There are several strategies. But, early on, I wouldn't really call them "game plans". You don't go into a game saying "I'm blitzing him this time", or "It's time for a prime". In BG you go where the dice take you, making the best possible moves out of your rolls. Strings of certain numbers combined with those of your opponent will eventually turn the game into a type, but if you try to force something, especially too soon, blunders lay in wait. :)
True, but there are times when you can be in a feisty mood and take a more aggressive approach. At the end of the day, it is a game based largely on chance, The really good players can understand the odds of the roll and make make better use of the stats. All said and done, I LOVE this game! I learned it over the pandemic to keep my Persian father-in-law entertained/engaged. At 94 years old, he can still clean my clock.
I feel like you could almost say that the blitz attack is the result of taking the advice "place your blots where you would like to make points" to its logical extreme.
After reading your book I was talking to someone in our local club and when I mentioned the blitz she didn't know what I was talking about. Can't wait till we start playing in person again. 😀
i play alot of bg on galaxy. the problem with "normal" and "casual" time controls is that many players have an app that they use to tell them what move to make. i would ask that the time control on "speed" setting be adjusted so that it is not so rushed and acceptable alternative to "normal." Great site and tutorials. Thank you!
@@jorginhosilva6394 i think the site must have purchased the BG program (rather than starting from scratch) because i see the same improbable rolls in galaxy happening with the same unusual frequency in the same positions as on another site I used to play on. example: how often a blot left on the 5 point of my inner board is hit with a five. it must be about 70% of the time, twice the probability. i'll start keeping track.
@@hungrymon7887 There is a certain % of players who focus on the dice and inevitably these players say the dice aren't random. I can assure you the dice generator used on the top 4 sites, Galaxy, GridGammon, BG Studio Heroes, and Safe Harbor are random. I would be joined in this by the very top players in the world as well as %95 of players who are advanced level. Start keeping track and use eXtreme Gammon or GNU to help. You will enjoy the game a lot more if you stop focusing on the dice. If you play live you see crazy, "improbable," rolls all the time. If you must focus on the dice try to remember the improbable rolls that you benefit from. If you can't shake that off this will be a miserable game for you because you will have a chronic feeling of being cheated. Stick with it and good luck!
@@hungrymon7887 From my long experience before online and since, I am sure that's simply a subjective impression. Things may happen unusually often for match after match, for weeks in a row. Then not at all. I see the same things happen with physical dice too.
I have read Magriel’s iconic book, and it’s very good. But these videos, for me, are more instructive. I’m new to BG, coming from the world of tournament chess. In chess we study the games of great players. Do BG players do this, too? If so, can you recommend a good book (or online resource)? Also, a video on how to understand the BG Galaxy game analysis, and how to use it to improve would be fantastic.
Thanks for the feedback! Much appreciated :-) Magriel's book is a classic and he was very much ahead of his time when writing it. BUT... it is also outdated on some areas. We can recommend reading From Basics to Badass as the first book and then move onto Backgammon Pure Strategy and then Cube Like a Boss :-) All available on Amazon.
@@BackgammonGalaxy A video on how to interpret & use the feedback & stats from BG Galaxy would be incredibly helpful. The stats can be puzzling, and the terminology isn’t always clear (is “Advanced” better than “Experienced” for instance?).
Nice explanation! How much of a difference would it make to the blitz attack strategy if no doubling cube is used (i.e. if playing standard tabla / tavla)? Probably you won't be getting the same equity from the decision given you wouldn't win any points from other player's narrow cube passes (as there won't be such due to lack of cube)?
@@jackcarpenters3759 Thank you for the idea! Because there are some close calls, I'd like to hear Marc Olsen's ideas and explanations regarding the moves :)
Hello marc.. i want to ask if theres any online backgammon tournaments.. ive been playing since i was 10 years old, thats about 13 years and i think im good enough to play in big tournaments, but the thing is that i live in syria and here there is no such thing and i cant really travel to play my favourite game. Thank you for the videos and im hoping to hear from you soon😁
Hej Marc , jeg vil bare sig , mange TAK for den fantastik videoer og info om game strategier i backgammon, jeg håber at du vil snart bliver nr et i verdens grandmaster list, 😁, du er alligevel nr 1 i min liste 😄, rigtige goddag.
I kinda hate blitzing. At least the cube helps adding more pressure on the opponent when blitzing, and hupefuly he passes. I think blitzing fails too often, and then your game is f..ed up 😂
Guys, absolutely love BG and I've learnt more from Marc in the last month about backgammon than I have in the 30 odd years I've been playing it, haha. Could Marc do a video all about Equity? He speaks about it a lot. And I'd love to understand more about it, why sometimes you can win a game with high error rate, sometimes you lose with with low, how to notice when the equity swings one way or another. Perhaps it's too abstract, haha. Would be cool anyway. :)
Hi Dominic! Thank you so much. Good idea with "Equity". It's not so abstract, it's more mathematical (therefore a bit boring). But it's an essential element to backgammon, since "Equity" is the metric to evaluate the value of a backgammon position, and thereby decide which move is better.
