More Important Backgammon Tips

In the previous post, we took a look at several backgammon tips courtesy of Gammoned.  Here are some more of them.  Do keep them in mind when playing and you just might see yourself win more!

1.  Fight for equality early in the game. Battle for your 5pt and 4pts on both sides of the board.

The early bird gets the worm, or so they say.  Same thing in backgammon.  If you establish equality – or dominance if you can – early on, then you are in a very good spot.

2. Keep your composure during big swings of luck in a game. Consider each position as a new one and not as the one you used to have.

You will almost definitely experience the tide turning in any backgammon game.  It’s how things go.  So do not be surprised if you suddenly find yourself on top or vice versa.  The important thing is to look ahead and not cry over spilled milk if you suddenly fall behind or to gloat when you are ahead.

3. Recirculate your checkers when in a backgame. Getting hit will improve your timing and help you to avoid crunching your board.

Keep ‘em moving!

4.  As a general rule, if you have fewer checkers left and fewer pips in a bearoff, you have a sound double.

Now bear in mind that this is a general rule – it does not cover all possibilities so when in doubt, follow your gut instinct.

Hope these help!

Some Important Backgammon Tips

Are you looking forward to your Christmas break?  I hope that you are lucky enough to have at least several days of rest for the holidays.  I know some friends who are – oh this includes myself, by the way.  We’re all planning on spending a lot of time doing nothing and playing backgammon together.  If you have the same plans, here are some important tips that can help you perfect your game.  Thanks to Gammoned for these tips.

1) Once a backgammon opponent makes an advanced anchor it is even more important to make one yourself. Your opponent can now afford to make bolder plays which could really put you on the defensive.

As they say, offense is the best defense!

2) If you are already substantially behind in the race it may not hurt your chances to fall further behind. When you are way behind in the race it may actually improve your timing to be hit again giving you a better backgame or avoid crunching your board.

I am not so sure about this but probably only because I have this aversion to being behind in anything.  I think that I shall try this tip the next time I find myself in this situation, though.   Perhaps it is a better way of dealing with things/

3) When ahead in the race, race! Break contact if you are ahead and bank on your racing advantage.

Now this is more to my liking.  I actually like doing this – just to make sure that I have a lot of advantage.

(to be continued)

Single Deck Blackjack @ Backgammon Masters

Single deck blackjack is a favorite among many people.  This could be due to a variety of reasons but one major reason that it is highly popular is the fact that the odds are way better when playing with a single deck as compared to having multiple decks.

Think about it, if you are counting cards – which is one of the most effective strategies you can employ in blackjack – then it would be so much easier to keep track of what has been dealt and what is still remaining in the deck if there is only one deck.  The percentages of getting it right are way higher.  Indeed, when one is just starting to learn how to count cards, single deck blackjack is the way to go.

Naturally, casinos have tried to do away with single deck blackjack play.  It is to their advantage if they offer multiple deck blackjack.  There is no other way of looking at it.  There are still some casinos that do offer single deck blackjack, though, and recently one of the biggest names in online blackjack has joined the fray.

Backgammon Masters, well known and loved by many of us online backgammon players is now offering single deck blackjack as part of their repertoire.  It should be an interesting addition to their games at the very least.  I am sure that I will still be going to the site to play backgammon but hey, if I ever find myself wanting to play something else, it would be good to play something different for a change.

Would You Bet On Your Life In Backgammon?

I sure wouldn’t! I would like to think that I am good enough to be able to put my life at stake but I still really am not inclined to make a bet on that. Apparently, some people do – at least that is what the newspapers reported in late November. According to the reporters, two men in Moscow met each other and agreed to share a cab. One of the men invited the other to his flat, they got to playing backgammon, and the winner ended up killing the loser. Just how did this happen? The reports narrate:

The story began when Smirnitsky and his victim-to-be, 23-year-old Vasily Lobozov, agreed to share a taxi.

During the ride, Smirnitsky invited his new acquaintance to come to his flat, and Lobozov agreed.
Upon their arrival, Lobozov noticed and remarked upon a backgammon set sitting on the shelf.

“I made that in the labor camp,” said Smirnitsky, who had earlier served time for robbery. “It took me years.”

“Shall we play a game?” his guest replied.

Smirnitsky, who was reportedly in a dark mood following the recent death of his brother, then informed his guest that, “With that backgammon set you can only play for dough.”

When Lobozov replied that he had no money, his host answered: “Then stake your life.”

To be fair to Lobozov – the victim – no one would really take that kind of stake seriously these days, right? Then again, he should have had more sense than to do that with a stranger.

Anyhow, just one of those bizarre stories we read in the tabloids every now and then. Moral of the story: don’t put your life at stake…

Quackgammon: Backgammon For The Whole Family

This is not a prank.  It is a serious post about a game that is for real.  Backgammon has captured the hearts of countless people all over the world and variations are always being created.  This time, the newest variation that I have run across is called quackgammon.  No it is not for those members of the fowl family that are notorious for their quacking.  It is in fact a backgammon variation that is going to be marketed to the more casual backgammon players – including children.

Developed by Endless Games, an authority in board games in the United States, quackgammon is touted to be a simpler version of the original backgammon.  This game is intended to be played at a faster pace, making it more manageable for the younger generation.  It has not yet been released to the general public but will be featured in February 2009 at the New York Toy Fair.

So what makes quackgammon different?  The company’s press release provides meager info:

➢   SMALL FLOCK OF FLYING FOWL:  Each backgammon player moves his or her 15 checkers (also known historically as stones, men, counters, pawns, or chips) around the traditional board; in Quackgammon, each player moves his or her flock of three “mallards” around a peaceful lake.
➢   SAFETY IN NUMBERS:  Rather than gaining protection by having multiple checkers on one specific “point”, Quackgammon fowl are instead protected by staying positioned next to each other.  Otherwise, that fowl is quite simply a sitting duck.

So that’s where “quack” comes from!  Anyhow, I am not sure that hardcore backgammon players will spend much time on this variation but it is a good way to introduce your children to the game, isn’t it?

« go back — keep looking »

Recent Articles

• Absolute Backgammon For The Mac
• Nat Geo’s Mosaic Backgammon Set
• Gus Hansen’s Ties With Backgammon
• It’s Easy To Learn Backgammon!
• What Do Poker And Backgammon Have In Common?
• More Important Backgammon Tips
• Some Important Backgammon Tips
• Single Deck Blackjack @ Backgammon Masters
• Would You Bet On Your Life In Backgammon?
• Quackgammon: Backgammon For The Whole Family

GM Network News

• Is Video Blackjack “Fairer” Than A Real Table Game?
• Macau: Gambling Destination No More?
• Video Games For The Visually Impaired
• Casinos Looking Favorably At Online Gambling
• Lotteries Around the World: Top 5 Jackpots
• Powerball Game Undergoes Changes Beginning Jan. 4
• Lottery Alert: Powerball Jackpot Rises to $105 Million on Jan. 7
• Guitar Hero Aerosmith: How To Beat Joe Perry?
• Casino Money To Fund Education?
• Blackjack Run On The iPhone