer or dummy). If North is declarer or dummy, you'll play both North and South. Play your cards in turn, pressing a Suit Key, a Value Key, and ENTER. If a suit is forced, you need only press a Value Key and ENTER; if a card is forced, you need only press ENTER. Once the trick is complete, the contract and score are displayed. Press ENTER, as prompted. Then, continue as described above, until all 13 tricks have been won. That's all there is to it - you've learned the basics! Section 1.6 will show you how to proceed from this point on... To interrupt your game and store it in memory, press GO/STOP. To continue playing at any time, press GO/STOP again to turn the computer back on! 3 4 5 6 7 Pro Bridge manual final.qxd 2/8/2006 11:42 AM Page 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS QUICK START INTRODUCTION KEYS AND FEATURES 1. GETTING STARTED: THE BASICS 1.1 Power On 1.2 Get to Know the Menu System 1.3 Ready? Time to Deal! 1.4 Learn to Bid... 1.5 ...and Learn to Play! 1.6 Checking Out the Results a. Team of Four Results b. Rubber Bridge Results 1.7 Playing the Next Hand 2. MAIN MENU OPTIONS 2.1 Accessing the Deal Menu 2.2 Selecting a Game Type/Level a. Rubber Bridge b. Team of Four (Duplicate Bridge) c. Computer Peeks 2.3 Sound Effects On/Off 2.4 Light Too Weak/Strong? Adjust It! 2.5 Bidding Systems 2.6 English/French? It's Your Choice! 2.7 Resetting the Score 3. DEAL MENU OPTIONS 3.1 Random Deals 3.2 Numbered Deals 3.3 Edited Deals 3.4 Playing the Same Deal 4. EDIT MENU OPTIONS 4.1 Playing Your Edited Deal 4.2 Try Editing a Deal! 4.3 Changing the Dealer/Vulnerability 4.4 Rotating the Hands 5. MORE FEATURES TO EXPLORE 5.1 Viewing All the Hands 5.2 Illegal Bidding/Play 5.3 Need a Hint? Just Ask! 5.4 Change Your Mind? Try Again! 5.5 Autoplay: The Computer Takes Over 5.6 Review Play with History Mode! 5.7 Checking the Score 5.8 Game Memory 6. TECHNICAL DETAILS 6.1 The ACL Function 6.2 Care and Maintenance 6.3 Technical Specifications 6.4 Technical Support 6.5 Information for customers in the United States 6.6 Conditions of Warranty Appendix A: Bidding System Information Appendix B: Scoring Information Pro Bridge manual final.qxd 2/8/2006 11:42 AM Page 4 1 2 6 5 3 4 Pro Bridge manual final.qxd 2/8/2006 11:42 AM Page 5 KEYS AND FEATURES 1. 2. · LCD Display: Shows game play/information. GAME/FUNCTION KEYS: GO/STOP: Press to turn unit on/off. Current game is retained in memory when switched off, along with selected options. HISTORY: Press repeatedly during or after game to review previous bidding and play. AUTOPLAY: Press to have the computer play the remaining game for you. HINT: Press to request a hint from the computer during bidding or play. BACKLIGHT: Press to turn the backlight on/off. Intensity is adjusted via the Main Menu. VIEW HAND: Press repeatedly to see all hands: North/South, then East/West. Press to switch positions when editing a deal. SCORE: Press repeatedly to display current/cumulative scores. ESCAPE: Press to exit certain modes, such as View Hand, History, and Score. Press to return to previous menu or Main Menu. Press to terminate your current hand and return to deal selection during bidding or play. ACL (Reset): Used to recover from static discharge after inserting new batteries. Resets unit back to default settings. Battery Compartment: In base of unit, at top; uses four "AAA"(AM4/R03) batteries. Cursor 4-way pad left/right / . Press to move flashing cursor when selecting menu options/cards. Cursor 4-way pad up/down / . Press to move item under flashing cursor from Line 1 of display to Line 2. Press to cancel last Line 2 input (before ENTER is pressed). ENTER: Press to confirm a bid or play; press when prompted to confirm an action (e.g., to accept a hint); press to confirm and enter menu selections. 6. · BIDDING/PLAYING KEYS: 1/ /Q....3/2/1 Value Keys: Press to select cards, from Ace to 2. The 1 is included for bidding. PASS: Press to pass (P). DOUBLE: Press to double (d) or redouble (R) previous bid. NO TRUMP: Press to select No Trump. · · · · · qrew suit. Suit Keys: Press to select a · · · · · · 3. 4. 5. CURSOR 4-WAY PAD/ENTER: · · · Pro Bridge manual final.qxd 2/8/2006 11:42 AM Page 6 A LOOK AT THE LCD DISPLAY 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Dummy's Hand: Displays dummy's hand, or your hand for North if South is dummy. Also displays hands for North and East with repeated presses of VIEW HAND. Player/Position Indicators (w/ n/e/s): Flashing indicator indicates current player/position. No Trump Indicator South's Hand: Displays your hand for South, or dummy's hand if South is dummy. Also displays hands for South and West with repeated presses of VIEW HAND. Vulnerability Indicator Sound Off Symbol: Displayed when the Sound Off menu option is activated. Menu/Bid/Play Area: Used to bid, play, and select game options. Shows menus, prompts, contracts, tricks, and scores. Current Bid/Play Display Dummy Indicator 10. Trump Suit Indicator: Underscored symbol (q r e w ) indicates current trump suit, if any. Pro Bridge manual final.qxd 2/8/2006 11:42 AM Page 7 Pro Bridge manual final.qxd 2/8/2006 11:42 AM Page 8 1. GETTING STARTED: THE BASICS 1.1 Power On Your Pro Bridge 311 runs on four "AAA"(AM4/R03) batteries. Locate the battery compartment in the base of the unit, at the top, and slide off the cover in the direction of the arrows. Insert the batteries, making sure that you observe the correct polarity (+/-), as marked inside the compartment. We recommend fresh alkaline batteries for longer battery life. Important: To ensure that memory contents are not lost if your computer is unplugged, try to keep batteries installed. To turn the computer on, press GO/ STOP. After a brief start-up display, you'll see the Main Menu (PGSIBLR), indicating that the computer is ready to play. If the unit doesn't respond, static discharge may have caused it to lock up. To reset the unit, use a paper clip or another sharp object to press down into the hole marked ACL in the base of the unit for at least one full second. This clears the memory and resets the computer to its default settings. 