Posts Tagged backgammon tips
Playing Blackjack: Tips for Beginners
Posted by oscar in BlackJack, Card Games on May 19th, 2009
Ever wondered why people get so hooked at playing Blackjack? It is undeniable that more and more people are showing interest in playing Blackjack—the traditional way or even online. If you want to unfold the mystery, well then, let this article be your guide. Read on and know more about some tips about Blackjack tips for beginners.
The game itself is not so complicated, thus having simple rules to be followed. That is one of the main reasons Blackjack has become a household name in casinos. It is one of most played card games of all times. It has gained popularity because of a couple of reasons. One is the simple fact that with Blackjack, a player can easily get hold of the advantage over the other players.
Learning this game does not take years but just a quarter of hour will do. However, to master the so-called art of playing blackjack may require a person more than 2 rounds of beer and maybe an entire CD to listen to. Yes, just like any other card games, practice is a must if the player wants to know the how-tos and the ins and outs of the game. In simpler lexicon, time is of the essence when we speak of mastery and strategy.
As soon as the player has mastered the game, advantages are within reach and he can definitely bring the house down and yes, he can start counting the bucks. The most noticeable feature of the Black jack as compared to other casino games is the mere fact that it does not require mechanical support or other electronic systems. Players can gain more bangs to their bucks with this game as long as they can master it. This is also legal. That’s just another plus factor to consider.
A Basic Strategy has been conceptualized and developed in order to guide the Blackjack player as to when to make the right move depending on the cards that the ‘dealer ‘is laying on the table. Though such Basic Strategy has been employed by players as the ‘cheating mechanism’, a player can still win favorably against the dealer in ways far better and legal.
If you are still a beginner, you can start by playing Blackjack with your friends before joining those games which involve big bucks. If you have mastered the rules and strategies already, you may try joining some online Blackjack games if you enjoy playing it.
The existing Blackjack Hall of Fame surely proves that players have the ability to crash the house and even out the odds fairly and wisely. Every Blackjack pro started as a beginner, who knows? You might be the next in line!
Strategies in Backgammon -1
Posted by oscar in Backgammon, Board Games on January 18th, 2009
To the casual observer there would seem to be no logical way in which a game of backgammon develops from the starting position. However upon closer scrutiny , much like in chess, there are several different strategies one can use when playing backgammon. There are 8 defined types of strategy or game,
1. Running Game (or Race)
2. High Anchor
3. Mutual Holding Game
4. Low Anchor
5. Blitz
6. Prime versus Prime
7. Back Game
8. Scramble
Occasionally there is a game that does not fall under one of the specific strategies above , however in 97% of the games played this is not the case. In order to be a good backgammon player it is essential that one has an understanding of all the ‘basic backgammon strategies”.
It is important not only to understand how to develop a game into one of these particular types but also to, once having achieved this, to know how to play each positional type and the associated doubling strategies. This last point is particularly important as the understanding of the correct doubling strategies will gain you far more points than the understanding of how to move the checkers.
Running Game
Of the eight types, by far the easiest is the running game and the easiest example of this is where both sides start by rolling 65 twice and run both their back checkers out to their mid-points – as shown below. After this there will be no more contact between the two armies and the winner will be the side that rolls the highest numbers on the dice.
High Anchor
A high anchor game is one where you have moved your back checkers at least as far as your mid-point whilst your opponent still holds either your 4pt, 5pt or bar point. An example of this is shown in the position below.
Mutual Holding Game
A mutual holding game is one where both sides have a high anchor (a high anchor is one of three points, your opponent’s 4pt, 5pt or bar point). This position occurs after the sequence: Red 43: 24/20, 13/10; Black 66: 24/18(2), 13/7(2); Red 43: 24/20, 13/10.
Low Anchor
A low anchor game can occur in many different ways but is characterised by one player holding his opponent’s 1,2 or 3 point whilst the opponent has escaped his back checkers. The position below is a typical low anchor game where black has escaped his back checkers and red is trapped on black’s ace point.
Blitz
The blitz is the most volatile of all the game types. A blitz is characterised by one player desperately trying to get an anchor in his opponent’s home board whilst his opponent does everything he can to prevent it. The position below is typical of the early stages of a blitz where red has split his checkers with a 52 played 13/8, 24/22 and black has replied with 55, played 8/3(2)*, 6/1(2)* putting two red checkers on the bar.
