Pit Counting Tips
Walter Swan Jr
live tournament play and I am relying too much on FIBS pip feature. Please
describe your system of counting quickly and easily.
Patti Beadles
them fairly quickly. Here are some tips:
- Stop using the pipcounter on FIBS! This is the most important thing
I've done. "toggle allowpip" will stop you from getting a pipcount
with the "pip" command, and also prevent your opponent from doing it.
- Learn a few simple patterns that come up often. For example, a
closed board with no spares is 42. Two checkers each on 4, 5, and 6
is 30. Two checkers each on 7 and 8 is also 30.
- Make sure you know multiples of 13 for the midpoint. Likewise for
18 with your opponent's bar point, although that isn't quite as
necessary.
- Your opponent's 5-point is 20 pips. I tend to count checkers in my
opponent's board, multiply by 20, and then add in any differential.
- Figure out some way to remember your count while you do your
opponent's side. I've got a simple method of using my fingers to
remember the count, since I'm hopeless at actually remembering
numbers. (For a while, it was count my side, count my opponent's
side, oops! count my side again, geez, now count my opponent's side
again, give up.)
- Practice, practice, practice.
Another thing that I've found useful is learning when I need a precise
pipcount (races, etc.) and when an approximate one will do. If I
don't need absolute accuracy, I take shortcuts... two checkers on my
opponent's ace point is 50, for example.
One other thing... in a straight race, it's sometimes helpful to keep
a running count. Get an accurate count once, then keep track of
how it changes after each roll... e.g. I'm nine pips up. My opponent
rolls 5 2, now I'm two pips up. I roll 6 4 and I'm twelve up. etc.
If you've ever played blackjack and counted cards, you'll find this
quickly becomes second nature. It's possible to do it in contact
positions, too-- I did this for several games, keeping a running
pipcount from the opening roll on. While it can be done, I found that
it wasn't all that useful, and it distracted me from bigger issues.
--
Patti Beadles |
pat...@netcom.com | Algolagnia abounds!
pat...@ichips.intel.com |
or just yell, "Hey, Patti!" | One bad cube can ruin your entire day.
Gerald E Mortensen
: I would like to know any veterans pip counting tips. I am beginner to
: describe your system of counting quickly and easily.
i have the same problem -- i learned "serious" backgammon while
playing on fibs and i can't count. but i can tell you what magriel
says because i just read that section last night.
magriel recommends this method: visualize what moves you would need
to make to make your position match your opponents and count those.
this will give the difference in your pipcount.
this method doesn't give you the absolute pip copunt, but magriel
makes an interesting statement: errors in the absolute pip count are
much less critical than errors in the relative count. he divides
races into medium-long (60 pips) and long (100 pips). 60 pips is what
you get if your pips are evenly distributed in the home board,
and 100 is what you get if they're evenly distributed around the bar.
from there you can fudge a little to get a "close enough" absolute
count.
jay (wilfo on fibs)
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** Gerald E. Mortensen (Jay) Syracuse Research Corp. ***
** Research Engineer Merrill Lane ***
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Frank Bommarito
opponents will not give you the minute or so to do a real count. In fact,
I played a fellow who kept track for a match and he was nice enough to
tell me the count whenever I asked.
However, If there is a clock or you are in some sort of speed event,
Counting can be a mistake. In these cases ( and they are becoming popular
), what you need to do is find a good way to estimate the race.
Some general guidlines:
1. If the board is to complex to get an accurate estimate (diffence is
best), pips are probably meaningless.
2. If your opponent plays slow, do the counting during their turn, Dont
let your clock tick to count pips.
3. If the game is so close that one or two pips seems to decide whether
or not to run or stay. a. stay if running next turn is not a problem and
staying may cause your opponent to waste pips. b. dont stay if you will
waste pips to do so. It is eas to get a difference in pips in these types
of games.
4. Dont put to much into pips. Their usefulness is limited to specific
circumstances. Concentrating on them could easily cost you the match.
Frank Bommarito - champion
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NICK G
if anyone has any other ideas on pip counting erasy methods PLEASE post
them
pickle (fibs)
NICK G
Marina Smith
NI...@regis.demon.co.uk "NICK G" writes:
> Thanx, for that us beginners find little tips like that really great,
> if anyone has any other ideas on pip counting erasy methods PLEASE post
> them
I have a very unmathematical brain and I know I'll never be a great
player when I can't work out pip counts, probabilities, etc. so any
mnemonics, short cuts, tricks-of-the-trade or rules of thumb would be
most welcome, not only on pip counting (thanks for those so far, folks)
but on anything!
I'm trying to read Magriel and have just read The Backgammon Handbook.
All very useful, but I just can't absorb the information too well all
at once, will keep trying, but meanwhile, all help welcome.
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* Marina Smith *
* Reading, U.K. *
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