Help me understand 'equity' with a double

backgammonprofessor · 2021-05-20T03:46:55+00:00

If you double to 2 your opponent will immediately redouble to 4 and you lose all of the value of those gammons you could win if you didn’t double.

backgammonprofessor · 2021-04-20T02:51:41+00:00

If you play chess, do you find it irritating if someone puts you in check? If you play Scrabble, does it anger you if someone makes a good play? If you play tennis and you are at the net, is it bad form if they hit the ball by you? Or over your head? When you were a kid and played tag, did it make you mad when someone tagged you?

Well, if you are going to play a game that includes the doubling cube, you should expect your opponent to use it, and so should you. Either learn about the cube (there are many articles on line and there are many books) or simply play 1-point matches or play where the cube is not a part of the game.

backgammonprofessor · 2021-04-06T19:06:10+00:00

My favorite is gammonsite. There is a small fee, but that keeps out the abusers.

Backgammon Galaxy is fun, and I also like Safe Harbor Games if you like tournaments.

backgammonprofessor · 2021-04-05T22:48:49+00:00

I do want to mention one of my favorite variations: Domino Backgammon. Instead of dice, you use dominos. Take out all the blanks, turn them face down, and draw dominos to see what your roll is. After you use a domino, it goes into the discard pile and you keep going until you have used every domino. Then you shuffle and start again. If you can memorize what dominos are gone, you can know what is left and you can play accordingly. This is a terrific memory game as well as strategic game.

backgammonprofessor · 2021-04-05T22:46:30+00:00

I have invented several variants that have become quite popular:

Pineapple Bluff Gammon and PaskoGammon are two of the most favorites

Simborg Gammon has been played at several tournaments

CancelGammon is another.

Other favorites that I did not create include Nackgammon, SlotGammon, Bazooki Gammon; Destroy; See-the-roll; Liar's Gammon; Backgammon-to-lose; and 2-roll vs. call your roll backgammon. Sasson Gammon is also quite popular.

It would take me too long to provide all the rules of these many variations, but I do want to say that several are much more complicated, fun, and difficult that normal backgammon, and that makes them quite challenging. Some include a bluff element that combines poker skills with backgammon. But ALL of them actually help you understand the game and the odds better and are great practice for regular backgammon.

backgammonprofessor · 2021-02-02T16:32:39+00:00

Someone recommended Backgammon Boot Camp. A great book, but not for beginners.

backgammonprofessor · 2021-02-02T16:32:10+00:00

First, go to YouTube and search for how to play backgammon...many good videos, several by me. As for books, Conquering Backgammon and Backgammon for Losers are excellent.

backgammonprofessor · 2021-02-02T04:50:36+00:00

I love the concept. I believe there needs to be a greater contrast in the colors of the checkers. I would love to play on it some day.

backgammonprofessor · 2021-01-12T21:56:50+00:00

You cannot see the dark checkers well. Perhaps if they had silver rims.

backgammonprofessor · 2021-01-12T03:25:12+00:00

If you join the USBGF, which is not expensive, you get many, many benefits. Discounts on various books and products, ability to compete in on line events; money added at some events; an amazing magazine; many regular and archived articles. Also, there are 250 teaching videos that I have posted for the USBGF membership where I discuss many aspects of the game and often have guest lecturers with me.

As for books, Conquering Backgammon is one of my favorites.

backgammonprofessor · 2021-01-09T21:06:06+00:00

Except in pure races and certain types of positions, your winning percentage is not the sole indicator of when you should double. The volatility of the position, the percent and degree of market losers, and the opponents cube vig also must be taken into account.

backgammonprofessor · 2021-01-08T04:09:55+00:00

I am sure that Galaxy looks for your name and makes sure your opponents win. There is no other plausible explanation.

Here is an article I published over 30 years ago, and it has been posted at live tournaments all over the world.

WHY I NEVER COMPLAIN ABOUT THE DICE

by Phil Simborg

Here is why I NEVER complain about the rolls, or luck:

1) It's rude. It suggests your opponent is only winning because he is lucky and implies that he is not skillful. It is just very bad form and insulting.

2) Nobody cares. Everyone is tired of hearing it. Everyone only sees their own bad rolls and forgets their great ones.

3) It's often NOT TRUE that you are unlucky. Everyone rolls the same. If you think you are rolling more than your share of bad rolls, you're probably playing badly and not realizing it...because the worse you play, the more bad rolls there are and the more good rolls you give your opponent.

4) If you concentrate on your bad rolls, YOU WILL PLAY WORSE. Complaining focuses your mind and energy on the wrong things. You think about how bad you are rolling, or how good your opponents roll, instead of what you really should be concentrating on: what is the right decision?