@@BackgammonGalaxy sounds great guys! There you go, I didn't even realise, haha. I'm still working on many fundamentals but would love to nerd out on a some of the more in-depth stuff.
you roll your dices and then decide you don't like the outcome and do it again? Why don't you just lay the dices the way u like them in the first place. However, rolling the dices has a random outcome, so better deal with it. anyway, your sample roll lay out is to boot green out and minimize his chances to come in again by 50%. .
Such a simple thing Marc, but thanks for saying "she" for the green player. Every video I've watched has always referred to the players only as "he," and it's nice to see people acknowledging that though there aren't as many of us, there are plenty of woman players! Great video as usual! Look forward to more :)
Hey Marc, seeing all these boards presented by you in your examples, I wonder if you have a guide for buying them? Are bright color combinations tiring for the eyes and will foam padding under the outside of the leather suitcase go flat after some time or is it advisable? Thanks so much, Boris
You should checkout Justin McKenna's channel here on UA-cam. He made reviews on a lot of boards and he is always answering questions. For this specific board, Marc made a video where he shows that you can change the colors of the interior (it's a patented technology from the manufacturer). And it has a wooden casing.
Hi, Marc here. Backgammon board colors are subjective. My preferences are: - the background color must be a bright color and not dark or black. - i prefer two-tone-color schemes, rather than the old style three-tone-colors. (like the galaxy boards: neptune and earth board). - the dimensions must be like the Galaxy board (short in the height, long in the width). - checkers must be at least 44mm wide, big checkers = luxury feel.
@@fvizeus Hi Fernando, only just saw your message after I was notified that Marc had answered. I already thought about writing Justin. Might do that, too. But thanks so much for the tip.
hi marc , i love backgammon galaxy but the software is so bad : - you start a game and the oponent stall and doesnt make a move until the end of the clock and he wins with a PR of 60... - youre about to win a game and suddenly the server freezes and you loose by a - 30 PR....etc love the content , love the spirit but you have to do something about those scenarios, its just not playable regards
Hi. This is most likely an issue in your end as practically none of our users experience this. Perhaps you have an outdated browser or maybe you're running multiple instances of galaxy at the same time on the same or different devices. Lastly this can be caused by outages on you connection. Kind regards.
@@jorginhosilva6394 The dice rolls are generated using a standard random number generator. Typically less experienced players will always blame the dice for their losses. This is unfortunate for them, as their time is much better spent trying to improve their game. Once you place your checkers more efficiently, you also start to "magically" get good dice ;-)
Es scheint dir nur so weil du Backgammon nicht gut verstehst. Das ist nicht nur meine Meinung, sondern die Meinung der 100 (mindestens) besten Spieler der Welt.
What I enjoy is relearning something I already knew but restated with a simple clarity that evades me. You have a gift, Marc.
OMG the blitz from a coworker broke me years ago. I was finished every day at lunch before the fat-boy's Hot-Pocket was done in the microwave.
There are several strategies. But, early on, I wouldn't really call them "game plans". You don't go into a game saying "I'm blitzing him this time", or "It's time for a prime". In BG you go where the dice take you, making the best possible moves out of your rolls. Strings of certain numbers combined with those of your opponent will eventually turn the game into a type, but if you try to force something, especially too soon, blunders lay in wait. :)
Well said. You made a sound counter argument to his logic.
True, but there are times when you can be in a feisty mood and take a more aggressive approach. At the end of the day, it is a game based largely on chance, The really good players can understand the odds of the roll and make make better use of the stats. All said and done, I LOVE this game! I learned it over the pandemic to keep my Persian father-in-law entertained/engaged. At 94 years old, he can still clean my clock.
I think he was just explaining how to identify game states, after the point where the dice steer your strategy into a certain “plan”.
The bots like to blitz, while I react to the throw of the dice. great video!
The sounds this board makes are so satisfying!
yes agree !
@@jimbosaul3996 We also agree :-D
So true. I want that board!
Can I have it?
yes!! sell your car...@@mr.rogers7612
I feel like you could almost say that the blitz attack is the result of taking the advice "place your blots where you would like to make points" to its logical extreme.
Love these videos Marc, I learn so much!
Awesome, thank you!
Best comparison of blitz vs. prime. Marc's simple explanation of backgammon is impressive. Well-done. Thanks!
Glad you liked it!
Marc. You rock. Thanks so much.
such a great teacher! thnx MArc you're doing so much for the BG community !
We appreciate that Jimbo!
