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There is a lot more to backgammon then what you think. This site offers quality information around backgammon playing tips, backgammon instructions and rules, backgammon strategies, game ratings, backgammon software, MSN backgammon and much more.
Backgammon is a game of both skill and luck, similar to bridge, Scrabble, hearts, and cribbage. While luck is a significant factor in the short run, in the long run the more skilled player will win more often, without question.
Skilled webmaster? read about backgammon affiliates and make money!
Updated on November 28, 2007: Backgammon Tournaments
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Important Note for Backgammon Players
You will improve your game skills substantially using this site, this goes to both beginning, intermediate and advanced backgammon players. This site presents and discusses the rules of backgammon, as well as backgammon skills and game strategies. I discuss some places to play backgammon both live and online, both with and without money. I think backgammon is best played without money being involved, but many people feel that it's a great gambling game. This page is intended as a resource for players who want to improve their game, and have more fun playing backgammon online.
I'm a decent player; I don't claim to be an expert. I've just put this site together to share some of what I've collected about backgammon. All the advice here comes from recognized experts in backgammon, and there are a few recommendations for books by those experts if you want to improve your game.
This site is continually under construction. It's pretty much complete, but I'm always adding to it in response to comments. Check back now and then, you might find something new and interesting for example some analyzed games by me.
Please feel free to browse around the site. If you have a backgammon site that you'd like linked on my backgammon links page, or you'd just like to write to me, then feel free to email me.
GammonEmpire.com is one of the leading backgammon game sites. Good software, occasional tournaments, and money play for both high and low stakes with a low first deposit of $5. For all you players who gamble on their backgammon skills you should give it a try and you won't lose too much money if you are not as skillful as you might have first thought.
Backgammon Tournaments
Backgammon for Money? Backgammon tournaments offer big money on some of the large gambling sites. Wagering even pocket money on games, whether it’s backgammon, checkers or even chess, is not for kids! However, if you are an adult wanting to play backgammon for money, here are a few interesting game opportunities you might want to look at:
- GammonEmpire there is a tournament for $50,000 every other month. That is a fair bit of money for playing backgammon online.
- Play 65 offers a significant financial benefit for the winner of its Summer backgammon tournament
- ABC of multi-player backgammon tournament with various cash awards. As opposed to the above two backgammon tournaments, top dollar can’t be won here. We still recommend that those who are interested in playing for real money, try this backgammon site or GammonEmpire first.
I've put up a new backgammon mini lesson, or you can still view the old backgammon lesson. These lessons give you an idea of how to better play the game.
Want to see the very best in the world and how they play? I have a match between Nack Ballard and Jerry Grandell on my matches page, with move-by-move analysis by the backgammon computer program Snowie, which is a high-level computer program that analyzes backgammon games and matches.
Would you like to be informed about backgammon tournaments, exhibitions and other items of interest to backgammon players? Please write to me and I will add you to my mailing list. I promise that you will never get more than one or two emails a month, and I will never give your address to anyone else or use it for anything other than backgammon-related events.
Backgammon Money and Match Plays
A general overview of the game relating to backgammon for money, match play and chouette. I will not include rules or anything like that, but just a general idea of the different ways that backgammon is played (tournaments, money play, chouettes). As well as some interesting fact about the origin of this ancient board game called backgammon, these facts are soon to come. Here are some to get you started.
While there is luck in playing backgammon, there is a great deal of skill also. One of the main differences between backgammon and other games is that there are 21 possible dice rolls, so at each turn there are at least 21 contingencies to plan for. In chess, there are usually only 2 or 3 plausible moves at each turn; in bridge there are usually only 2 or 3 plausible bids or cards to play. This adds a challenging complexity to playing backgammon not found in many other games.Backgammon Glossary
A helpful game glossary of backgammon terms. I'd suggest that you read it through in it's entirety. It will help you understand the rest of the site.
Play65 - In some countries this is the way the board game is referred to online, originating from the Persian language, shesh besh is Persian for backgammon, which means 6 and 5, but is also an online synonym for the backgammon game. Thus play65 has become popular term to use when players search for backgammon online sites to be able to play backgammon online.
Παίξτε Τάβλι - Backgammon originated in Mesopotamia and was played through the fertile crescent. This is the Greek spelling of backgammon. Παίξτε - play, and τάβλι - backgammon pronounced Tavli. You will hear Tavli online as a substite for "backgammon" much more often than the Greek script τάβλι.
שש בש - Backgammon script in hebrew which means שש - Shesh - six and בש - Besh - five, Israelies are very serious about their backgammon and play online often, and there is a high number of players who try their luck and skill in backgammon money plays. Moreover, Israel had a world backgammon champion in the past.
Key Concepts of Backgammon
This is kind of a catchall page. It includes a discussion of some backgammon strategy concepts, as well as discussions of items that just don't really fit anywhere else. The items there are:
- Backgammon Notation
- Game Timing
- Game Equity
- Winning Chances
- Backgames and Holding Games
- Game Propositions
- Game Cube Strategy
- Mathematics and Probabilities within backgammon
- How Experts Analyze Backgammon Plays
- Backgammon, Skill, and Luck
Backgammon Tips
A section on helpful backgammon tips to improve your game. Some of these are very basic, some are more advanced to give you an idea why I consider chess to be a similar game to backgammon.
Improve Your Game
One of the most common questions players ask is "How do I become a better backgammon player? What are the next steps I can take to improve my game?" This page gives a very brief list of game suggestions, separately for novice, beginning, intermediate, and advanced players.
Backgammon Information and Articles
This page contains some essays and articles on backgammon. This is sort of a free-for-all opinion page (mostly my opinions!) Well-written material will always be considered for posting. Right now the following items appear:
- Backgammon, Skill, and Luck
- Dealing With The Disruptive
- Sportsmanlike Conduct
- The Crawford Rule
- Backgammon Comes Back to Fashion
- Backgammon for Top Dollar
Backgammon Software
This page describes some of the game software available online. Some of these can be bought and some are available for free. The program that I have used until now was snowie and I have a detailed section on the site showing how to use and understand snowie.
Snowie Game Software
Snowie, one of the most sophisticated computer backgammon programs on the market. This page focuses on Snowie, although almost all of what is on the page pertains to GNUBG also. This page discusses several aspects of the programs in more detail, including a discussion of how to actually interpret an evaluation of a position or match.
Backgammon Matches
I've posted several game matches that were analyzed in Snowie. The matches will change, and there may not be any special reason why I choose the matches that are there. But you can get an idea of what Snowie does. (Gee, I should get a commission from Oasya!)
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