I've been around the poker world for some years now, and for a long time, I've been thinking about starting to play backgammon. So far, I only know the rules (and not till perfection).

I just saw, that there will be a BG-tournament at my school next week, so I thought this would be the perfect time for me to start learning to play this game - even though I know you can't get good at it in just a week.

But therefore I ask you - where's to start? Basically I'm looking for the beginner's guide, and I'm open to any help I can get.

Thanks in advance

Pretty much all of Bill Robertie's books are top notch. He has two books available at Amazon that are aimed at beginning players --

Backgammon For Winners
Backgammon for Serious Players

Once you get beyond the basics 501 Essential Backgammon Problems is, well, essential. You can also learn a lot by reviewing the problems of the week here on this site -- you could consider it basically a free book.

Bill's more advanced books (the 2 vol. Advanced Backgammon and Modern Backgammon) are also considered some of the best books available. However, I'd hold off on these books for a while.

Here's what I recommended in a similar thread:

You should pick up a copy of Robertie's introductory work or the one by Chris Bray. Both are excellent for beginners and very inexpensive (around $10 on Amazon). Tom Keith's web site contains a large number of backgammon articles that you can read for free.

Backgammon for Winners
by Bill Robertie
http://www.thegammonpress.com/bill-r...s.html#winners
http://www.amazon.com/Backgammon-Win.../dp/1580420435

Backgammon For Dummies
by Chris Bray
http://books.google.com/books?id=0So...page&q&f=false
http://www.amazon.com/Backgammon-Dum.../dp/0470770856

Backgammon Galore!
http://www.bkgm.com/

See the full thread at:
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/13...begins-995739/

Here's an easy way to find all the problems:

1. On the main Backgammon Forum screen, click "Search this Forum," and then "Advanced Search" on the drop-down menu.
   
   
2. In the "Search by Keyword" text box, enter the word "Solution"
   
   
3. Click the triangle next to the words "Search Entire Posts." When the drop-down list opens, click "Search Titles Only."
   
   
4. In the "Search by User Name" text box, enter "Robertie"
   
   
5. Click "Search Now" near the bottom.

For your trouble, you get a listing of all of the Problem-of-the-Week Solutions, and nothing else!

Backgammon Boot Camp by Trice

Thank you very much guys.

I decided that I'll buy Bill Robertie's Backgammon for Winners, and while I wait for that to arrive, I'll buy Backgammon for Dummies by Chris Bray for Kindle and read the articles @ Backgammon Galore!

If you haven't done so already download the free gnu BG backgammon software to play against with tutor mode on.

http://www.gnubg.org/

You'll need to read up first obviously to gain some beginner knowledge.

IB

I'm also a big fan of GnuBG, but if you're just starting out it is going to trounce you, which may be a little disheartening. If you have MS Windows they have an online backgammon game, and if you follow the advice in the books you bought then you should start beating the MS Windows game pretty quickly -- even against "expert" players. (At this point you should start thinking you're pretty good, and try playing GnuBG, where you realize you're not as good as you thought. )

Thanks guys. I'll def download GnuBG, but not before I've some of the basic strategies going. That will be the best way, as I understand it :-)

For a competition next week you can pretty much scratch everything said, all of it is great stuff but to absorb in a week....forget it.


Basic ideas in backgammon (forgive me if some of this is too basic for you):


-If you have a number on the dice that's two apart, say 3-5, look for spots where you checkers are two apart. they can make a point on an open spot.

-Inner board points have more value than outer board points, so if you have a choice between making an inner or an outer, the inner is most likely better.

-try to look at ALL the available plays, you roll a 5, look at every legal five you can play. find all the combo plays, you roll a 3-6, look at ALL the available and legal 3's, 6's and 9's.

-if you leave a shot, try to have a checker within six away to cover.

-See if your opponent has any exposed blots, see if you CAN hit then decide if you SHOULD hit.

-Hitting is almost always right. if you have a choice to hit two different pips, all things being equal, hit the one that's closest to it home base.



I don't know how well you play already and there's exceptions for every rule. Practicing with gnu is going to help out a lot in the long run. backgammon is a game that requires experience and pattern recognition. Hope this is helpful, perhaps some of the other regulars can chime in with some other basic concepts. Good luck in the tournament.

Oh and most importantly...
Please don't post asking whether XYZ software cheats

Cause it obviously does.

To the op, eXtreme Gammon > GNUBG. XG only costs $50.

