                        | |||
| 63S-53P-62 | |||
| Position ID: jGfwATDgc+JBIA Match ID: cAkLAAAAAAAE | |||
Why Not Make the 4pt?
- You roll an awkward 6. Slotting one bar point or the other is sometimes your only choice.
- Against an opponent’s budding prime, you slot the 18pt. This has two purposes: a. You force your opponent to hit outside rather than pointing inside, and b. If you are not hit, you may anchor there and defeat his prime.
In both cases, note that you don’t like leaving 24 shots (or more) on the bar point. It is just that there is nothing better. Note also that neither of these circumstances exist in 63S-53P-62.
Far from being awkward, you have a perfectly reasonable 6 that makes an advanced anchor. And since you can make the 18pt, there is no need to leave a blot there just to force the action.
What it comes down to is that owning the 4pt is not worth being hit two thirds of the time. As Igor points out, this is especially true at a time when your opponent is tending toward an attacking game plan. Owning the 18pt, a valuable point in its own right, and risking only 7 shots is a much better deal.
There are a couple of technical details worth noting as well. Compared to splitting with a 6 on the opening roll, being hit here is worse in two ways: 1. The chance of fanning is 1 in 9 instead of 1 in 36, and 2. From the bar, rolls of 22 and 33 do not hit back.
BTW: I made a -n rollout (no Jacoby and no beavers) of this and 63S-31P-62 as well. What is your play in the latter position?
In case you are making a money rollout (Jacoby and beavers), I’ll post my rollouts after you post.
Mike