Brilliant information. Cheers
After reading your book I was talking to someone in our local club and when I mentioned the blitz she didn't know what I was talking about. Can't wait till we start playing in person again. 😀
high stakes! until you realize she knows the blitz but calls it the attacking game. hmm... :-)
Please keep posting videos. You explain concepts very well.
"Hit loose with a deuce!" :-)
loosey deucey !!
Great!!!
TSM!!!!
I like your bg board. I do not like black checkers, the color must be uniform.
i play alot of bg on galaxy. the problem with "normal" and "casual" time controls is that many players have an app that they use to tell them what move to make. i would ask that the time control on "speed" setting be adjusted so that it is not so rushed and acceptable alternative to "normal." Great site and tutorials. Thank you!
@@jorginhosilva6394 i think the site must have purchased the BG program (rather than starting from scratch) because i see the same improbable rolls in galaxy happening with the same unusual frequency in the same positions as on another site I used to play on. example: how often a blot left on the 5 point of my inner board is hit with a five. it must be about 70% of the time, twice the probability. i'll start keeping track.
@@hungrymon7887 There is a certain % of players who focus on the dice and inevitably these players say the dice aren't random. I can assure you the dice generator used on the top 4 sites, Galaxy, GridGammon, BG Studio Heroes, and Safe Harbor are random. I would be joined in this by the very top players in the world as well as %95 of players who are advanced level. Start keeping track and use eXtreme Gammon or GNU to help. You will enjoy the game a lot more if you stop focusing on the dice. If you play live you see crazy, "improbable," rolls all the time. If you must focus on the dice try to remember the improbable rolls that you benefit from. If you can't shake that off this will be a miserable game for you because you will have a chronic feeling of being cheated. Stick with it and good luck!
@@hungrymon7887 From my long experience before online and since, I am sure that's simply a subjective impression. Things may happen unusually often for match after match, for weeks in a row. Then not at all. I see the same things happen with physical dice too.
I have read Magriel’s iconic book, and it’s very good. But these videos, for me, are more instructive.
I’m new to BG, coming from the world of tournament chess. In chess we study the games of great players. Do BG players do this, too? If so, can you recommend a good book (or online resource)?
Also, a video on how to understand the BG Galaxy game analysis, and how to use it to improve would be fantastic.
Thanks for the feedback! Much appreciated :-) Magriel's book is a classic and he was very much ahead of his time when writing it. BUT... it is also outdated on some areas. We can recommend reading From Basics to Badass as the first book and then move onto Backgammon Pure Strategy and then Cube Like a Boss :-) All available on Amazon.
@@BackgammonGalaxy A video on how to interpret & use the feedback & stats from BG Galaxy would be incredibly helpful. The stats can be puzzling, and the terminology isn’t always clear (is “Advanced” better than “Experienced” for instance?).
👍Love it😊🎲🎲💰👊
Thanks Marc. Love your videos.
Glad you like them!
Extremely helpful. As a new player, I find this demonstration helps me understand how you can play different paths to victory.
Excellent stuff!
Glad you liked it!
"Hit loose with da duce"
Det mest åndsvageste spil, hvad går det ud på? Vi har prøvet det flere gange, det ender med hat og briller?
Love these bite size lessons! Studying blitz at the moment this will help greatly 🎲🎲🎲
Great to hear! Keep up the good work!
Another great video, thank you. Would love some help with bearing off strategies, if there are any. Mange tak.
Nice explanation! How much of a difference would it make to the blitz attack strategy if no doubling cube is used (i.e. if playing standard tabla / tavla)? Probably you won't be getting the same equity from the decision given you wouldn't win any points from other player's narrow cube passes (as there won't be such due to lack of cube)?
Good Video, as always :)
Could you also make a video about the opening moves for every possible dice combination?
they are on wikipedia. but many are close calls, so you can choose your own preffered style.
@@jackcarpenters3759 Thank you for the idea! Because there are some close calls, I'd like to hear Marc Olsen's ideas and explanations regarding the moves :)
@@sanji99ijnas Get his book "From Basics to Badass". They are explained in detail.
shop.backgammongalaxy.com/collections/deluxe-posters/products/your-first-move-in-1-point-matches
Hello marc.. i want to ask if theres any online backgammon tournaments.. ive been playing since i was 10 years old, thats about 13 years and i think im good enough to play in big tournaments, but the thing is that i live in syria and here there is no such thing and i cant really travel to play my favourite game.
Thank you for the videos and im hoping to hear from you soon😁
Hej Marc , jeg vil bare sig , mange TAK for den fantastik videoer og info om game strategier i backgammon, jeg håber at du vil snart bliver nr et i verdens grandmaster list, 😁, du er alligevel nr 1 i min liste 😄, rigtige goddag.
