How Virtual Activities Work

Virtual activities are posted on a participating website, including links to game rules and procedures for playing on a video call. These procedures are from the book “Video Conference Card Games” by Gerald Beaudry. This book is available on Amazon at the following link:  Video Conference Card Games (Amazon)

Players register to receive email notifications of activities. Registration includes the participant’s name, email, and applicable fee. 

Participants receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to prepare for the activity. 

An email notification is sent once a week, including dates, times, and links to join activity group video calls. Participants click the link to be automatically placed in the call. 

Once in the call, there is a short introduction and explanation of how the activity works. Participants are then placed into small groups to play. 

Games are played according to the procedures for playing on video calls, as well as the specific rules for each game. 


Cribbage

Participants are placed into groups of 3 players. Players determine who is Player One, Player Two, and Player Three. Players rotate playing one game with each other, where Player One plays Player Two, then Player Two plays Player Three, then Player Three plays Player One. 

The rotation repeats, with the winner being the player with the most wins after each player has played a predetermined number of games.


Canasta

Canasta and Hand & Foot Canasta can be played as two-player games or four-player games. These are separate activities. 

Two-Player Canasta: Participants are divided into groups of three players. Players determine who is Player One, Player Two, and Player Three. Players rotate playing one hand with each other, where Player One plays against Player Two, then Player Two plays against Player Three, and then Player Three plays against Player One. 

The rotation repeats with the winner being the player with the most points after each player has played a predetermined number of hands. 

Four-Player Canasta: Participants are divided into groups of two players in each of two locations (see the procedures for Video Conference Canasta). One player in each location plays with one player from the other location to form a team. 

The winner is the team with the most points after four hands. 


Bridge

Bridge can be played as a two-player game or a four-player game. These are separate activities. 

Two-Player Bridge: Participants are divided into groups of three players. Players determine who is Player One, Player Two, and Player Three. Players rotate playing one hand with each other, where Player One plays against Player Two, then Player Two plays against Player Three, and then Player Three plays against Player One. 

The rotation repeats with the winner being the player with the most points after each player has played a predetermined number of hands. 

Four-Player Bridge: Participants are divided into groups of two players in each of two locations (see the procedures for Video Conference Bridge). One player in each location plays with one player from the other location to form a team. 

The winner is the team with the most points after four hands. 


Chess

Participants are placed into groups of 3 players. Players determine who is Player One, Player Two, and Player Three. Players rotate playing one game with each other, where Player One plays Player Two, then Player Two plays Player Three, then Player Three plays Player One. The player observing the game is the game timer. Players are limited to the amount of time they have to make moves, and the total game time is restricted. 

The rotation repeats, with the winner being the player with the most wins after each player has played a predetermined number of games.