Pool and Poker have shared a similar recent history. Back in the 70's and 80's I was playing a ton of Pool with some Poker and Backgammon mixed in. Then we had the "Color of Money" effect, which was to Pool what the "Moneymaker Effect" was to Poker. There was this HUGE popularization of Pool. Trendy pool halls sprouted like weeds. Prior to that movie, pool, especially pool for money, was a bit "shady" to the mainstream. Now every yuppie was buying a Joss cue and heading out to their local joint to shot a few racks. Many more Pool related movies followed along with tons of ESPN coverage. For people already up the skill curve it was great to see the new blood.

That trend sort of lost steam and as it declined Poker started gaining popularity - and shot into overdrive with Moneymaker. In a similar fashion Poker became much more mainstream. Poker sites, as well as B&M options sprouted like the pool halls did a decade or so earlier - heck, in many instances they have literally taken root in or replaced the pool halls. And again, those already established in the game benefited from the new larger pool of less experienced players.

My question is this: anyone believe that Backgammon could one day be popularized by a trendy movie or high profile big money winner?

I don't know if there is as much of a mystique and dark side allure associated with Backgammon like there was with Pool and Poker - thus the "sexiness" might not apply.

Thoughts?

I don't think so but I really hope so.

It already happened once in my lifetime. Starting in the late 1960s and extending through the early 80s, backgammon was the hot game, with plenty of tournaments, articles about the phenomenon in newspapers and magazines, and plenty of high-stakes cash games in fancy clubs. If you wanted to gamble at a hot, trendy game, backgammon was it.

In the late 80's it was easier for me to find a good cash Backgammon Game than Poker. While Poker was easily the more popular game in terms of sheer number of people who played - most Poker games were very low stakes and often "closed" to outsiders. You had to really know someone to get an invite and they often suffered from not being able to get enough confirmed Players. There were certainly underground rooms in places like NYC, but I was not that deep into the scene to find them. Backgammon being a head's-up contest means only having to coordinate 2 schedules. Also, in NYC you could play at underground Backgammon rooms or even at the games in a number of parks during the Summer.

I am planning on introducing Backgammon to my Poker friends. Perhaps setting up a board prominently in the same room while we play Poker.

If any big-money backgammon pros want to fund a movie attempting to be what Rounders was for poker, let me know. I'm pretty sure I could write and shoot one. Distribution might be a PITA though.

Tapirboy,

What is your experience with writing and shooting movies?

Just wondering, I have no money to invest anyway, but I was just wondering.


Thing with a backgammonmovie though is, I cannot imagine an exciting movie about backgammon. But who am I, who knows, maybe back then i couldn't imagine a exciting movie about pool billiards.

That was a ways from serious. I'm just a guy with some good gear and a lot of free time.

Just get the Script for Rounders and change-all "Poker" to "Backgammon"

All 4 it, Tapir.
so long as there are no badugi subplots

+1

dont have anough gambling in it to happen, so it wont happen

Apparently, Bridge is the latest phenomenon to hit the skill game world. I must admit I dont know much about the game but my grandmother used to play with her friends and it seems like a pretty good game.

I don't think that there will be a real revival in Backgammon. Someone in this forum already suggested that this was because it takes less time for the fish to realise that they are at a massive disadvantage.

I hope it does though

Let's hope so, i feel like backgammon's underrated these days, but i might get it wrong.