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BGonline.org Forums
help
Posted By: Phil Simborg In Response To: help (castaway)
Date: Saturday, 22 December 2012, at 5:05 a.m.
You have been given excellent advice by the other responders, but I will tell you that you have asked for something EVERYONE would like to have. All the bots will tell you "what" but none tell you "why?" Books, articles, mentors, teachers will help give you concepts to figure out why one play or cube action is better than another, and once you learn those basic concepts, you can often figure out, after you see the numbers, why one decision is better than another. But often, the answers are too complex for even the most experienced players.
FWIW I have been working on a program that does just what you want. You click on the move and you not only find out what is the right play, but you are provided with some of the reasons why, both in writing or in a recorded voice. Of course, this can only be done for the first 2 to 3 rolls of the game, as the potential number of positions becomes far too great, however, when you hear the logic as to why you would hit rather than make a point, or why you would split rather than slot, you begin to learn the reasoning behind the decisions and you will be better armed to apply those same concepts to plays later in the game.
The program I am working on, unfortunately, will not be available commercially for at least 1 to 2 years, but when it finally comes out, I think you, and others, will see it's value as a learning tool.
Why am I not afraid to let the cat out of the bag and let people know I am working on this? Because I am not afraid of competition...it is a tremendous amount of work and the market for backgammon products that truly teach people is not large enough to attract a lot of people...e.g. you can't sell enough of these products for enough money to get rich...it's mostly a labor of love. If someone wants to beat me to the punch and market something like this, I would be delighted to see it.
Just know that your wish to have answers is universal, and in time, with the technology and computer speeds and memory increasing, you will be able to buy what you are looking for at a reasonable price. In the meantime, THE FASTEST and possibly the best way to find out the "why" is find a good teacher or mentor who can give you the building blocks to do this on your own.
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