When a novice online backgammon player enters an online backgammon site lobby the first time he might be a little overwhelmed by the multitude of game options available. Normally the player then just dives in where it seems to be the most attractive, little knowing that he very likely just started off wasting his time and money. Chances are that he'll soon be frustrated enough to give up the whole things. That's why it is important to do a proper evaluation of the available options and to have a clear plan of attack. In this article we'll have a look at how a novice backgammon player can significantly improve his backgammon skills and get a good return on investment.
The importance of tournament play
The key to long-term backgammon success is playing in tournaments. Online backgammon tournaments will teach you more in shorter time than regularily sticking to off-tournament matches. In a tournament you will fight for advancing further towards the finals, forcing and teaching you to focus and think of the long-term goal. The further you advance the higher the pressure gets and even world class players sometimes crack under the pressure. The general opinion is that a well-played real tournament match equals to 1.5 - 2 normal off-tournament matches. Therefore as a novice backgammon player you should start playing in tournaments since you sign up.
So, when you start playing in tournaments your development as a player will progress faster than if you stick to off-tournament matches. Obviously you need to read about backgammon strategies and put the theory into practice, just like in any other hobby or sport. However, you should be prepared to run at a loss in the beginning of your backgammon career. Because tournaments require more expensive buy-ins as opposed to off-tournament matches you will be loosing more. That's a paradox you just have to accept. If it is difficult to accept, trying looking at it as an investement for the future - after a certain point when you start winning, your earnings will also be higher than in off-tournament matches and soon your earnings will be higher what they would be if you wouldn't be playing in tournaments.
Which tournaments to follow?
Now that we have established the importance of backgammon tournament play both for your development as a player and for your earnings in the long run, it is time to discuss which tournaments you should be concentrating on and in which order. You can think of it as a progressively challenging training programme like the training programmes you would follow when you start going to the gym.
1. Sit and Go tournaments
You should start off with low buy-in, rating limited Sit and Go tournaments. These tournaments provide a very good environment to learn the basics of tournament play. You should focus on Swing tournaments or 3-point match Knockout tournaments if those are available. You should play against players close to your own rating, i.e. below 1600.
2. Sit and Go tournaments, no rating limit
Once you feel confident enough, try how it goes against players with ratings above 1600. They will provide you with enough challenge and you will be learning a lot from those tournaments - there is no need to attend higher buy-in tournaments.
At some point your rating could have dropped close to 1400, which is perfectly normal and also expected. When you start seeing a increasing trend in your rating (and earnings), it is a sign that it is time for you to move on to the next step.
3. Regular daily tournaments
Daily tournaments are the tournament backbone of every online backgammon site and this is where you can learn a great deal about real tournament play. Daily tournaments are a great way to participate in tournaments with tens of players with very small buy-in fees. Be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time playing in daily tournaments as here is where you'll be laying a basis for those big money tournaments in the future.
4. Combine tournament types
when you can take command of an online tournament match against an experienced player, your rating will likely be around 1700 or slightly higher. Now you should start combining the various tournament types. Go back to Sit and Go's, play in $5.00 - $20.00 buy-in tournaments, try out how you are doing in big Satellite and Special tournaments where the best players show up. You should, however, still maintain focus on the daily tournaments.
Note that you will definitely see many lower-rating players in big money tournaments while you will be staying away from them. But let those players waste their money - most of them won't even advance to a round where they will win back their expensive buy-in fee. Only once you have a real chance of going that far then it'll be the time to regularily play in those tournaments.
5. When loss turns into profit
When all has gone according to plan you should see more money flowing into your account than you loose. But be careful - don't get overconfident. In bigger tournaments you are likely to play against players who are real veterans of level you haven't played against yet. Stay very focused and don't make silly mistakes.
At this stage it doesn't really matter what types of tournaments you play in, but you need to follow one final rule: don't play regularily against weaker opponents. That'll just make you a weaker player and it will cost you money in the long run.
Conclusion
The key to succeed in online backgammon lies in tournament play. As a novice backgammon player you should start playing in tournaments as soon as possible. But in order to maximize the benefit of tournament play you should follow a gradually progressing "training programme", such as the one we have outlined in this article. Learning about backgammon strategies and theory should not be forgotten in the process, though. The combination of the two will make a better backgammon player and will reflect in your long-term earnings.
Beginner backgammon players can find useful the online backgammon tips and instructions at WinningBackgammon.info. Backgammon strategy articles and regular news updates make WinningBackgammon.info an interesting site for any backgammon enthousiast. |
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