If you want to learn how games really go, and you're using Gnu, I HIGHLY recommend setting the game to manual dice.

Of course I'm not insinuating that Gnu cheats. Around here that's considered being a bad sport and blaming your terrible play on Gnu. But I find my luck drastically improves when I use manual dice. That, of course, can be attributed to my playing better with manual dice, or more probably to magic.

Once again, thank you very much for the advice guys.

I've played a lot since I started the topic, but I haven't bought a book yet, instead I read through some articles on BG Galore!

I played the first match of the mentioned tournament today and won 2-1 in parties, even though I think I was a bit lucky, so I definitely have to study. I will be ordering one of Bill Robertie's book in a amount of time.

I was just going to mention that if you do use gnubackgammon, or anyother program to practice with, I think it is a good idea to start with 1 point matches.
Rather than trying to learn to move your checkers correctly and use the doubling cube at the same time, it is better to break it into parts. Learn proper checker play first and then add the cube later.

This is, frankly, bad advice. Proper checker play is completely different playing DMP-style vs anything else. The best place to start is simple money play

The best of both worlds: you practice without the doubling cube, but you still count 2 pts for a gammon and 3 for a backgammon, therefore you don't alter much your checker play strategy for play money (assuming gammons are activated).

I think you are forgetting that the OP said he was a beginner. I did not say he should spend years playing without the cube. Just at the start. It is often better when learning something to break it down into parts. After 30 or so games against the computer he can bring the cube in. Either money play or match.
That is against the computer of course. Because I hope you are not suggesting that a complete beginner should play for money

I'll start at the end...no, of course not, I'm suggesting money play vs the computer! Second of all, cube and checker play are not just "parts" that you can break the game down into and try to learn one and then the other. They operate together, with one influencing the other. It would be like telling someone who's learning poker to start by confining all play to preflop (or predraw or third street or whathaveyou) or telling someone who's learning chess to first learn to use the pawns then the knights then the bishops etc. It just won't be effective.

That is not a good example. In play money, it will happen on a few occasions that your checker play will depend whether the cube is centered or not, or you will have to make a play in order to refrain your opponent to send you the cube for instance, but most of the time, your checker play will be fairly independant from the cube.

It might not be the best example but I think his point is sound. Practicing DMP is not your best option, even as a beginner. I say step it up and make sure you're using Jacoby as well, almost no one plays real cash games without it.

bill robertie's web site is http://www.thegammonpress.com

you can buy many backgammon books there, not only the books bill wrote. the site also offers equipment, etc.

sorry, im not beginner so my question is not for this thread, but maybe some informed player could help me.
ive read somewhere that Paul Magriel and Gus Hansen will write a book about backgammon. is it true, or it was just a plan?
it would be a very interesting book i bet.

Buy a one year subscription of gammonvillage. You will have a ton of material to work through for 50 $. Buy Extreme Gammon for 50 $. Be reluctant with material from the prebot area, perhaps even with material from the last century, exept "New ideas in Backgammon" from Woolsey and Heinrich. Their process of getting the problems and the analysis is still great.
With Dueller software, you can watch bots playing against each other. It is like watching good players. Try to master cash game first. Unless you haven't reach an PR (performance rating) of 5.0, don't turn to match game.
Play against a bot. Look at your faults. First, try to eliminate the big errors. Try to build a database with names for your files.
You can play on FIBS for free against real players.
To get good, you need minimum 3-4 years of hard work. Ed O'Laughlin stopped playing backgammon in the nineties for several years to rebuild his play with the help of the bots. If you are a good poker player, you will see, that some concepts are very familiar.

Hey guys, sorry that I haven't updated this thread properly. I read through all the suggestions very thoroughly and I gotta say, that I appreciate it a lot! However, I didn't get to read as much as I hoped to. I looked at some books, but never bought them. I ended up reading some articles at GammonGalore and playing a lot with some of my friends. I came 4th in the school tournament, so that was definitely better than I expected.

The next school tournament is the weeks away and already lots and lots of people has signed up, so I'm really stoked for this one. I finally bought Chris Brays Backgammon for Dummies for my iPad, so I hope I can get it read before the tournament. Also I hope, I can manage to read some more articles and get some games in before.

@highonefive

Thanks for the suggest. As I read it, Gammonvillage is like a DC or am I mistaken. Anyway, I can't seem to find, can you or someone hook me up with a link?

One again, to all of you, thank you very much for helping get started.