Thank you. Your videos are very informative. Love the board... can't afford it so I'll just look at it.
I kinda hate blitzing.
At least the cube helps adding more pressure on the opponent when blitzing, and hupefuly he passes.
I think blitzing fails too often, and then your game is f..ed up 😂
Wow, thank you!
Guys, absolutely love BG and I've learnt more from Marc in the last month about backgammon than I have in the 30 odd years I've been playing it, haha.
Could Marc do a video all about Equity? He speaks about it a lot. And I'd love to understand more about it, why sometimes you can win a game with high error rate, sometimes you lose with with low, how to notice when the equity swings one way or another. Perhaps it's too abstract, haha. Would be cool anyway. :)
Hi Dominic! Thank you so much. Good idea with "Equity". It's not so abstract, it's more mathematical (therefore a bit boring). But it's an essential element to backgammon, since "Equity" is the metric to evaluate the value of a backgammon position, and thereby decide which move is better.
@@BackgammonGalaxy sounds great guys! There you go, I didn't even realise, haha. I'm still working on many fundamentals but would love to nerd out on a some of the more in-depth stuff.
what's remained unsolved by the end of the video is whether the green player is actually "he" or "she"
Lol, true!
you roll your dices and then decide you don't like the outcome and do it again? Why don't you just lay the dices the way u like them in the first place. However, rolling the dices has a random outcome, so better deal with it.
anyway, your sample roll lay out is to boot green out and minimize his chances to come in again by 50%. .
What do you mean 9 is not allowed?🤔
Such a simple thing Marc, but thanks for saying "she" for the green player. Every video I've watched has always referred to the players only as "he," and it's nice to see people acknowledging that though there aren't as many of us, there are plenty of woman players! Great video as usual! Look forward to more :)
Does anyone know how to download your games data? Help, I want to upload it to EG Gammon.
Thanks for the lesson. Really informative!
Glad you enjoyed it!
If my opponent makes an illegal move and I don’t spot it, is that move then allowed ?
Idk. But online, illegal moves can’t happen
Good stuff! Keep it up!
Thanks, will do!
Hey Marc,
seeing all these boards presented by you in your examples, I wonder if you have a guide for buying them?
Are bright color combinations tiring for the eyes and will foam padding under the outside of the leather suitcase go flat after some time or is it advisable?
Thanks so much,
Boris
You should checkout Justin McKenna's channel here on UA-cam. He made reviews on a lot of boards and he is always answering questions.
For this specific board, Marc made a video where he shows that you can change the colors of the interior (it's a patented technology from the manufacturer). And it has a wooden casing.
Hi, Marc here. Backgammon board colors are subjective. My preferences are:
- the background color must be a bright color and not dark or black.
- i prefer two-tone-color schemes, rather than the old style three-tone-colors. (like the galaxy boards: neptune and earth board).
- the dimensions must be like the Galaxy board (short in the height, long in the width).
- checkers must be at least 44mm wide, big checkers = luxury feel.
@@fvizeus Hi Fernando,
only just saw your message after I was notified that Marc had answered. I already thought about writing Justin. Might do that, too.
But thanks so much for the tip.
@@BackgammonGalaxy Hi Marc,
thanks so much for answering. I will take your tips into consideration and probably opt for a FTH board.
the earth board is out of this world wonderful
It is really beautiful and cool! And also a pleasure to play on!
@@BackgammonGalaxy it’s galactic ;)
I’m living in Iran, How can I buy this beautiful backgammon 😍🥺
This is the Earth Board. Smuggling it to Iran might be difficult ☺️
Hi, does anyone know a channel like this for Nine Men's Morris/Mills? Or any good channel for it?
oder wie mein Mentor sagte Backgammon kommt gleich nach dem klauen
hi marc , i love backgammon galaxy but the software is so bad :
- you start a game and the oponent stall and doesnt make a move until the end of the clock and he wins with a PR of 60...
- youre about to win a game and suddenly the server freezes and you loose by a - 30 PR....etc
love the content , love the spirit but you have to do something about those scenarios, its just not playable
regards
Hi. This is most likely an issue in your end as practically none of our users experience this. Perhaps you have an outdated browser or maybe you're running multiple instances of galaxy at the same time on the same or different devices. Lastly this can be caused by outages on you connection. Kind regards.
@@jorginhosilva6394 The dice rolls are generated using a standard random number generator. Typically less experienced players will always blame the dice for their losses. This is unfortunate for them, as their time is much better spent trying to improve their game. Once you place your checkers more efficiently, you also start to "magically" get good dice ;-)
deine backgammongalaxy seite ist getürkt finger weg dort
Es scheint dir nur so weil du Backgammon nicht gut verstehst. Das ist nicht nur meine Meinung, sondern die Meinung der 100 (mindestens) besten Spieler der Welt.