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BGonline.org Forums
Jacoby Rule Brainteaser
Posted By: Phil Simborg In Response To: Jacoby Rule Brainteaser (Timothy Chow)
Date: Saturday, 22 December 2012, at 5:23 a.m.
I know Bob's intent was to apply the Jacoby Rule to a given match score, and I think that is a fascinating concept. What if the Jacoby rule applied to every match score? I am not about to argue that it improves or hurts the game, but clearly, it changes the game significantly.
Relative to money play, however, there are many who believe the Jacoby Rule is not a good one. Most of us who are used to it like it simply because it does serve the intended purpose...it moves the chouette or money game along faster and doesn't allow the game to drag on when the cube is only on 1 and it isn't that important compared to the rest of the games we are playing during the session.
But from a purely intellectual standpoint, eliminating the Jacoby rule would make the game more complex and would change many games and make them last longer. One thing that strikes me, however, is that because there would be more complexity, the Jacoby rule would tend to hurt the poorer players...they would be less adept at knowing when to play on and when they are too good, and they might make more checker errors going for the gammon or avoiding gammons when it is far too soon to shift to that mode. It is for that reason that I favor keeping the Jacoby Rule, as anything that makes the game even harder for the poorer player in the money game is bad...he already has too great a disadvantage.
Why? Because backgammon is not handicapped. A 9.0 player has to play a 7.0 player without getting any handicap for his lower skill. If her were bowling or playing golf he would get some compensation for the difference, but in backgammon he is an underdog the second he sits down.
Why isn't there a handicap system in backgammon? First, because we really don't have an absolute, sure rating system. Second, because the dice fool enough people to think that they can hold their own against better players, and as long as they keep coming back, the better players are happy to keep taking their money. But eventually, the fish realize whether they are the shark or the bait, and they swim to a smaller pond. So rules that keep the game more level, like the Jacoby Rule, like equal action on the cube (instead of picking on the weaker player to double or to take), and like consulting, so that the weaker player at least gets some help after the cube is turned, are all things that I favor.
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