This article is designed for all poker players who would like to learn about the exciting game of Backgammon. I have been playing backgammon for more than 30 years and I can tell you that it is a game of excitement and drama just as much as poker.
Some of our greatest poker players are also great backgammon players. Gus Hansen is likely one of the five best players in the world and could be the best. Other poker luminaries that are backgammon stars include Erik Seidel, Dan Harrington, and "X-22" Paul Magriel.
Stu Ungar made the finals of the Las Vegas tournament in 1984 losing to Leslie Stone. She had knocked me out in the round of 8 two matches earlier. Also 1983 WSOP Champion Tom McEvoy plays competitive backgammon to this day.
There was even one World Poker Tour final table that included Gus Hansen, Abe Mosseri and Tino Lechich who are all backgammon players.
Even poker's infamous hooded wonder Phil "The Unabomber" Laak has been known to partake in a game of backgammon or two.
Backgammon was the "In" game in the 70's. Games were played at disco's, restaurants and among celebrities like Hugh Hefner and the late Don Adams.
I used to play backgammon with Don Adams at the Cavendish West club in West Hollywood in the 80's and more recently I played poker with him at Hollywood Park Casino.
Some current stars who, enjoy backgammon include Tobey "Spiderman" Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio. I even had the distinct pleasure in instructing Nicole Kidman how to improve her backgammon game several years back.
I believe that backgammon can share the limelight with poker and televised competition would be a great way to share the excitement of backgammon with the viewing public.
These could take the face of celebrity-pro consulting matches as well as head to head competition between top players with expert commentary that you enjoy on many of the televised poker shows.
I am a backgammon player but I also play poker and I can tell you that I enjoy both games for some different and some similar reasons. For those of you who have not played backgammon before or would like to refresh your knowledge on the rules please click on the link here for an introduction to this fascinating game. Primer on Backgammon
As I stated before there are many similarities and also differences between backgammon and poker. Backgammon is a game of open information and poker is a game of incomplete information. In poker you don't know if you should call a bet at the river because you can't be sure what cards your opponent is holding but in backgammon if your opponent doubles you, you can easily determine what you should do based on the mathematical probability of the position.
Some positions are easier to determine than others. A simple bear-off's can be exactly determined using a formula or by calculating the probability in your head. Other positions must be analyzed using a series of principles you have learned over your years of study
In poker you will rely heavily on experience as a basis for your decision.
Mathematical calculations come into play in poker as well when you try to determine whether you will bet, call or raise. Of course these calculations play a much smaller role in whether you are making the right decision than if it were backgammon.
In this example of a backgammon cube decision (enter pos 9 here) Black has two checkers left and White has one checker left. It is Black's roll and if he is successful in bearing off his last two pieces he will win the game. If he is not successful he will lose as White is assured of bearing off his last piece no matter what he rolls.
If you go through the numbers you will see that Black will win 23 times and lose 13 times. He is a little less than a 2/1 favorite. He is right to bet "double" here as he increases his expectancy by raising the stakes.
The player playing the White pieces should call "take" since he has greater than 25% chance to win the game. That is the break-even point at which a person should take or pass a backgammon game in a simple bear-off.
In poker things are a bit different. Betting and calling have a mathematical basis but that is only part of the decision.
If you have a flush draw but there is a pair on the board, you don't know if you hit your flush if it will be good since your opponent could either already have a full house or if the flush card you hit on the river pairs the board and gives him a full house.
This is where the incomplete information comes into play as you can never be completely sure that your decision is correct since correct play by your opponent should include a bit of deception.
If your opponent is playing less than optimal then you will be even less sure about what he has but perhaps a bit more sure that long term playing with this individual will reap a profit.
It is beyond the scope of this article to go through all the possible comparisons between backgammon and poker but using limit hold-em as the vehicle for comparison I'll give you some similar gambling situations between backgammon and poker.
Hitting a three outer on the river (you have AQ and your opponent has KK) with a board of 2 4 6 9 rainbow is 3 out of 44 remaining cards or 38/3 just under 13/1 odds. In backgammon if you had 4 checkers on your four-point and your opponent was off on his next roll you would be an 11/1 underdog to roll the 44, 55 or 66 needed to end the game in your favor.
Hitting a straight draw or flush draw on the river is an 8 or 9 outer. You know 6 cards (your two and the four on the board) and perhaps can infer what your opponent has but if you don't know then you are a 38/8 underdog to hit the straight and a 37/9 underdog to hit the flush.
You are a 4.75/1 dog to make the straight and a 4.11/1 dog to make the flush. Since you may not win if you hit your hand as you may not have the nut flush or the board is paired or could pair creating a full house you need to calculate that into your decision on whether you should call a bet on the turn. If you are only getting the correct direct odds the equity you lose on the times you hit your hand and lose should be compared to the implied odds of the extra bets you will earn when you hit your hand and your opponent pays you off.
A similar odds situation in backgammon would be if you needed a double on your last roll to win a game. If you had four checkers on your one point and your opponent was off on his next roll you would win anytime you rolled a double. The odds are 30/6 (5/1) of winning in that situation.
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