Forum Archive : Etiquette

When to quit From:   Albert Steg Address:   asteg@mindspring.com Date:   1 November 1998 Subject:   Re: Money sessions Etiquette Forum:   rec.games.backgammon Google:   asteg-0111981345220001@pool-207-205-193-31.wlhm.grid.net > What is your opinion about quitting when losing ?..... > And what about quitting when winning ?..... I think this depends purely upon the attitudes of the people who are playing, which in turn have a lot to do with the reasons various people are playing. I don't see how anyone can fault someone for quitting when they are losing, if by "losing" you mean a reasonable chunk of change, say at least 20 points. Of course, it's no fun to set aside an evening to play backgammon and have your opponent quit after an hour if he or she isn't winning but be willing to play on interminable if the reverse is true. I probably just wouldn't be interested in setting aside any more time for such a person. Some people, particularly gamblers who have some sort of imperative to win some $ *now* may resent your quitting while you're ahead. It's certainly good etiquitte to give some advance warning (time or # of games) before stopping, even with friends, but in my circles we tend not to care much. Incidentally, against an opponent known to steam when time is short, "false notices" (you say, well, I gotta go in about a half hour, but then play on for a few hours) may net you some equity. :-) Actually, sometimes this isn't even insincere: I may be wanting to go home *now*, but if my opponent starts throwing equity at me by steaming, that may genuinely change my willingness to play late. Generally speaking, you should be viewing all your bg sessions as one long session with occasional breaks for food, work, and sleep (etc.), so it shouldn't much matter to you what the scoresheet says at the end of any particular session. Try to base your decision to quit on whether you are playing decently and whether you are having fun playing. Albert   Did you find the information in this article useful?           Do you have any comments you'd like to add?

 

Etiquette

Am I too slow?  (sevenout+, Apr 2004) 

Am I too slow?  (Stephen Turner, Jan 2002) 

Am I too slow?  (Daniel Murphy, June 1997) 

Commenting on dice  (Ron Barry+, Mar 2001) 

Dealing with droppers  (Bill Hill, Dec 1998) 

Dealing with droppers  (Patti Beadles, Mar 1996) 

Dice cup  (Walt Swan, June 2000) 

Direction of play  (Ric Gerace+, Aug 2001) 

Doubling opponent out  (bustedchucks+, June 2005) 

Doubling to end a game early  (Douglas Zare, Aug 2001) 

Etiquette for online play  (Dean Ayer+, June 1997) 

Going for backgammon in a one-point match  (Douglas Zare, Nov 2000) 

How long to wait?  (Marsha Wisniski+, Dec 1997) 

Listening to music while playing  (Max Urban+, Oct 2009) 

Moving hit checker first  (Timothy Chow+, Oct 2009) 

Premature shaking  (Paul Epstein+, July 2005) 

Rolling the dice  (Julius Selbach+, July 2005) 

Rude conduct  (Igor Schein+, Mar 2003) 

Under resigning  (Bob Newell+, Aug 2004) 

Under resigning  (Ilya Vinogradsky+, May 1994) 

When to quit  (Albert Steg, Nov 1998) 

Why I never complain about the dice  (Phil Simborg, Mar 2004) 

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