Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not as good as these people say!, August 21, 2000
This book is ridiculed by serious players of the game. If you are a beginner or a playing beginners this book can help you. It does a few things well (very few) it has one of the better explanations of probability. It is an entertaining read and not too bad a manual on how to play a backgame which should only be played when you have to, not as a strategy from the start of the game as Becker does. The best use of this book is to give it to a friend that likes to gamble, then you read Paul Magriel's book "Backgammon" and you will have a steady source of income. There is not enough space to explain all that is wrong with this book. You can learn to play backgammon in less than 5 minutes, but it is a deep and complex game that takes years to play really well, if your goal is to become a good player this is not the book for you. Although having said all that it is one of the first books I read, and I am glad that I did, it did give me an excitement for the game and taught me how to play a backgame. I guess that is why I gave it two stars instead of one. If you do read it be aware of its limitations and enjoy, it is a fun read.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The first backgammon book I read..., July 17, 1999
By A Customer
I bought this book almost 19 years ago when I was 17 years old. Before that, my friend and I would play endless games of backgammon with each of us winning about 50% of the time. Initially, I chose this book because I thought the title was cool but it was Becker's unique enthusiasm for the game that drew me in for more. After I read this book, I beat my friend the next 17 games in a row. What else needs to be said? True story.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good advice, great attitude, September 25, 2005
This book was the first I ever bought on backgammon, back in the mid-70s. It is by no means the most complete out there, but what it is missing in serious analysis and problem solving it comes close to making up in enthusiasm, and aggressive, in your face attitude.
Just for starters, the cover of edition I have has a photo on the cover of a man contemplating the board with a look of sly cunning and confidence, and in his left hand is, yes, a smoking cigarette! Good luck getting that on a book cover in 2005.
Add to that Becker's comments on general playing attitude, which comes across as playing to the crowd - and the women in the crowd - every bit as much as intimidation of the enemy...er, I mean opponent...and you get the general idea. It's all written with verve and style and some panache, and does not come across quite as arrogantly as I may be implying.
Becker's backgammon advice is fine if one takes it as a starting off point. He introduces the rules of the game, talks a little general strategy - pretty light stuff - and then plunges into openings. Well, some of the openings will be obvious, but some of his suggestions will be somewhat aggressive, maybe even risky. They do support his declared style of play. His comments on the midgame are sketchy - this is not a book of exercises or studies - and while his material on bearing off is good analysis, there is better out there. His best chapter is on the doubling cube, a medieval weapon of torture in his hands.
In general it's a good book to get a sense of strategy and tactics for a novice. It was my only book until I started playing for money with a regular group of players locally, as well as almost daily online. I got my butt kicked, and went back to other sources to learn more. I don't get it kicked quite so often anymore. So once a player is at a certain level, it's time to move on to other, deeper books on the subject. But until then, it's a great primer, and a fun bedside read.
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