Someone asked me a while ago what the feasibility was of playing backgammon for a living? Firstly I am a more than decent backgammon player but in no way do I have any experience of playing competitive backgammon in any way shape or form. I have only ever played small cash games at this form of gambling and nothing more. So I am probably not the best person to speak to regarding this although I have done some research on the game and I know that the level of prize money is not that great in international tournaments.
Just like with poker tournaments then to win them requires beating a very tough field if you are playing serious tournaments. I am not aware of any private backgammon action in the same way that I am with poker (that is not to say that it doesn’t exist, just that it is rare). So it is difficult to play this game professionally basically because of far less action and far less available money than games like poker. In fact if you are a very good backgammon player then I strongly advise you to switch to poker as soon as possible because you more than likely have the skills required to make money at poker.
This game unlike backgammon has huge worldwide appeal and the online card rooms mean that you will never be short of action if you are a good player. Also unlike backgammon, you can play numerous tables at once against weaker opponents and make a living that way. I will always be interested in backgammon but I play the game now purely for recreation and theoretical interest based on its striking similarities with games like poker.