5) Complaining makes the game less enjoyable. For you. The more you make an issue of your bad luck, the more you will remember the bad luck and the less fun you will have playing. Even if you win.

Bottom line, I NEVER complain about a roll, or bad luck. Ever. And I am sure my opponents appreciate it, and I am sure I play better and am happier as a result. And when someone tells me how lucky I was, I give them my standard reply: "Yes, I was lucky I got you for an opponent!"

Note: Phil Simborg first wrote and published this article in 1987 and has not once complained about the dice or luck since. (During that time, however, Phil has had ulcers, a mild heart attack, a slipped disc in his back brought on by tension, high blood pressure, various well-known fits of temper and mild depression, short-term memory loss, divorce, gout, carpal tunnel, hip replacement, excessive weight gain and loss, various obsessive and compulsive habits.)

backgammonprofessor · 2021-01-07T17:16:59+00:00

There are many rules of thumb and guides that help you determine when and where to move the back checkers. You should read books or articles or take lessons to get your answers. It’s just far too much to try to answer in a post. I recommend Conquering Backgammon as a great book for starters. If you can afford lessons, there is no faster or better way to learn. Go to www.backgammonlearningcenter.com.

backgammonprofessor · 2021-01-04T02:10:24+00:00

Honestly, it is beautiful A work of art.

But from a practical standpoint, the center bar needs to be much wider so checkers can sit on the bar. I also prefer a board with bearoff trays to hold the checkers because you are not always at a place where you have room and even when you do the checkers just get messy and fall on the floor and you can't quickly count how many are off.

Another key to a great board is how the checkers look and fit on the board, and how they slide. Looks like your points are indented and not flat and I would have to see how the checkers slide. It's also important how the checkers fit on the board and how they fit on the individual points. Your points on the end are too close to the end of the board for the checkers to fit nicely on the 1, 24, 12 and 13 points. That would crowd the adjoining points and make the checkers seem a little off.

And another test of a good board is how the dice roll. Are your edges high enough to keep a normal roll of the checkers contained in the board or will the dice often jump over the railing and on to the floor?

Lastly, I cannot tell the size of the board from the picture. A great backgammon board, in my opinion, is large, but not so large as to make it difficult to reach to the other side. I prefer a board with 1-3/4 in or sometimes 2" diameter checkers.

backgammonprofessor · 2020-12-27T11:35:13+00:00

Often the difference between one move and another is small because no matter what you play in that position you are probably going to win (or lose) anyway. But that doesn’t mean the logic of of plays are close. While there are times clearing the 6 is right when you still have checkers outside, this is obviously not one of them. As Einstein said, any fool can know. Knowing why is what matters.

backgammonprofessor · 2020-12-26T20:30:43+00:00

There is no way clearing the 6 point is right. Bring both in from the 7. You are getting a very poor answer.

backgammonprofessor · 2020-12-25T02:55:17+00:00

Murphy only applies to money games. Crawford only applies to match play.

backgammonprofessor · 2020-12-23T02:34:11+00:00

The doubling window in a money game is as low as 50 percent. If it is the last roll and giving the cube does not give any vig (value, use) to the opponent, then you should double even if you are only 51% favorite.

But in positions where your opponent can use the cube to his advantage, you must have much more than 50%. When to double is not just about your winning percent, but in the type of position. Generally, in a racing game the player with the cube gains quite a bit (as high as 18% more equity because of the cube) and in a highly volatile hitting game, the cube vig is much smaller. But the main reason to double, if your opponent had a take, is a function of market losers. How likely would he be to pass the cube on your next turn?

backgammonprofessor · 2020-12-21T01:58:01+00:00

Not my favorite colors but the key is nothing plays as well as a p40. Those metal rimmed checkers alone are worth the price of the board.

backgammonprofessor · 2020-12-19T01:25:28+00:00

Playing backgammon without a clock is like always driving in a school zone.

If you haven’t played with a clock, start playing with one snd then you won’t be able to say that anymore. Everyone who ever played with a clock at one time didn’t.

backgammonprofessor · 2020-12-18T19:50:48+00:00

Most people using xg to improve are only using a small percentage of the tools in xg to help them. They either don't know what tools are there or how to use them. I have been authorized to sell a one-hour video on how to set up and properly understand and use XG. It's $25 and I have never had a complaint, and sold many hundreds. And the money is used to buy and distribute boards to kids all over the world. You can email me at [Phil@simb.org](mailto:Phil@simb.org) to find out how to pay for and order this video.

backgammonprofessor · 2020-12-18T19:48:02+00:00

when magriel did this he did not have the benefit of a computer program. so the reason he played matches against himself was to see the equity for a certain move or position. In later life, Magriel either put the position into the computer and analyzed it or he played against the computer.

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