Prime vs. Prime
Prime against prime is characterised by both players having one or more of his opponent’s checkers trapped behind a blockade of 4, 5 or 6 points. Prime vs. prime games require fine judgement and are amongst the most difficult of all backgammon game types to play. In a blitz, once you have started it, most of the moves are clear, in a prime v prime each individual move will require much more thought.
The position shown below is a typical prime vs. prime game with both players having two checkers trapped behind 5-point primes.
Back Game
The backgame game is when you hold two or more points in your opponent’s home board, usually as a result of lots of blots being hit. Now an excellent piece of advice: DO NOT play back games at all costs. When they go well they are wonderful, but if you lose, then you are likely to lose either a gammon or a backgammon.
The position below shows a typical back game where red is playing the back game by holding black’s 1-pt and 2-pt. As we shall see in future articles which two points you hold in your opponent’s home board are critical to the likely success, or not, of your back game.
Backgammon: This Game is Crucial -2
Posted by oscar in Backgammon, Board Games on January 16th, 2009
Shall we begin with a fairly cheap one?
Challenge 1: Red to play 4-3.
It’s always tempting, when you don’t roll what you need, to just do something safe and hope for a better roll next time. In this case the safe play would be 8/1. Actually that’s a blunder, and Red’s natural game plan suggests a much better move.
What is Red’s plan, given that it must be to win by racing, priming, or attacking? Well we can discount racing, down 34 pips. As for attacking, that might come about in the course of things, since Red has one man back and cannot anchor. Red could commit to an attacking plan right off the bat with 7/3* 7/4, hoping that White won’t roll the 3.
Possibly Red could even pick up the other blot and close out both! But the offensive asset that stands out is the prime, so Red should think about using it to win.
Now the trouble with the prime is that it’s not good enough to do the job, with White sitting there at the edge just a six away from escaping – he is a favorite to escape in two rolls if left unhindered. Red would like to hit White’s blot off the edge or extend to a six-prime.
The stand-out play is 13/9, 13/10. Red gets hit if White rolls the 6, but a 6 was very strong anyway, so the hit doesn’t cost much. The 69% of the time White doesn’t get hit 6 Red is in great shape, with all aces and 6-5 to make the full prime, and literally every other roll hitting White’s blot.
Note that 13/6 would be very illogical, giving White good 6’s and good 1’s instead of just good 6’s, but it would still be better than 8/1. The last thing you want to do when you are trying to win by priming is to bury a checker out of play where it can’t help.
Challenge 2: Red to play 3-2.
We need not count to see that Red is far ahead in the race. Does this mean that he should ignore other assets that produce priming and attacking chances, and just make the only safe play, which happens to be 9/7, 9/6? Not necessarily.
White is playing the game too. White’s primary game plan is to attack Red’s blot. It is hard to build an effective prime against a single blot, because it constantly threatens to escape, so one must generally take the hits and home board points as the dice present them.
In the course of attacking White might still produce a prime that contains Red’s straggler effectively.
Important Starting Moves in Backgammon -2
Posted by oscar in Backgammon, Board Games on January 15th, 2009
There used to be a lot of debate about how to play an opening of 5-3. Many experts in the 70’s and 80’s believed that making the 3 point was wrong. That they were better off making several other moves that provided them with more “flexibility” and put their checkers in better strategic places for the next move.
The problem with the others moves, however, is this :
First, it leaves exposed blots, and if hit, gives the opponent an immediate advantage, and second, an opportunity to make the 3-point has been passed up, and the 3-point, while not as critical as the bar, 5, and 4 points, is still a very good point to have. The experts of the new millennium virtually all agree with each other that it is right to make the 3 point with your 5-3, regardless of what the score is.
Here is the list of standard opening moves in backgammon with variations
* 6 – 5 run a back checker
* 6 – 4 There are three acceptable play in this situation. You can make your two point; you can run a back checker all the way out to your 14 point; you can run a back checker out to your opponent’s bar (24-18), and then bring down one checker off your midpoint (13-9).
