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BGonline.org Forums
Meyer Dice Tube VIDEO, Randomness & Cheating -- My Turn to Rant an Opinion
Posted By: Henrik Bukkjaer In Response To: Meyer Dice Tube VIDEO, Randomness & Cheating -- My Turn to Rant an Opinion (Rich Munitz)
Date: Tuesday, 14 December 2010, at 2:59 p.m.
>> It is not for Brett to decide that they are allowed (and I don't think he has made such a statement).
That wasn't directed to Brett in particular, I know that he cannot dictate the world wide backgammon rules :-) It was for all the TDs out there, and the potential buyers of the tube.
I know that Brett on his backgammon pages mentions that the non-sealed version is preferred by competitive backgammon players, but maybe he should simply take away the sealed version from the description on his backgammon page. If people want to save those few $$$ then they will probably find the price for the sealed version elsewhere on the site. Or at least Brett should emphasize even stronger than today, that for backgammon it must be the non-sealed version, if it is ever to be used in live play, according to tournament rules.
>> As much as I like the dice tube, I would never play with a sealed one.
Ditto here - and that's what prompted me to write the post.
>> I have had perhaps one or two instances of tipped over tubes in all the numerous matches I've played with the dice tube. That said, I and my opponents have always placed precedence on ensuring that the inverted tube is flat and stable on the table, rather than ensuring that the hand is off the tube quickly. If people are determined to get the tube flipped, set and hand removed all within one second, I can imagine that the cases of knocked over tubes might increase.
Yes, from the zero matches I've played with the tube, that was also what I thought :-)
The problem, I think, is not during regular match-play, it's when you play a person of doubtful integrity. And he only needs to cheat once during an entire match to gain an advantage. Once he need to tip over the tube, when he see a dancing number coming on the first die during a critical high volatile roll, and you have the problem.
Maybe slowing the dice down just a little bit compared to the videos I've seen, would eliminate all the errors made by hasty players trying to let go before the dice rests on the floor of the tube, and also would decrease the chances of a cheat taking advantage.
As I see it, what happens sometimes is that one die takes the fast-path through the strings (because they are symmetrical shaped like a spiral, that can happen if it just touches one of the first strings), while the other die is held up on the way. That's the scenario a cheat would need, one die coming to rest faster than usual, so he can tip the tube, before the roll is completed, quickly enough so it doesn't look too suspicious, wit knowledge of the one die.
Anyway, it's minor details for the most part, but so is lipped cups, use of baffleboxes, etc. A trusty mechanism of generating random rolls, and a process around it that are well known and trusted by both players, are paramount for competitive backgammon.
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