Was taught how to play Backgammon the other day. Played 3 games, won 1 - lost 2. All three games though seem to come down to basically hoping to role doubles when all pieces were in each others 'homebase'.
I haven't read up on strategies but have played a few games online since then, it really seems like it comes down to chance more than skill.
Kind of disappointed, as had long wanted to learn how to play Backgammon, partly as I knew it was one of the oldest board games in existence.
Is it just me or is this the 'Deal or No Deal' of boardgames?
If you believe that backgammon is just a game of chance, then I would love the opportunity to play against you for money.
Many elite poker players have a background in backgammon, most notably Gus Hansen, who is a world class player of both games. Poker and backgammon are fundamentally games of skill, but that skill aspect is concealed by the short-term effects of luck (or variance, as advantage gamblers call it). Poker has drastically greater variance than backgammon - a professional poker player might experience weeks or months of losses due to unfavourable variance, while a similarly skilled backgammon player competing against amateurs is unlikely to experience a single losing session due to variance.
If you are interested in learning the game, I would recommend Bill Robertie's book "Backgammon for Winners". Robertie is a two-time world champion and writes very clearly about backgammon theory.
>>19196 This. Undoubtedly there is a fair bit of luck involved, particularly if the game comes down to a straight race, though a major aspect of the element of skill in the game is in play which prevents or delays that.