There is a new release of BridgePal Server available. This is release 2.4.0. You can install BridgePal Server from the Upgrade menu of BridgeScore. Alternatively, you can download and install v2.4.0 from the "Download PC Components" page of the BridgePal website (second button on the page). Note that BridgePal Server v2.4.0 requires BridgePalServices 2.0.0 or later, and BridgeScore 4.0.0 or later.
This release may be of interest to clubs which do not have access to a dealing machine. It supports an interface between the BridgePal app and the BridgeDealer app. BridgeDealer is a free alternative to a Dealing machine. It uses a phone or tablet's front camera for recognising the card symbols and supports dealing a preset board, or reading in a hand shuffled board. The phone or tablet is placed on the table and cards are held in a stack above the camera and removed one at a time from the bottom of the stack. For each card the screen displays an arrow indicating whether the card should be placed in N,S E, or W hand. Thus a board can be dealt without the players seeing the cards. A hand shuffled board can be read into the app in a similar manner. With practice it is possible to deal a board using BridgeDealer in under a minute.
Integration of BridgePal with BridgeDealer requires BridgePal app v1.5.6 or later. BridgeDealer will run on devices running android 4.4 or later that have a front camera. If these criteria are met then the contract entry screen on BridgePal will show a "Deal" button, providing that the "Deal Preset Hands" option is selected on the BridgePal Server settings screen and a PBN file has been loaded. Only the first table to play particular boards would need to deal those boards. Additionally, a new Player Functions menu on BridgePal enables any board to be dealt at any time. This means that boards can also be dealt at the sitout table.
Hand shuffled boards can be recorded using BridgeDealer as an alternative to the current manual entry facility. Tap on the Hand button on the traveller screen and then on Edit. This will display two options - "Manual Entry" or "Read Cards". "Read Cards" invokes BridgeDealer to record the board. It is expected that boards would normally be recorded after they have been played for the first time in Round 1. However, they can be recorded at any time by selecting "Read Board" or "Enter Board" from the Player Functions menu.
