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How to Get Better at Backgammon
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by Phil Simborg
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Introduction
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There is a huge difference between the top players in the world (like Nack Ballard and Neil Kazaross) and really good tournament players like myself. I think to some extent the difference is simply a matter of degree ... they have studied the game longer, or better, or are able to do the math somewhat better, or they have a somewhat better grasp of the feel of the game.
Some of the things that make them better we probably have no way of testing ... like their toughness under fire, their great competitive spirit, a strong desire to win, a never-give-up attitude, an ability to remain intense and make the best plays every play no matter what the score or how simple the situation might appear, etc. etc. I'm not sure you can measure someone's gamesmanship abilities.
But there are some things that can be measured. I am willing to bet that all of the very top players have a very high I.Q. They are simply smarter than most of us to begin with. I am willing to bet that they all have great math skills. (When Joe Sylvester lived with me and we discussed cube decisions, he went through the math involved, out loud, that he was doing in his head to determine doubling and take points at various scores in the match. I am very good at math, but I would never be able to make calculations in my head as he does, and as I have heard Neil Kazaross, Jake Jacobs and others of that ilk do.) They also have amazing memories ... they are able to bring up equity tables, odds, and positions from memory so they don't have to try to work them out in their head every time.
Now, my guess is that you can go through the list of Open Championship level players and find a few with an I.Q. as high as the greats. And maybe, given enough time and desire, those people could become great players too. But I will bet you that it takes a combination of both the I.Q. and those "immeasurable" traits to make it, along with much study and practice.
One conversation with Jake Jacobs about a play will tell you everything. He looks at the position and gives you a general estimate of what your strategy is ... that you want to play a holding game, or you want to counter-time your opponent ... whatever. Then he works out a bunch of complicated math in his head to determine what match equity numbers affect cube and checker play decisions and whether to play more offensively or defensively, etc. Then, he can tell you about other matches he has played, watched or read about where a similar position came up. ("This looks like the game Robertie played against Kit in 4th round of the 1991 Vegas tournament. I remember the great looking blonde eating a pepperoni pizza at the next table when Robertie broke his prime to go for the gammon with a 4-3 and hit Kit off the 4 point.") And then he decides what the best play should be.
In my finals match against Neil Kazaross at the 27th Pittsburgh Backgammon Championships in February, there was one play I asked him about during the match where he told me he was pretty sure his play was better by at least .025 but probably not much more than .032. And though I didn't check it, I have checked him on this in the past, and he's usually right on. That kind of skill can only come from superior intellect, study, and memory, and game-playing insights and abilities.
So, am I saying that your two friends, like me, can never hope to be among the greats? Probably. You'd probably know by now if they are of the genius ilk, and if they are not, it is not likely the can ever be one of the greats. But if they follow the advice in my article below, they can surely be competitive.
But here is my best advice, and as much as possible, I follow this advice more than anything, as I believe it is the key to being successful in any competition: Always try to play people who are worse than you! I am not able to do this in tournament play, but when it comes to playing for money, particularly big money, it is my mantra.
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How to Get Better at Backgammon
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- Study. You must read books and articles. You will find valuable information and insights that you will never realize on your own. The experts, with the benefit of years of experience, the use of powerful, sophisticated computer programs, and incredible intellect and skills, have shared their secrets with us in writing. Even if you are a genius, it would take you many years to figure out all the insights and strategies they have already laid out for you.
- Play. You will not be able to truly understand and internalize what the experts are telling you unless you get a lot of real, over-the-board or online experience. You need to experience many back games in order to understand how to time or counter-time them. You need to play many prime-vs.-prime games to understand which checkers to move and who should be doubling who and when. You need to experience the benefits and pitfalls of slotting points and leaving blots to understand when to take risks and when it is right to be cautious. The more you play, the more likely you will be able to make the plays that have the best odds, as you will see that even though hardly any strategy or play is successful all the time, you need to experience "the long run" yourself to get yourself to a mindset that will allow you to take the risk that might immediately lose you the game or get you gammoned, or to make the cautious play and bide your time when that is the right strategy.
- Seek help. No matter what your level of play, you will often find yourself in a position where you just don't know with any reasonable certainty what the right play or cube decision is. This is where you really fine-tune your game, if you take the time to record the exact position and then find out what is right, why it is right, and why you were not able to reason out the right answer yourself. You can get this information by using one of the three excellent backgammon computer programs (Snowie, GnuBG, and Jellyfish), or you can get help from an expert. You can virtually always find an expert in your area, or online, that will be generous with his time and help explain the proper play and strategy to you. Of course, you can also pay for and take lessons. (Even after I was a relatively high tournament level player, I paid for lessons from some of the top players in the game including Nack Ballard, Kit Woolsey, and others. Every day I get some help from some of the best players in the world because I am sending them positions I don't completely understand.)
- Watch and play with good players. Mostly they can be found at tournaments, but you can also play and watch them on line on several sites. You can pick out the higher-ranked players and watch them, and many of them will be happy to help you out with a question or problem. And don't just watch passively ... try to guess the right play every time. When they do something very different, or that surprises you, take a picture of the position or jot it down and save it, study it, and learn it ... and if you're not sure you understand why their play is right, check it out for yourself.
- Develop the right attitude. I mean two things by that: first, stay intense and focused, and second, don't forget that you are playing for enjoyment. I firmly believe that the two are related. In order to win consistently, you must play well consistently. You cannot just relax and make plays automatically or without careful thought. Any small error can easily cost you the game or match. Do you get upset when your opponent gets lucky and rolls great, or when you roll badly? It's going to happen, and it's going to happen a lot. If you can't learn to take bad luck in stride, you shouldn't play backgammon. And if you do get upset with bad rolls or particularly unlucky games or matches, you will not be able to focus properly on making the right plays. I've seen players who were normally very good players make horrible plays because they were convinced things were going bad for them and if they made the "right" play or took a reasonable chance, it couldn't possibly work. Anything that takes you out of your rational, logical game plan will hurt you. Most importantly, win or lose, if you let bad luck, or losing upset you, you will simply not get the pleasure out of playing that makes the game so interesting and so much fun. If you don't enjoy it, you will never be really good at it.
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See: More articles by Phil Simborg
See: Other articles on How to Improve
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