* 6 – 3 There are two plays: you can either run a checker all the way off your 24 point, or you can run to your opponent’s bar and bring one down from your midpoint.
* 6 – 2 Two plays: run all the way, or run to the bar and bring one men down
* 6 – 1 Create your bar
* 5 – 4 Two plays: move a back checker up (24-20) and bring one down (13-8), or bring two down from the midpoint (13-8, 13-9)
* 5 – 3 Make your 3 point
* 5 – 2 Two plays: move a back checker 2 (24-22) and bring one down (13-8), or bring two down (13-8, 13-11)
* 5 – 1 Generally, it is cnsidered right to split the back checker and bring one down (24-23, 13-8). When behind in the match and a gammon win is a major plus, you might bring one down and slot your 5-point (13-8, 6-5).
* 4 – 3 This move has the most possible variations, depending on score, but generally, the experts agree that it is best to move up 3 off your back point (24-21) and bring the 4 down (13-9).
* 4 – 2 Create your 4 point.
* 4 – 1 Generally, it is right to split the back checker and bring one down (24-23, 13-9), but it is not a bad gambling play, when gammons are key, to bring one down and slot your 5 point.
* 3 – 2 This play also has many variations, but generally the experts agree that the best play is to bring you back checker up 3 (24-21) and bring a 2 down from the midpoint (13-11).
* 3 – 1 Make your 5 point
* 2 – 1 Split your back checkers (24-23) and bring one down (13-11). Here again, if you wish to gamble, bringing one down and slotting your 5 point is not a bad play.
Conclusion
Will you win more often if you make the above opening moves? Yes, you will. It has been proven, statistically.
With the aid of computer programs (Snowie and Jellyfish) we can take any move or position and play out thousands, and even millions of games to “prove” that over the long run, one play or cube decision is better than another.
So not only for the opening moves, but for EVERY MOVE, if you want to win more often, you must learn the correct move to play. It is IMPOSSIBLE to memorize the correct move for every possible position, but it certainly is possible to memorize the opening moves, so why not do so?
Important Starting Moves in Backgammon -1
Posted by oscar in Backgammon, Board Games on January 15th, 2009
There are two very important things you should know about opening moves in backgammon
1. The experts, having studied opening moves for many years, and having the benefit of experience, the use of advanced computer programs, in combination with tremendous personal skill and intuition, have basically all agreed on what are the best opening moves for every possible dice combination.
2. If you any move other than the ones that the experts recommend, you are reducing your chance of winning the game and match.
Its that simple. You must memorize the best opening moves, and play them. Of course it will help you greatly to also understand the reason behind each move, and it will help you to also go to the next step and know and understand what the experts recommend you do on the “next” roll in response to opening moves if/when your opponent gets the opening rolls.
And of course , none of that will be of much help unless you understand how to play for the rest of the game.
But since it is impossible to learn the entire theory of how to become a backgammon expert from a single article, let me offer some help regarding the opening moves.
There is no question what to do with 3-1, 6-1, 4-2, 6-5. How to play these opening moves has been agreed to for a number of years, and the correct plays are correct for ANY match score, whether you are winning or losing by a little or a by a lot, or tied.
For all other moves, there is some debate; there are some different plays depending on the score; and the decision is not less clear.
Let’s take care of the definite ones first. With 3-1 you create your 5 point. Not only do most experts agree that the 5 point is the most important point to make (for a multitude of reasons), but any other 3-1 play exposes you to an unnecessary chance of getting hit.
Why is getting hit so bad, especially early on in the game? Because one of the overriding principles of backgammon is that every game, no matter how complex, ends up as a race to see who can get his checkers around the board and bear off first.
Everything else that happens between the first roll and the removal of the last checker is just preparation for who the one is that gets to remove that last checker. Even games that end as a result of a double/drop are because the dropper determined that he is less likely to be the one removing their last checker first.
With 6-1 you make your bar point (7 point) as that is the second most important point, and again, any other move leaves exposed blots (single checkers on a point).
With 4-2 you make your 4 point because that is also an important point, and again, you don’t want to be leaving blots. And with 6-5 you simply run a back checker all the way because it is very good for the race and again, you do not leave any exposed blots.
Oscar
Recent Comments