rec.games.backgammon mini-FAQ
Daniel Murphy
rec.games.backgammon mini-FAQ
New readers: welcome! This mini-FAQ has the answers to some
of the most Frequently Asked Questions in rec.games.backgammon
and pointers to some of the many backgammon-related sites on
the internet.
Old (experienced) readers: you are invited to direct new readers
with Frequently Asked Questions to this mini-FAQ or to any of the
sites it cites.
This mini-FAQ is posted from time to time in rec.games.backgammon.
AMAZING IF TRUE: THE ODDS THAT YOU WON'T FIND AN ANSWER TO
YOUR QUESTION BY FOLLOWING THE LINKS HERE ARE ABOUT 35 TO 1.
Q1. What is rec.games.backgammon?
Q2. Where's the complete FAQ for rec.games.backgammon?
Q3. Where else can I find answers to Frequently Asked Questions?
Q4. Where can I play backgammon on the internet?
Q5. What are the rules of backgammon?
Q6. Where can I find out about real life backgammon clubs
and tournaments?
Q7. Where can I find out about backgammon computer programs?
Q8. Where can I find annotated games, matches and positions
on the internet?
Q9. Where can I buy backgammon books or equipment?
Q10.The dice on [Server X] are unbelievable -- are they
really random? Is [Program Y] a good player, lucky or
a cheat? Was my experience "unusual"? What should
I expect from "random" dice?
______________________________
Q1. What is rec.games.backgammon?
rec.games.backgammon is the newsgroup for backgammon lovers.
What we talk about: As the only newsgroup devoted to
backgammon, rec.games.backgammon is the appropriate place
for articles on any backgammon-related topic. r.g.bg readers
enjoy a wide-ranging, lively, informative, and generally
amiable discussion of upcoming events, tournament results,
club announcements, backgammon strategy and position analysis,
backgammon software, servers, books and equipment, learning and
improving, programming, statistics, perception, terminology,
tournament procedures, etiquette, and cheating (!) and random
dice in real life and on-line.
What we'd rather not see: spam, of course, off-topic posts,
and the same questions again and again. Before posting,
do check to see if you can't easily find an answer elsewhere.
Read the rec.games.backgammon FAQ, enjoy the many and marvelous
sites on the World Wide Web devoted to backgammon, and bring
yourself up to date on popular rec.games.backgammon topics
by reviewing the rec.games.backgammon archive.
Q2. Where's the complete FAQ for rec.games.backgammon?
The r.g.bg FAQ is on the WWW Backgammon Page at:
http://www.statslab.cam.ac.uk/~sret1/backgammon/faq.html
The FAQ is full of useful information but has not been
updated since 1995, which is why it is not posted to
rec.games.backgammon.
Q3. Where else can I find answers to Frequently Asked Questions?
See these two web sites:
The WWW Backgammon Page, by Stephen Turner
http://www.statslab.cam.ac.uk/~sret1/backgammon/ or
http://www.gamesdomain.com/backgammon/ (U.S. Mirror Site)
Contents:
rec.games.backgammon FAQ
Matches archive
Worldwide list of clubs
Book reviews
British Isles Backgammon Association
Backgammon Basics
Playing Backgammon on the Internet
Computer Programs
Books and Magazines
Matches
Clubs and Competitions
Backgammon Galore, by Tom Keith
http://www.bkgm.com/
Contents:
rules of backgammon
glossary of backgammon terms
collection of the best articles from rec.games.backgammon
list of online sites
directory of backgammon software
annotated matches
Motif
The WWW Backgammon Page and Backgammon Galore include links to
most of the other backgammon-related sites. For a comprehensive
list of links, see:
Gammon Links by Mel Liefer at Chicago Point Online
http://homepage.interaccess.com/~chipoint/links.html
Q4. Where can I play backgammon on the internet?
Choose from over 20 servers. The four most popular seem to be:
FIBS, the First Internet Backgammon Server
http://www.fibs.com/
Games Grid
http://www.cyberarts.com/
Internet Gaming Zone
http://www.zone.com/
Netgammon
http://www.netgammon.com/
See lists and/or descriptions of all servers at the WWW
Backgammon Page, Backgammon Galore or Gammon Links.
