Steve Erbach
erbachs at gmail.com
Mon Feb 20 09:51:51 CST 2006
Arthur, » in Year Three, you learn how to move the opponent. At that point it became clear to me that professional backgammon players systematically find their inferiors, discover their pain thresholds (at some point, you would rather run away to Boise than pay me -- that is the pain threshold) and win $100 less than that -- so you pay me rather than run. And at that point, I realized that this is not an honourable profession. « Oh, my god! That sounds EXACTLY like the fellow that wrote a poker book I once read. The book explained all sorts of psychological ploys that he would use against his opponents to steadily bump up the value of the poker games. The book was partly autobiographical, but it dealt with fictional characters, one that eventually committed suicide because of his poker losses. I never had the urge to experiment in human behavior like that. I know quite a bit about chess, far less about backgammon. If you are suggesting that the moves are "deeper" than chess, I would direct your attention to a story I read years ago in which a computer trounced the world backgammon champion 9-1. This was long before Deep Blue beat Garry Kasparov in a chess match. If you're suggesting that backgammon is "deeper" psychologically, then I'd say, sure. Backgammon is a money-making game, like poker. You play the man more than the board or the cards. Of course, you have to know the odds and the moves, but to be "successful" at either one needs to know human psychology. I would aver, though, that you're not dealing with very many motivations in any given opponent. Your backgammon tutor that was Canadian chess champion for 7 years...was that Kevin Spraggett? Steve Erbach Neenah, WI http://TheTownCrank.blogspot.com On 2/19/06, Arthur Fuller <artful at rogers.com> wrote: > I just found a backgammon club in Chicago which appears to have what I need. > I emailed and am awaiting a response, but I think they have what I want. > For two years+ I made my living playing backgammon. I learned that there are > three phases in the life of a skilled player: in Year One, you learn how to > move the checkers; in Year Two, you learn how to move the doubling cube; in > Year Three, you learn how to move the opponent. At that point it became > clear to me that professional backgammon players systematically find their > inferiors, discover their pain thresholds (at some point, you would rather > run away to Boise than pay me -- that is the pain threshold) and win $100 > less than that -- so you pay me rather than run. And at that point, I > realized that this is not an honourable profession. > Tournament backgammon IS, but not money games. In tournament rules, you > declare a stake ($100) and a goal-line (7 points), and it is impossible to > lose more than $100. Even more interesting, for the statistically inclined, > the money-game rules for doubling are suddenly inverted: given that you are > leading 7-4 in a race to 9, the last thing you should do is double because I > will redouble and thus gain a chance (albeit slim) of winning the match... > but this slim chance is better than the previous probability that I faced. > Backgammon is a very profound game. My tutor, who was for 7 years Canadian > chess champion and also holds a black belt in Go, says that backgammon is > much deeper than chess. In fact, he invented a game that we call Bless, > which is Blitz chess plus the doubling cube. You play standard Blitz chess > (5 seconds a move or 5 minutes a match, depending on local customs), but > with the doubling cube: we start off playing for $100; when it's your move > you have the option to double the stakes: I fold and pay the stake or > continue to play for $200. Etc. I have seen thousands of dollars change > hands in 10 minutes in this insane game. > I know I digress, but I wish to present the simplest backgammon problem for > those interested. > W has two checkers left, on the 1 point and the 3 point. > B has two checkers left, on the 1 point and the 2 point. > It is W's move. > 1. Should W double the bet? > 2. Should B decline or accept? > Arthur > > _______________________________________________ > dba-Tech mailing list > dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com >