There are many reasons to play backgammon, online or live, as a hobby, to spend time, just to have some fun, exiting competition, gain a reputation as a good backgammon player, play for money and more; not at last the game is very addictive.
But the one major reason why so many non professional players love the game is socializing. Have a chat besides a game, become member of an online community and make friends all over the world. Almost all online backgammon software includes options to chat, in lobbies or at the tables, with opponents and kibitzers.
I may be the best example for all the above; I have been addicted to backgammon for over 10 years. I have played over 1 million games of online backgammon in this time, I’m member in over a dozen online communities, I have played for money for several years and I’m married to a girl I met in one of those communities.
On the other hand, backgammon involves a huge luck factor, which often creates highly emotional reactions; it isn’t always easy to keep cool when running into a streak of bad luck and you will frequently find players who can’t handle it.
But you can’t make friends while insulting them; you can’t have fun while in rage; you’re not welcome in a community where you blame the programmers of manipulations and last but not least your skill suffers big time when you get mad, playing in rage leads you to act without due consideration.
I will admit, I’m not free of emotions myself, I have not yet reached the professional stage where players have nearly full control over their emotions, but I have learned a few guidelines which have helped me a lot during the past years.
- If you want to have fun while playing, be nice and polite to everyone, your opponents are real people just like you, so don’t tell them anything you wouldn’t want them to tell you either.
- Type a greeting in the chat box before you start playing, give your opponent the feeling you’re not a machine to beat, but a real person, just looking for some fun.
- Take a loss like an adult, congratulate your opponent and let him enjoy his win, same as you want to enjoy your own victories. Opponents who respect you as a great sport will be happy to play you again next time.
- Play as if fairness was your middle name, regardless what’s on stake; winning a match through an unfair action and losing a friend as a consequence is by far not worth it; even if you don’t know your opponent at all, you never know who might become a friend one day, but you can be sure you won’t make any friends without fairness and sportsmanship. The value of a real friend is invaluable.
- Keep cool, even if your opponent does not, find the right words to calm him down, keep in mind, you’re looking for fun, not for a fight. The best way to answer, if your opponent makes a nasty comment about your luck is: “It helps to go to church on Sundays” or something like that; it breaks the tension, it tempts your opponent to make a joke himself and you will remember this game as a fun.
- Keep cool towards yourself, swallow a loss and get over it, the faster your blood pressure is back to normal, the better your performance will be in your next game.
I know how hard it is to keep this list in mind and follow it, the list is actually much longer and these are only a few basics, but it’s a good point to start and if you can manage to follow it, I grant you lots of fun in internet backgammon.
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