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Math of backgammon

Posted By: Rich Munitz
Date: Wednesday, 8 December 2010, at 5:15 p.m.

In Response To: Math of backgammon (Chuck Bower)

Did you mean '3-away'?

Oops, yes, 3-away. Sorry about that.

Typically one is faced with the question of the value of getting(losing) one point as compared with the value of getting(losing) 2 points. It is a truth in short match play (e.g. 7-pts or less) that the second point will be worth more than the first point in terms of match winning chances. It is a truth at all scores if you are the trailer in the match. However, that truth breaks down in one situation - getting from 5-away to 4-away is always more valuable than getting from 4-away to 3-away.

Just to complete the picture, the leader in long matches (about 13+) gains more from the first point than the second - if he leads by at least 4 points. In mid-size matches, the leader gains more from whichever point puts him at an even number of points away.

Messages In This Thread

• Math of backgammon
  Sebastiaan Kuijs -- Wednesday, 8 December 2010, at 1:04 p.m.
  • Math of backgammon
    Rich Munitz -- Wednesday, 8 December 2010, at 2:30 p.m.
    • Math of backgammon
      Chuck Bower -- Wednesday, 8 December 2010, at 3:45 p.m.
      • Math of backgammon
        Rich Munitz -- Wednesday, 8 December 2010, at 5:15 p.m.
        • Math of backgammon
          Sebastiaan Kuijs -- Thursday, 9 December 2010, at 9:02 a.m.
  • Good book for mental 'rithmetic...
    Chuck Bower -- Wednesday, 8 December 2010, at 3:50 p.m.
  • Another important book
    Chuck Bower -- Thursday, 9 December 2010, at 1:53 p.m.
    • The best book
      Bob Koca -- Thursday, 9 December 2010, at 4:21 p.m.
      • The best book
        Tom Keith -- Thursday, 9 December 2010, at 4:32 p.m.
      • The best book
        Chuck Bower -- Thursday, 9 December 2010, at 5:33 p.m.
        • The best book
          Bob Glass -- Friday, 10 December 2010, at 2:20 a.m.
  • Math of backgammon
    Kye Hedlund -- Thursday, 9 December 2010, at 6:27 p.m.
    • Math of backgammon - with tables formatted
      Kye Hedlund -- Thursday, 9 December 2010, at 6:33 p.m.
      • Math of backgammon - with tables formatted
        Stick -- Thursday, 9 December 2010, at 8:52 p.m.
        • squaring the circle
          svilo -- Friday, 10 December 2010, at 5:05 a.m.
          • squaring the circle
            Rich Munitz -- Friday, 10 December 2010, at 6:06 p.m.
            • squaring the circle
              svilo -- Friday, 10 December 2010, at 9:06 p.m.
              • squaring the circle
                Bob Koca -- Friday, 10 December 2010, at 9:17 p.m.
                • squaring the circle
                  svilo -- Friday, 10 December 2010, at 9:55 p.m.
                  • squaring the circle
                    Rich Munitz -- Saturday, 11 December 2010, at 1:21 a.m.
                    • squaring the circle
                      svilo -- Sunday, 12 December 2010, at 5:39 a.m.
                      • Squaring the ironed circle
                        Daniel Murphy -- Sunday, 12 December 2010, at 4:00 p.m.
              • squaring the circle
                Daniel Murphy -- Friday, 10 December 2010, at 11:30 p.m.
                • squaring the circle
                  svilo -- Saturday, 11 December 2010, at 7:22 a.m.
                  • squaring the circle
                    Timothy Chow -- Saturday, 11 December 2010, at 7:46 p.m.