Backgammon is a game of drama and thrill, just as much as poker. These games have many similar characteristics, so it is no wonder that many of the greatest poker players in the world are great backgammon players as well.

Dan Harrigton, Erik Seidel, Phil 'The Unabomer' Laak, Gus Hansen, Tom McEvoy and Bob Ciaffone, are just a couple of examples of poker players that have been very interested in backgammon. There was even one World Poker Tour final table that included backgammon players, like Abe Mosseri and Tino Lechich. In this article we will review the main common elements to backgammon and poker, and also the main differences between the games.

In both games, backgammon and poker, the question "Is it a game of luck or skill?" is asked more than once. In order to answer this question it's important to understand the term 'Luck'. Luck is the chance that something positive will happen against probabilities. In other words, as long as you have a predictable knowledge, you will need less luck.

It is known today that both, backgammon and poker are based on skills. The term EV (Estimated Value) is very popular among backgammon and poker players. The meaning of it is: 'Does the move have any positive or negative forecast?' If we use the term in a practical way in a backgammon or poker game, we will ask the question: 'Is this risk worth the compensation we can get in exchange?' As long as the player will keep playing games, he will be able to recognize situations, to analyze parameters, and with this information, will answer better the question. There are two more professional terms, suggested by Raymond Cattell in 1936, that will help us getting a better understanding of this subject:

Crystallized and Fluid Intelligence:
Crystallized Intelligence is the ability to make the right decision according to similar situations that you've seen many times in the past, while making the right decision.

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Fluid Intelligence is the ability to make the right decision by thinking it through at the table. Originally (by Cattell), these definitions relate to poker, but we can relate them to backgammon as well. If you try to interpret these terms, you will find out that while playing poker, there are 2 types of intelligence needed in order to play the game. Fluid Intelligence is more common to peak around the age 40; therefore, if your age is over 40, you can use your Crystallized Intelligence. How can you use it? You need to be very familiar with the basic rules of the game and achieve a lot of practice. This way you will be able to recognize a great number of situations and make the right decisions. Just like in poker, the more you play backgammon, the more you will improve and enrich your tactics and strategies, so your game will be successful.

In contrast to many other games of luck like roulette, slot machine, Bingo and Lotto, where knowledge does not help you winning the game, in backgammon and poker it will indeed. Even though they are played for money, Backgammon and poker are games where you can improve your skills and acquire knowledge. How can you improve your skills? Well, in each game the tactics will be different. Backgammon, for example, is played with one partner and you should be aware of your partner's strategy. You will choose the right strategy according to his moves. In poker you play with a couple of partners and reading the psychology of your partners is a decisive part of the game. But remember, just like you are aware of your partners, they will be aware of you as well. Therefore, we can assume another conclusion: it is very important, in backgammon and poker as one, to try avoiding patterns while playing. Otherwise, your partner will easily learn your tactic and very soon will be able to answer the EV question mentioned above.

It is common for people to relate games that involve money with luck. Backgammon and poker are played for money, but the amount of money you play for does not have any role in deciding the result of the game. Nevertheless, in these games, a game without gambling is not a game. The main role of money in backgammon and poker is creating tension, and the purpose of it is not only achieving a profit in the end, but increasing the thrill during the game.

Despite this fact, in both games you must be aware of the amount of your stake while playing. The risk must be taken according to the size of your bet. If your partner suggests making a Doubling Cube in backgammon, or raising his stake without swapping his hand in poker, these facts must be understood, according to the size of your own stake, as an integral parameter of the game, just like the other parameters.

One of the most popular ways to play backgammon and poker is in tournaments. This kind of playing, as it turns out, excites the participants and gives them a stronger thrill. During the year, many tournaments take place around the world and on the net, and once a year big backgammon and poker events take place around the world.

We could find many more characteristics that the two games have in common, but after all, these games are not identical. So what are the main differences between backgammon and poker?

We can not ignore the major datum of the games: backgammon is not a cards game and the checkers of both competitors are exposed to the eyes of one another. These characteristics, together with the fact that backgammon is played only with one partner, make the tempo of the game much quicker than that of poker; the progress of backgammon game will be faster. On the contrary, poker is played with hidden cards and a couple of partners. Therefore, it is a slower game, and depends on psychology, as mentioned above.

We do not pretend saying that backgammon and poker are identical games (after all, it will be boring to play the same game with different tools), but we can certainly say that they share a few important characteristics that make them comparable.

If you are a poker player, there is a big chance you will be also fond of backgammon and will succeed in it, and if you are a backgammon player you should try playing poker, for the same reasons. We would like to wish you Good Luck in your games but, as you already know, in these games you will need more than luck. So, we wish you success!