Quote:
Originally Posted by cashedout
How vicious is the on-line rake? I took a quick look at some site reviews, and got the impression 10% was standard as the juice for both players comes out of the per game winnings. I don't think it takes too long with backgammon as opposed to poker, for rookies to get proficient enough to make it unlikely a skilled player can overcome such a rake.
I love backgammon, and I think it can be a lot of fun to play, especially live. So I really hate to **** all over my own parade here. Avid players and noobs alike can deny it all they want, but making a living playing bg is pretty much out of the question for virtually everyone, at least for now while there's not too much interest in bg in Western society. If you want to make a real living playing backgammon, you have to be really, really, really good. You have to be almost as good as big name players like Simborg/Magriel/Robertie to be really competitive in big money tournaments or in casual big money games. I've heard that those pros make good money ~50/hr playing online but to be that good you pretty much need like a PhD in backgammon.
Online rake is SOO, SOOO outrageously high. It goes anywhere from 10-25% per game played, which means you have to be a LOT better than your opponent, or just lucky, to ever come out ahead. That or you just have to win freerolls consistently, which is pretty impossible and even that combined with winning cash games wouldn't be much to write home about.
Still, that doesn't mean it's impossible to live off of backgammon. You just gotta think outside the box. Maybe you can't do it in America, but go over to Israel or Turkey where people play in the streets like 24/7 and throw some Shekels/Lira around if you're good. I doubt most people there know anything about GNUBG or Snowie and stuff like that. You could probably supplement whatever actual work you can find and live just traveling around in the middle east doing whatever for money and playing bg on the side. You would have a lot of fun and lead a life that no one here in America has ever seen, and you'd definitely have a lot to write home about.
But for everyone here who isn't crazy and wants to keep living a normal sedentary lazy Western lifestyle, just play your friends/family/coworkers for fun. If you live in a big city and you're a good player, try to find a good bg club where people play for good sums of money. I hear there's plenty of that in Chicago at least.
Keep throwin' them rolls, peace.
N_T