Re: New idea for those who don't like the luck variation or...

Rich must have hurt himself by banging his head into a seem between
two pieces of rubber padding, so I won't address those comments - it's
best not to encourage the ravings of a madman, after all.

Now, on to the issue at hand. I post here because I am hoping that at
least some sites will try some new ideas. Some of these ideas, if
implemented, would result in me playing at the site more often than I
do now. Currently, I usually play more matches against GNUBG than I
do against humans on the pay sites.

The issue of sites manipulating dice is not relevant here, unless the
person believes that there is dice manipulation, which I do not. As
I've said many times in the past (though the madmen here are incapable
of understanding it) is that I fear the possibility of it, and I keep
an open mind to it. "Rich" himself has posted that at least one site
uses "bots" to play in tournaments, for example. I have never made
such a strong claim, but have talked in terms of impressions. After
comparing a large number of 9 point matches (against humans on pay
sites and against GNUBG), I now think that the problem has to do with
too many matches being decided by lopsided luck (again, this is my
impression). Thus, the intelligent thing to do is to minimize this,
and see if it makes the game more enjoyable (at least to those who
like 9 pt. matches). My idea is one example of how to do this.

The claim that it would be too boring to have "chopped" matches is
ridiculous in light of the many drawn games played between top
grandmasters, which the public enjoys viewing much more than
backgammon matches. Yes, there are some "gamblers" who enjoy the
incredible runs of luck, and this has nothing to do with them. They
can keep their "thrills." Rather, my idea is for those who want to
minimize luck, and make backgammon more like chess, but with a bit of
luck to keep it "fun." Otherwise, backgammon is like chess in terms
of needing to know a great deal, but more like a coin flip in terms of
the results (if the two players are not that far apart in skill
levels).

Just like when I posted about "skill rate backgammon," a few of the
"rubber room boys" coming bouncing out, using curse words, making
claims that only a psychiatric professional who actually examined the
person in question could, etc. Why? They seem to have a very low
threshold for change, and it almost seems to border on a kind of
paranoia (but I'll leave that to the professionals). If it gets more
people into the game, where is the harm? It's not like these
suggestions will make luck more of a factor, which I would suggest is
a bad idea because luck is already a huge factor. It only takes a few
minutes (or less) for the site to have Snowie (or GNUBG) analyze the
match, and then the statistics for the match could be provided to the
players, which would save players like myself time, since I do it
myself afterwards anyway. I've criticized GNUBG's luck analysis
before, but because I've seen how much luck is involved, I'd much
rather accept it than keep playing 9 pt. matches, of which perhaps 70%
are decided by luck.

So gamblers, there is no need to jump off a local bridge or tall
building. You will always be able to use up much of your life with
near coin flip results - nobody wants to take that away from you. Why
you want to prevent others from playing a more skill oriented format
for backgammon (which, for the time being, is only practical for
online play) is the only really interesting question at this point,
and it's not a backgammon question, but a psychological or psycho-
social one.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: New idea for those who dont like the luck variation or...
    ... Backgammon is more fun (due in part to luck, ... Backgammon is quicker (or in the case of speed chess, one can play ...
    (rec.games.backgammon)
  • Re: New idea for those who dont like the luck variation or...
    ... Backgammon is more fun (due in part to luck, ... Backgammon is quicker (or in the case of speed chess, ... is to look at the money generated by chess as opposed to backgammon. ...
    (rec.games.backgammon)
  • Re: New idea for those who dont like the luck variation or...
    ... two pieces of rubber padding, so I won't address those comments - it's ... backgammon matches. ... incredible runs of luck, and this has nothing to do with them. ... Just like when I posted about "skill rate backgammon," a few of the ...
    (rec.games.backgammon)
  • Re: New idea for those who dont like the luck variation or...
    ... backgammon matches. ... incredible runs of luck, and this has nothing to do with them. ... Just like when I posted about "skill rate backgammon," a few of the ... players, which would save players like myself time, since I do it ...
    (rec.games.backgammon)
  • Re: Is online backgammon for money now "dead" ?
    ... due to the luck combined with the terrible rakes. ... noone can change that without cheating it's a system immanent characteristic of the ruleset called backgammon. ... Or play a game that's more suited for your personal preferences... ... my suggestion on that part is to push the battle for lower rakes by comparing and publishing rakes, total costs and the conditions on the sites... ...
    (rec.games.backgammon)
Loading