1.2 Get to Know the Menu System Before learning how to play, you should take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the Pro Bridge 311's integrated menu system. Once you understand the basic concept, it will be easier for you to explore all the special features and options which are accessed via the menus! To get an overview of how the menus work, take a look at the Menu System Chart on the previous page. It provides a graphic representation of the primary menus you'll encounter as you select various options and get ready to play. The dashed displays in the chart signify further menu options, which are described individually in the appropriate sections of the manual. If you should ever find yourself confused by where you are within the menu system, simply refer back to the chart. Back up to the previous menu by pressing ESCAPE, if necessary, to locate your place on the chart. Also, keep in mind that pressing ESCAPE repeatedly will return you to the Main Menu at any time. See the Menu System Chart in Section 2 for an illustrated overview of your menu choices and options! Follow these guidelines when using the Menu System: · · · The flashing character indicates the current option/menu choice. and keys move the flashing The cursor through the current choices. key moves the flashing character The (suit, value, etc.) from Line 1 of the display to Line 2 during bidding and play. Some option selections are also made this way. The key cancels the last Line 2 input during bidding and play (before pressing ENTER). ENTER selects and confirms the currently flashing option. ESCAPE returns you to the most recent major menu: the Main Menu, Deal Menu, or Edit Menu. Pressing · · · ESCAPE repeatedly takes you back to the Main Menu. 1.3 Ready? Time to Deal! After pressing GO/STOP to turn the Pro Bridge 311 on, the display will show the Main Menu (PGSIBLR). If necessary, press ESCAPE until this display shows. Notice that the P is flashing, and Play shows on Line 2. The flashing letter indicates the current key cycles through the option choice. The remaining options, as follows: P G S I Play Game Sound BL level on/off Intensity Pro Bridge manual final.qxd 2/8/2006 11:42 AM Page 9 USING THE ESCAPE KEY: AN IMPORTANT NOTE! Pressing ESCAPE at any time during bidding or play (unless you're canceling a mode, as specifically directed), will result in the immediate termination of your current hand. Be careful not to press ESCAPE inadvertently during your game! B L R Bidding systems Language Reset score Line 1 of the display now shows all the symbols necessary to make your bid: Pw e r q N (Pass/Clubs/Diamonds/Hearts/ Spades/No Trump), and Line 2 prompts you to make a bid for South. There are two different ways to bid: · Direct Key Bidding: Press a Suit Key (q r e w ) or NO TRUMP, and then a Value Key (2/3/4...), in that order. As soon as the Suit Key is pressed, the symbol for that suit will appear on Line 2 of the display. Likewise, when the Value Key is pressed, that value will also appear on Line 2, and the display will prompt you to Press Enter. Confirm your bid by pressing ENTER. To pass, press PASS and ENTER. · Cursor Key Bidding: Press > or < to move the flashing cursor along the characters in Line 1 of the display, until you reach your desired suit symbol. Next, press ? to copy that suit symbol to Line 2 of the display. Line 1 now changes to show the possible bid values: 1234567. Press or to position the flashing cursor over your desired bid value, and press to copy that number to Line 2. Finally, press ENTER to confirm your bid. Each of these Main Menu options will be discussed in detail in Section 2. For now, let's concentrate on starting our game! To select Play Mode, as indicated by the flashing P, press ENTER. The computer will now switch to the Deal Menu, with a display of RNES. Notice that the R is flashing, and Random deal shows in Line 2, indicating the currently selected option. If necessary, or until the R flashes. The key press cycles through the remaining option choices, as follows: R N E S Random By deal no. deal After Same edit deal Each of these Deal Menu options will be discussed in detail in Section 3. For now, let's allow the computer to deal randomly. To select the Random Deal option, as indicated by the flashing R, press ENTER. The computer will now shuffle the deck, deal 13 cards to each of the four players, and the bidding can begin! If you don't like the random hand that's just been dealt, return to the Deal Menu with ESCAPE, and press ENTER again to generate another randomlydealt hand. 1.4 Learn to Bid... After the cards have been dealt, your hand for South will appear on the lower portion of the display. Any bids already made will show u ...