New to Backgammon

[khona]

 Hello all!  First post here. 

I'm kind of new to Backgammon.  I have played every once in while since 2000 on MSN Game Zone but I have never seriously studied the game.  I've decided I want to learn how to play this game. 

I want to say - I hate losing Backgammon games!  Backgammon rips my heart apart when I lose! I find Backgammon more mean than Texas Hold'em.  Whenever I get hit and sent to the bar I feel like I've been slapped in the face!  And what really makes me made - I get the felling the people who are beating me are little eight year old kids.  After they crush me I bet they laugh how bad I played.  At least that's how I feel. 

Anyway, I want to learn strategy. Last week I ordered Backgammon for Winners by Robertie.  It hasnt' arrived yet and I can't wait to get it.  I hope it teaches me strategy so I can stop getting slapped around!  lol 

I've also printed out the basic openings and have started memorizing them. I got out an old Backgammon board I had around the house and started using it to help me memorize openings.

   I have to admit, when I look at Backgammon from a distance it looks like a simple game.  But when I try to play seriously I realize it's a very complicated and detailed game with many levels. 

Last week I download Play65.  I've won some and lost some on the play money site.  They gave me 2.00 as a sign up bonus.  I lost .50, then won .50 (actually .47 or something), then lost .50, and last .50 again.  They wiped me out. 

I've also been messing around with Fibs for the first time ever.  I've been playing with three our four different interfaces trying to find one I like. 

Also, while playing on Play65 I noticed many players from Asia and South America. Is Backgammon an extremely popular game outside the U.S.? 

Anyway, any recommendation for a beginner who wants to learn this game seriously? 

Thanks!

[don]

You're on the right track when you start reading, khona.  You will find that getting hit is not always a bad thing.  I recall when I felt as you do.  I'm no expert but I can tell you that reading and studying is the way to go.

There are lots of excellent links on fibs.com and backgammon.com for people who want to pursue the game, and I recommend hardy's page, but perhaps one of the best tools you can get for free is gnuBG.  It's a bot that will critique your play, analyze your play, and otherwise humiliate you.  Click on GNU Backgammon.

--
don

[khona]

Thanks.  Ugh,  This game really burns me.  Ever since I started memorizing those opening moves I haven't won a game.  Maybe I should stop reading any websites and just play for fun until I get my book.   

[don]

That's the element I left out, khona, PLAY!  Hopefully play for fun, but play.  Oh, and think!

--
don

[Hardy_whv]

You'll find a list of recommendations on how to improve your backgammon at http://www.hardyhuebener.de/engl/besser_werden.html.

Regards,

Hardy   

[Tomawaky]

Maybe I should stop reading any websites and just play for fun until I get my book.   

Try to play for Fun but with a Goal like tournament or League that I manage for fibsters here : FibsLeaGammon
PLay for losing time will not put yourself in the right way.

[khona]

I've noticed a bot on the server and also a tournament bot.  How does one play with the regular bot?  I invite it to a one point match but get no reply.  Do you have to have a certain rating to play it or something? 

[Tomawaky]

I've noticed a bot on the server and also a tournament bot.  How does one play with the regular bot?  I invite it to a one point match but get no reply.  Do you have to have a certain rating to play it or something? 

The tournament bot is there to organise tourneys. what is the other you saw ?

[khona]

It says PlayBotBunny.  Where the icon is for male or female there is a computer icon.  I assumed this was a bot.  Is it a real person? 

[khona]

I called Books-a-Million to see if they got in the Robertie book I ordered last week.
They tell me - Sir, we cant even find your order on the computers!  I've been waiting
all week for them to call telling me they got my book.  I am so ticked.  I told go ahead and order it again.  Ugh. 

Also, I tried installing that GNU backgammon program on my old computer running Windows Me.  All I get is a Pango error, what ever that is. 

[don]

khona:

Most playing bots on FIBS but not all have "bot" in their handle.  Some play one pointers, some won't, some require experience (play on FIBS) some don't.  Many bots will respond to a "tell", as in, "tell xxxbot hi" or "tell xxxbot help".  TourneyBot and RepBot are non-playing bots with supervisory functions, and not really official FIBS, but both will respond if you tell 'em "help".

I suspect many CS students create playing bots, but you take what you can get.  My advice to you is simply to complete all of your matches on FIBS and have fun.

--
don

[socksey]

It says PlayBotBunny.  Where the icon is for male or female there is a computer icon.  I assumed this was a bot.  Is it a real person?

I never can get PlayBotBunny to respond to me either, khona!     Don't know what to tell you about that one, except all the bots have email addresses as far as I know, so you can do a "whois" on any one of them and get that info to email it's administrator with questions.  I think don's info is correct also, so this is about all I can add.   

socksey



"Youth would be an ideal state if it came a little later in life." - Herbert Henry Asquith
 

[khona]

Just won my second three point match!  Yippeeee! 

Tell me - how much luck vs. skill is involved in Backgammon?  If I was going to play an expert like Bill Robertie in a 1 point each game (first to 5 wins) would he crush me in every game or would I have a chance? 

[dorbel]

It is generally thought that an expert player will beat a novice in plain games, i.e. without a cube, around 81% of the time, so yes, about one game in 5 you would win one. You wouldn't be first to five very often. Backgammon for Winners is not one of Bill's best books. Much better value is "Beginner Boot Camp" by Walter Trice, with loads of good stuff for players at all levels. "Backgammon" by Paul Magriel is still an outstanding book, even though 30 years old. Reading backgammon theory always has a detrimental effect on your play at first. This is because we can never apply new ideas accurately at first. Keep reading a little and playing a little. Download GnuBg and learn to use it to analyse your play. The more you learn, the more you win, but more importantly, the more fun it is to play. Enjoy the game!

[khona]

khona:

My advice to you is simply to complete all of your matches on FIBS and have fun.

--
don

How can I  enjoy this game when I get crushed like you crushed me! lol

I just finished reading my Robertie Backgammon for Winners book.  It was ok.  I think I'm going to go after the Backgammon book by Magriel next. 

[playBunny]

"It says PlayBotBunny.."

Not to be confused with playBunny who is a real bunny not a bot.