If a Badge Requires 4 players does that mean

[mycatownsme]

You can play with 3 other bots? Long as there is 4 players?
The badge is the Canasta Cool Hand Badge where you need to make 40 Canastas in 4-player games.
Anyone have any tips on this one?
Can I double browse for 2 of the players and then play against 2 bots?

[Stinkerbell]

Yes, you can use bots or double browse as you said, so long as you're in a 4 player game.

[Joe C]

You can play with 3 other bots? Long as there is 4 players?
The badge is the Canasta Cool Hand Badge where you need to make 40 Canastas in 4-player games.
Anyone have any tips on this one?
Can I double browse for 2 of the players and then play against 2 bots?

You can also double-browse and have the "good" player on one pair of teammates and the "dummy" player on the other pair of teammates. In this way, you can forward the cards needs, lose on  purpose, etc.

For Canasta, one of the best double browsing good/dummy tricks is to have the good player to the left of the dummy. Before the pile is picked up for the first time, the good player discards regular cards until the next card would exceed 9 on the pickup pile. Then, the good player discards deuces, jokers and threes, blocking the dummy's partner. The dummy would throw high cards, aces, kings, queens, always saving ONE of them (preferably the ace) for when it is time for the good to pick up the pile. Good's computer partner may also pick up the pile. You can get massive scores and natural Canastas with this method.

I can finish a four-player game in three hands with this method. I can get scored of 7000 points with this method. I can get 5-8 Canastas per hand

[mycatownsme]

Thanks Stinkerbell and Joe C. I'll be working on those tips.
Hard part is that I don't know how to play Canasta.
When I ranked out in that game I used the auto to get the red 3's.
I've tried playing but when I try to pick up a pile that is frozen it doesn't let me.
Or the black 3's get stuck in my hand and can not use them either other then to discard.
It may be worth my time to read the How To Play to figure some of this out.
I only have this badge and the Hearts badge and the album is finished.
These were the 2 games that I had concerns about to begin with anyways.
Luckily, thanks to your help, I should be able to get this finished and have another album completed.
I'm very impressed at what you've been able to accomplish with Canasta Joe. Nice! 

[mycatownsme]

Well, I studied your tips and set things up and just finished getting that Canasta badge.
Only need to get the Hearts badge and all done.
Sure do appreciate all the help.
Thank You. 

[Joe C]

What do you need for Hearts. Remember, if you go to advanced options, you can set the table to pass across. That way, when you double-browse, you pass big cards to the dummy and low cards to the good player, unless you are trying to shoot the moon.

Let me know what the requirements are and I can tell you how to get it.

[mycatownsme]

The badge and reqirements are
Heart of Ice Badge
Hearts

Take EXACTLY ZERO Hearts in twenty 25-point games!
Win this badge plus 600 tokens!

Thanks Joe 

[Joe C]

The badge and reqirements are
Heart of Ice Badge
Hearts

Take EXACTLY ZERO Hearts in twenty 25-point games!
Win this badge plus 600 tokens!

Thanks Joe  

Obviously, create a 25-point game. Do not allow players to "break" trump, to include not allowing players to "break" with the queen of spades. Set up early end (TRAM), which finishes the hand when either one player wins the rest of the tricks or there are no points left. Do not allow the Jack of Diamonds to be worth 10 points. In the advanced options, choose ONLY pass across. Have the good player and the dummy player sit across from each other. This means every hand, you are passing cards between the good and the dummy.
During the pass phase, the dummy passes LOW cards, 2s - 7s. The dummy never passes hearts or the queen of spades. The good player passes high cards, especially the queen of spades and high hearts.

The goals of the passing phase are:
1) Good player has low cards with a good distribution of suits (less hearts). If possible, lots of low cards in clubs, diamonds or spades is really good.
2) Dummy player has high cards with each suit having 2 high cards for each suit the good player has. In this way, the dummy can always take a trick with a heart/queen of spades that the good player might have to take.
3) If the dummy shoots the moon, the good player will get credit for not taking any hearts for that round.
4) If possible, the good player is "void" in a suit, meaning they have none of the suit. This makes it super easy to dump high cards.

In the playing phase, the dummy "takes the lead" as soon as possible. This means winning a trick and then continuing to win tricks. Dummy leads in good player's void suit or suits whenever possible. When the dummy or one of the Pogo Bots is sure to win the trick, the good player throws the highest card they can without taking the trick. Be advised that hearts is NOT trump. Therefore, good player can dump even the ace of hearts on a trick if the trick is in clubs, diamonds or spades and the good player does not have any cards in the suit that started the trick. If a Pogo Bot is sure to win the trick before the dummy plays, the dummy gets rid of the lowest card possible.

Finally, the Pogo Bots try to make sure that players do not shoot the moon (take all the heart and queen of spades). This can trip you up late in the hand, so allow a Pogo Bot to take a heart if it is natural, e.g. the Pogo Bot is sure to win the trick. From that point on, the Pogo Bots will help the dummy take the remaining tricks, which means the good player and two other players are trying to get the dummy to take all the tricks. Occasionally, if you do not do this, a Pogo Bot will prevent the moon and then lead in a suit that the good player has a bigger card and no one else can play/wants to play a bigger card.

I know this sounds like a lot, but if you play a couple of games with the setup I described, you will start having the good player take zero tricks round after round. Also, you will learn enough about the game to be able to "shoot the moon" with the same table setup in one out of every three hands.

[mycatownsme]

Got the badge Joe anfd completed the album!  

I'm saving these directions in my pogo tips book for the future.

Forgot to add that I was not able to shoot the moon but will now be able to try this in the future or when
I'd like to play around with the Hearts game.

Thank You Joe for taking the time to write such complete and detailed directions.
They are very clear and easy to follow.

[Joe C]

My pleasure. Glad I could help. Hearts is probably the best game to double-browse and get the badges.

[mycatownsme]

And now I won't dread them thanks to you and your great help. Thanks so much.
I don't mean to repeat over and over but I really do appreciate it a lot.
I hope I can return a favor sometime in the future. 

[Joe C]

And now I won't dread them thanks to you and your great help. Thanks so much.
I don't mean to repeat over and over but I really do appreciate it a lot.
I hope I can return a favor sometime in the future. 

That is the whole purpose of the forum. I like helping other people out in here.

By the way, I learned how to play Hearts in the army. I played Spades with the enlisted people to take their money. I played Hearts with the officers to take their money. I was like Sargeant Bilko!


There was not much to do in Haiti when we were off-shift.

[TheLastDodo]

Bots are the best to win a game.
It works alot. (: