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Backgammon's Not Poker
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I don't care what you say, backgammon is not poker!
That's true but there are many similarities between the games that make backgammon a worthy challenger to the title King of Games.
Playing backgammon is not down to the luck of the draw, backgammon is a game of incredible resiliency and you are never out of it until it is mathematically impossible for you to win.
This combination of skill, allied to mathematical probability makes it a very different game which offers constant action that swings backwards and forwards from player to player, adding to the excitement of the contest.
Unlike poker the action is constant, with head to head battles, which rarely result in quick decisions. Poker on the other hand (excuse the pun) can be over in a matter of seconds with a bad hand and the subsequent fold. Although these bad hands are ultimately part of the way the game unfolds in poker, backgammon has none of this and there is no let up in the action. As every move requires a decision from the players, every dice roll a reaction to the roll.
In poker one of the more psychological elements of the game is bluffing, in fact this is the piece de resistance of poker. In backgammon bluffing is just a part of the understanding of your opponent's move, there is no reason to bluff in backgammon in the same way that players do in poker. The movement of the pieces determines the bluff or not.
Backgammon can be said to mirror poker in many ways, as the destiny of each play is dependent upon either the right roll of the dice, or the right turn of the card. In backgammon, games can turn around again and again as each game is much longer. In poker there are four rounds of betting that follow the dealt cards, flop, turn and river but in backgammon a typical game can be 20-30 moves with the cube in play and sometimes many more.
Many professional poker players play backgammon as a diversification to their profession, they use it a stimulus to promote strategies and maintain their edge. Smart thinking is what is needed in both games and poker player's benefit greatly from having that ability to be able to switch their talents from one game to the other.
This switch may well become permanent with the passing of the Unlawful internet bill outlawing online payments for online poker. If this is the case then backgammon both on and offline is ready and able to assume the title of King of Games.
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