Playing backgammon online

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Playing backgammon online is a game of both luck and skill, which can be learned quickly and requires only two people to play.  Like other games of luck and skill, such as gin, cribbage, Scrabble, and bridge, the backgammon game can be played at a casual level or a very intense level.  The internet has made it possible to easily find a backgammon opponent online any hour of the day, at all different skill levels, in a variety of types of competition.

Since it is a game of both luck and skill, in the short run anyone can win, but in the longer run, skilled backgammon players will win more often.  Backgammon is somewhat unique in that the skill-to-luck factor can be controlled by the length of a match.  In a 3-point match between a talented backgammon player who has recently learned the game and one of the world’s super-experts, the new player might win the match 35-40% of the time.  In a 25-point match, the new player might win 5-10%.

Backgammon Goes to Online Java (Mac and Linux Users) 

GammonEmpire Backgammon Java Application

Backgammon java application by GammonEmpire

The long awaited development for the online backgammon scene is the ability to play the game online without having to download and install new software onto your computer. A new Backgammon Java Applet also called motif specifically designed for playing backgammon for free or real money, with no need to install software, is now available. It should be noted that the downloadable version of any backgammon software probably works better, nevertheless this backgammon Java applet appears to be stable and contains all the features that exist in the downloadable version of the backgammon software, including playing using real money or just mucking around for fun. Lets not forget our Mac and Linux users, which now can play backgammon online using this application.

 

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There are a lot of ways to play backgammon.

Online Backgammon fun Play

If you just want to play a game, without playing backgammon for money and without committing the time to a backgammon tournament, there are plenty of places to do that.  You’ll find varying degrees of sociability on different sites.

Backgammon Online Money Play

I’ve had different favorites over time.  The one so far that I think has done the most things right is Gammon Empire.  I think they have had the right mix of innovation and trying proven things.  I particularly think they have worked hard to minimize hustling.  A lot of sites have no rating system, or a rating systems where it’s easy for good players to manipulate ratings downward.  GammonEmpire has a rating system that is weighted by the stakes (so a player can’t lose low-stakes games and reduce their rating) and also seems to aggressively go after backgammon players with multiple accounts.

Online backgammon for money comes in three forms.

Money Games

One is the “money game” where you simply play a given opponent until you tire of it. In these games, the site will “rake” a percentage of the pot from the winner. (A warning here, some sites have the Jacoby Rule as default, on some it is optional, and some do not allow it. Make sure you know if the Jacoby Rule is in effect.) In these money games, you can choose your opponent and decline to play if you think the opponent is unpleasant or not of the skill level you want to play.

Private Online Match Play

The second form is private match play. Again, you can pick your opponent and stakes, and the server will take a rake. Sometimes they take a fee from each player at the start of the match, sometimes they take a percentage from the winner.

Backgammon Money Tournaments

Finally, there are tournaments. In a tournament, you must play whoever enters (although some tournaments are limited to players under a certain rating). Usually the entry will include a “registration fee” like $5+$1, meaning that you pay $6 to play and $5 goes to the prize pool and $1 to the site. Some tournaments do have prize money with no entry fee (called “freerolls”) and some have more prize money than the player entries provide. Some will have a guaranteed prize pool regardless of the number of entries. So there are occasionally opportunities in tournaments to get a favorable financial situation.

Rakes and Tournament Registration fee

Rakes and registration fee percentages vary quite a bit. Be sure to understand what you are playing for. In particular, note that rakes on money games are usually a percentage of the TOTAL pot. So if you are playing, say, a $5 money game with a 5% rake, you might think this means 25 cents per game. In fact, if you win a gammon on a 2-cube, the total pot will be $40 (4 points at stake from each player, total 8 points, at $5 a point) and the 5% rake would be $2.00. GammonEmpire also has relatively high rakes when players whose ratings differ by a lot play each other. It’s especially important to understand what the rake will be when playing on GammonEmpire.

Online Backgammon Gaming Sites - Stuff you need to know

As I write this, GammonEmpire has some bonuses when you sign up and make your first deposit. Firstly, the starting deposit is only $5 so you can go try your luck with little to lose, now if you deposit $20 you get an extra $20 for free, again read all the conditions and rules applied to this bonus.

A word of caution about backgammon money sites and gambling sites.  A lot have rules that are not obvious at first glance.  One site gives you “bonus” money for signing up but then requires you to deposit money before you withdraw any, and also has “freerolls” that aren’t really free.  I have no objection to sites that require you to play a certain amount before taking credit for a bonus.  But make sure you all the rules.

The first site to focus mainly on online backgammon money play, truemoneygames, opened about 3-4 years ago.  There is constant jockeying among the money sites for market position, and new ones are opening all the time.  Some of the poker sites are expanding into online backgammon also.