Q5. What are the rules of backgammon?
You'll find them at Backgammon Galore or in the FAQ. The WWW
Backgammon Page also has links to backgammon rules in languages
other than English.
Q6. Where can I find out about real life backgammon clubs
and tournaments?
The WWW Backgammon Page has a worldwide list of backgammon clubs.
Mark Your Calendar Alive! lists upcoming tournaments around the
world.
http://homepage.interaccess.com/~chipoint/calendar.html
Q7. Where can I find out about backgammon computer programs?
See reviews and/or pointers to web sites at the WWW Backgammon
Page, Backgammon Galore or Gammon Links.
Q8. Where can I find annotated games, matches and positions
on the internet?
The WWW Backgammon Page
Backgammon Galore
Backgammon By the Bay, by Richard McIntosh
http://www.backgammon.org/bgbb/games.html
Morten's Annotated Games, by Morten Wang
http://home.sol.no/~warnckew/gammon/matches.html
Acepoint's Home Page, by Achim Müller
http://home.deltacity.net/~acepoint/index.htm
Q9. Where can I buy backgammon books or equipment?
The WWW Backgammon Page, Backgammon Galore or Gammon
Links will all direct you to sources for books and
equipment. See book reviews on the WWW Backgammon Page.
Q10.The dice on [Server X] are unbelievable -- are they
really random? Is [Program Y] a good player, lucky or
a cheat? Was my experience "unusual"? What should
I expect from "random" dice?
This is perhaps the most contentious topic discussed on
in rec.games.backgammon.
If you have experienced a streak of dice playing against a
computer opponent or on a backgammon server that you can't
quite believe is possible with fair and random dice, welcome
to the crowd: in r.g.bg, almost every popular program and
server has been accused of having biased or cheating dice.
Because serious and casual backgammon players alike want to
know they are getting a fair shake, rec.games.backgammon
readers welcome thoughtful articles on this topic.
Facts and statistics, though not easy to come by, are especially
welcome, since they are more likely to lead to productive
discussion. Articles from posters who ignore what has already
been presented, discussed and analyzed in rec.games.backgammon
are less welcome.
The rec.games.backgammon archive contains several articles on this
topic. Reading and understanding them is a good way to make your
own post on this topic more credible and interesting, learn a
little about both "luck" and statistics, and, perhaps, make you a
better backgammon player.
Selected Articles From the rec.games.backgammon Archive
(http://www.bkgm.com/rgb/rgb.cgi?menu+fibsdice,softwaredoesitcheat)
FIBS--Dice
Analysis of 10 million rolls
(Stephen Turner, 5 Apr 97)
Analysis of 5 million rolls
(Robert-Jan Veldhuizen, 28 Oct 96)
Are they biased?
(Kit Woolsey, 24 Oct 96)
Controlled by hackers?
(Michael J Zehr, 22 Feb 96)
How to test
(Kit Woolsey, 10 Jan 95)
Random number generator
(Stephen Turner, 21 Mar 97)
Stats entering from the bar
(Tom Keith, 3 Apr 97)
The 2.78% solution
(William Hill, 1 Oct 96)
The dragon number generator
(William Hill, 23 Mar 97)
Software--Does it cheat?
BG by George
(George Sutty, 6 Nov 95)
Cybergammon
(Goto Informatique, 2 Aug 96)
Hyper-Gammon
(ZZyzx, 29 Jun 96)
Jellyfish
(Ron Karr, 12 Oct 97)
(Michael J Zehr, 10 Jun 97)
(Fredrik Dahl, 6 Jun 97)
(Stephen Hubbard, 29 Mar 97)
MVP Backgammon
(Mark Betz, 28 Oct 96)
Motif
(Robert D. Johnson, 12 Oct 96)
TD-Gammon
(Gerry Tesauro, 13 Feb 97)
Thanks for reading!
URL: http://www.cityraccoon.com/minifaq.html
Created 1998-01-19
Revised 1998-03-29
Last posted to rec.games.backgammon 1998-03-29
Contents by Daniel Murphy
Nær salten Østerstrand
_______________________________________________
Daniel Murphy http://www.cityraccoon.com
_______________________________________________
Daniel Murphy http://www.cityraccoon.com/