Backgammon for Blood

Bruce Becker     1974     176pp
Avon Books ISBN:0-380-00384-8

People hate this book, they actually recommend it to their opponents. I read it before and like the bloodthirsty nature but didn't remember much from it. It starts off with the basics for beginners but once you hit the section on doubling, the fun begins. On the cube: "This is a big gun, and should be treated as such; its principle is to multiply the basic bet and its aim is to annihilate your opponent." Becker loves backgames and merciless hitting and slotting and cares nothing of the race or running game. A proven losing strategy in today's game which is why most experts now laugh at his philosophies. He also advocates outside primes and doesnt like making points in his board early in the game and the best backgame (owning the 2 and 3 points) is third on his list to a 1-3 and 1-2. His theories on cube handling are really very funny. His first rule is "don't double too early" he only doubles when the win is almost assured and advocates what is now considered fairly cautious doubling practices. This book is very amusing but wont teach you anything useful about backgammon besides a few psycholgical pointers (few and far between).

Beckers sole contribution to the backgammon literature has engendered much criticism from knowledgeable players, and for good reason. The author's approach to the game is characterized by the sensationalist title, and if you want blood, you've got it. Becker's 'blood' is a euphemism for money, but unfortunately the blood spilt over the board will most likely flow from the wallet of the reader. Be warned - this is a very dangerous book for the beginning player. Beckers creative approach to backgammon strategy may have seemed like a winner to hungry publishers rushing to cash in on the 1970s craze. The formula is simple - extend the thematic 1970's 'pure' play (slot, slot, slot and build) almost to the realm of insanity, and if at first you don't succeed - simply fall into a deep backgame.

Despite the unsuitablity of the content as a modern learning tool, the book may still be regarded as a classic, if only for the novelty and entertainment value. Beckers passionate prose and wacky advice makes for an excellent light-hearted read and is guaranteed to not to put the bedtime reader to sleep, if only from fits of laughter. Those with a warped sense of humor should aim to obtain a first edition hardback - but watch out; of late the prices asked by some second-hand dealers rivals the content in terms of absurdity.

Mark Driver, 12/09/01

This is a book which arouses strong opinions. Here is a collection of opinions from a discussion in the newsgroup rec.games.backgammon in May 1994. Please bear in mind that they were written for that forum, not as book reviews originally. Thanks to Darse Billings for collecting them and sending them to the WWW Backgammon pages.

From: kwoolsey@netcom.com (Kit Woolsey)
... bg for blood -- total garbage for the most part.

From: durf@netcom.com (Durf Freund)
Kit here expresses a popular and largely correct view. Becker goes way overboard in his espousal of the backgame. However, modern backgammon theory has been skewed by blind reliance on computer programs -- one promising, though still unperfected and quite over-rated, the other entirely mediocre. There is enough truth in Backgammon for Blood to make any perceptive human a more dangerous player than TD-Gammon, IMO.

From: ELL105@psuvm.psu.edu (jason E. Mellinger)
I, too must come to the defense of Becker. This book is not full of data charts, but it will sure show you the right attitude. Even if you don't play, you should find this book amusing. It's one of the best game books ever written. If you don't want it, buy it and send it to me. My friends are always borrowing mine.

"luck is for losers"-Becker

From: asteg@k12.ucs.umass.edu (Albert Steg)
I can't help speaking up for Bruce Becker's book BG for Blood because it was the first book on the game I ever read, back in the 70's when it came out. (I was in 7th grade). Sure, we've all learned a lot since then, and there are more accurate and high-powered books out there.

Serious beginners who want to become advanced as quickly as possible and are willing to study hard while playing frequently I would advise to read Magriel and then go straight to Robertie's books.

However, as far as books that provide a lively introduction to fundamental strategic aspects of the game go, Becker's pretty good! At least he writes in a vigorous, conversational way that doesn't put you to sleep. Magriel's book is a great work, but I would never drop it on newcomers to the game. Those of us who play "seriously" often forget that not everyone plays for money. Becker's book may well motivate newplayers to get hooked on the game, when Magriel might put them to sleep.