Live Backgammon Tournament Play

My personal favorite way to play backgammon is in controlled online tournaments on non-money sites.  By “controlled” I mean tournaments where the tournament sponsor tabulates results and develops point and/or ratings systems.  Over the years I have developed or assisted in the development of a number of these organizations.  Currently I serve as an advisor to warpgammon.   Warpgammon runs two monthly tournaments and has the most advanced system on the internet for tracking points and ratings.  There are many such organizations.  A big tip of the hat from me to the dozens of people I know, and hundreds that I don’t know, who selflessly give their time to make this happen.

Pretty much without exception, these backgammon tournament groups have no entry fees and rarely have prizes, which is great for all players.  I think the absence of money and gambling makes these groups more fun and competitive.  It does mean that they do not draw the very best players though.  The top echelon of players tends to focus on money play and gambling.

Live Backgammon Play

Almost all “serious” players who play backgammon live are involved in money games and gambling.  I personally think this is a huge weakness of playing backgammon online.

Online, a player has a choice between money and non-money play, but live serious non-money play is almost non-existent.  I’ve been a bridge player for over 25 years, and bridge thrives without (perhaps because of the absence of) money prizes.  But the people who are currently involved in playing live backgammon games feel that backgammon without money is like sex without a partner – it will do in a real emergency, but better to try to find the “real thing.”  Because there are a limited number of people who want to play backgammon for the stakes involved (typical entry fees for tournaments are about $50 for beginner, $150 for intermediate, and $300 for championship, and these entry fees typically guarantee play of only 2 or 3 backgammon matches) there are very few live backgammon tournaments. There are probably a fair number of pubs and social groups that have a “backgammon night” but the quality of play is usually pretty low.

Most tournaments also have “side action” – private money games, either one-on-one or gammon chouettes. There are also a lot of cities that may have a weekly home chouette.  Some of these home games have been going on for many many years.  They are not always easy to find.  Not that the backgammon players are anti-social – they just don’t have websites or other ways to be searched and found.

One way to find backgammon clubs is to call the local bridge club and see if anyone there knows of any backgammon clubs near by or if you are lucky you might find your local backgammon club on my game club page.  Go to www.acbl.org, find the bridge club section, and contact the local club that has the most weekly games. Often someone there will know.

Which Backgammon Site Is Right for You?

The great thing about the internet is that it provides a large online diversity.  There is no “right” for each person.  Obviously, I would give the advice I’d give to any gambler – “Bet with your head, not over it.”  If you like playing for money, go ahead.  I would caution that if you are new to competitive online backgammon, start out for low stakes similar to what you would find on the GammonEmpire Site ($5 initial deposit).  There are some awfully fine players who play backgammon online, and if you play against them for high stakes and you’re not in their class, you will lose.

If you’re not comfortable playing for money, play on one of the free sites, or play for “play money” on one of the money sites.

There is a comparison of online backgammon sites at a sister site of this one, warpgammon.  Keep in mind that just as the internet changes rapidly, some information on that list might become outdated.  Another resource for finding places to play backgammon is fibs.

I’d like to give a special nod to FIBS – First Internet Backgammon Server.  FIBS has been operating since 1992.  FIBS is free, and while it has (almost) no organized play, it is run by and for people who care about backgammon.

Here are some sites for playing backgammon for free or for gambling online, as well as some useful resources:

Play Backgammon for Free

Backgammon is a game with increasing popularity all over the world. The online world facilitates a variety of websites that provide users with options of playing backgammon for free. One of the obvious advantages of free backgammon is that you can participate in games of different skill-levels, competing against other players around the globe. You will not be able to compete for money, but you will definitely be able to acquire new game skills while having lots of risk-free fun.

I recommend the following sites:

Play Backgammon for Money

People have been playing backgammon for money stakes for centuries. Today, an increasingly growing number of people are connecting to online backgammon communities in order to learn, practice and play for money. Putting even a little wager on a good game can indeed add some spice and interest into your offline and/or online game.

I recommend the following sites:

  • GammonEmpire – one of the Web’s largest communities for playing backgammon. Includes a backgammon server offering real money games as well as tournaments. Offers promotions such as a $2 free bonus and a $40 account for a $20 deposit. Sign up bonuses: Redtop25: deposit $25, get $5 free, Redtop50: deposit $50; get $10 free, Redtop100: deposit $100, get $20 free. Check platform for latest offers and cash prizes.

For all you advance players I recommend trying to play backgammon for money, simply because if you ask me I do not consider it as gambling but rather a game of skill. So if you are skillful you will be able to win some money purely on skill and of course a little bit of luck won’t hurt.

Backgammon Resources

There are many resources online and books available about playing backgammon for money or playing backgammon online. These resources vary from simple sites where you can play backgammon online or gamble all the way to mathematical sites that discuss the probabilities of the backgammon plays.

I found the following the most useful: 

  • FIBS, Resource Page – A good summery of some of the best backgammon resources for playing and gambling online.
  • Backgammon Academy Resources – A great site to start learning how to play backgammon for both beginner and advanced players.
  • GNU Backgammon - Analysis of backgammon games and matches, requires some reading and installation.

These resources are just a drop in the bucket for learning how to play backgammon and how to improve your game in order to be able to start playing for money or for fun!

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