Playing backgammon without the doubling cube would basically pull the teeth out of the game so to speak and would eliminate its bite. Imagine horse racing without betting and you are starting to see how the cube figures in terms of importance. Imagine playing poker without playing for money, it simply would not be the same game. You only have to look at poker games on online poker sites at the free money tables to see what I mean. It simply isn’t poker when players cannot lose out financially and need not fear loss.
This is what really makes the game, while it is true that you can play for points and points make matches then it is still the use of the cube and the correct use of it that makes backgammon the game that it is. The difference between a good poker player and a weak poker player is in how much money a good player wins in the pots that they win and how much they lose in the pots that they lose.
So it is essentially about maximising profits and minimising losses and backgammon cash games are basically the same. However just like poker tournaments and cash games, there are clear differences between backgammon cash games and backgammon tournaments although in backgammon tournaments, they are decided by a series of head to head matches unlike poker tournaments where all players participate at the same time.
Comparing Backgammon with Poker is a very relevant analogy for one simple reason, the variance within Backgammon is like poker and this is more the case when two players are almost equal in ability. In poker then when two players are relatively close in ability then it can take a very large number of hands for the superior player to prove themselves. When an expert player comes up against a novice in poker then there is nothing to suggest that the expert will be a favourite over any one individual hand.
But expert poker players would beat novices in a very short time frame and this is especially the case in no-limit poker where you can win someone’s entire stack in one hand. In Backgammon then a novice can beat a world class opponent in one game or a series of games. The dice themselves can win the game and this is down to variance and nothing else. But comparing Backgammon to poker is like comparing Karate with Judo.
Both are martial arts but yet both are the same in many ways but so different in others. I think that all Backgammon players should play poker and vice versa because of the similarities. Strangely I played and became interested in Backgammon before I became interested in poker. This was my first venture into Backgammon and during a stint at another casino I actually won a staff Backgammon tournament during that time although the calibre of opposition was very poor.
The Backgammon video that I posted yesterday was fascinating from so many standpoints. Gus Hansen is one of the worlds leading Backgammon players but considering the similarity between Backgammon and Poker then it is hardly surprising that Hansen took to poker like a duck to water. I think if more players made this switch then there could be some very powerful new faces in the world of poker by some leading Backgammon professionals who make the switch.
But if you listened closely to the dialogue between then it was as fascinating as any poker tutorial that I have ever witnessed. At the highest level then Backgammon is more than just a strategic game and you need to feel what your opponent is doing and also how they are feeling. Tournaments and cash games are also hugely different in nature. In cash games you can often restrict the doubling that is done by using tactics that are akin to pot control in poker.
Doubling in Backgammon has close links with raising in poker but when you do this then the escalation in stakes opens up a potential can of worms and it needs to be done with care. I have always found cash game players in poker to be the most skilful in terms of all round poker ability but tournaments need their own unique version of skill as well. Backgammon players who play cash games in my opinion are also of a higher calibre but just like in poker, some exceptional players have highly impressive results in both areas.
Backgammon is one of the best gambling games in the world for me and it is a shame that it is so far behind poker in world popularity. I want to post some Backgammon videos on this blog to get your juices flowing so to speak. But I can make one cast iron guarantee here and this is that the more that you learn about the game then the more that the game will grab you. Essentially as a Backgammon player then you travel through various stages just like in poker and these stages are very similar.
The first stage is to learn the basics of the game and novices or total beginners mistakenly place checkers at risk and get beaten badly. They then learn to tighten up but this leads to inflexibility but at least they are not making mistakes as badly and I call this level 2 play. You are still a novice at level 2 until you take the next step and you start to realise that Backgammon is more than just a race but it also involves strategy in how you play your checkers and your rolls.
This is exactly the same as poker in so much that everyone gets dealt the same cards eventually but it is how you play those cards that matter in the long run. Short term variance will have a huge impact on your results and the game is never truly under your control although for a very good player then the long term result of being ahead almost certainly is.