I haven't read the book lately, but I would bet that less of it is "wrong" than is suggested by calling it "garbage." For the beginner, the greatest bulk of it is probably sound (ditto for the generally pooh-poohed Cruelest Game by Cooke). In short, Becker's book is okay as a first book, but if you want to win any money at the game, it had better not be your last!

Finally, for those readers who do know the game to an advanced or expert level, the arrogance of Becker's tone, the sheer brass involved in championing his opening 6-5 play (two down) is hilarious. My favorite passages are on the last page of the book in a discussion of scoring gammons, etc.:

There are also some players who do not allow gammons in games that have not been voluntarily doubled at least once. . . .In practice, however, all it does is coddle the lesser player; I don't think he should stay out late at night playing backgammon if he needs this kind of protection.

. . . and again with reference to the practice of automatic doubles:

"Some players limit this practice, so that the cube may be turned up once, but not again. . . . And, of course, some cowards don't allow turning the cube at all. Here, you take your choice."

Having said this much, I consider whatever debt I owe to Bruce Becker for the money I made in highschool playing for a quarter a point with his book in mind paid in full. My opponents hadn't read anything at all.

From: darse@cs.ualberta.ca (Darse Billings)
There have been some opposing opinions on Bruce Becker's book Backgammon for Blood.

The observant reader will have noticed that the people saying the book is terrible are generally very strong players, so their opinions hold a lot of credibility.

I too feel it is a book full of false statements and dangerous ideas, but as an intermediate player who is still learning the game, I can also see the reason for the differing views...

Backgammon for Blood will help the novice player improve her game, and that will result in winning more games against other novices... More importantly, it does force the reader to think, since it poses questions and challenges the more widely accepted views on strategy, such as those found in Jacoby and Crawford's 1971 introductory book.

In this respect, Becker's book does some good, and we now know that the staid ideas of the old school really were in need of being challenged and refined.

In Backgammon for Blood, there are perhaps two sound ideas for every bad one, which might suggest that it has some value. Unfortunately, this high noise-to-signal ratio makes the book nearly useless to the serious student, because she has no way of separating the grain from the chaff.

But I think it is a useful exercise for the serious student to critique Becker's book. For example, you can examine his opening moves, deciding which ones are reasonable alternatives (eg. slotting moves) and which ones are complete and utter garbage (e.g. 6/5, where he thinks 24-13 is lame!).

Luckily, the first time I read Backgammon for Blood, I never took his ideas very seriously, particularly after reading his totally bogus chapter on the doubling cube. (He teaches us that the cube has nothing whatever to do with math or probabilities -- it's all about gusto, and how intently you stare at your opponent!) Consequently, I didn't have to waste a lot of time "unlearning" bad ideas.

By comparison, Magriel's Backgammon book deserves all of the lofty praise it receives, and will particularly appeal to the student with a precise, systematic, and logical mind.

I returned to Becker's book only after I had studied Magriel's treatise, and thus had developed a more solid foundation of backgammon fundamentals.

I think re-reading Becker's book with a critical eye helped me learn some of the pros and cons of dynamic play, as well as exposing some flawed ideas and bad habits which could easily have crept into my own game.

And a couple more from other times:

From: cabanrf@wkuvx1.wku.edu (Roy F. Cabaniss), November 1994
Another I might add on the list to avoid is Becker's BG for Blood. It's a good way to lose a bunch of bucks until you really understand the concept of doubling and when to abandon a backgame.

From: pattib@netcom.com (Patti Beadles), February 1995
BG for Blood is pretty close to the bottom of the totem pole, and can be burned to provide light if you want to read Robertie during a power failure and have run out of candles.

I bought this book many years ago, a 7th-grade kid with no knowledge of Backgammon. My younger brother & I both read it cover to cover, then played about 1,000 games of Backgammon on our old Atari game system. Backgammon for Blood was excellent in teaching the probabilities of dice, a love of the game, and going for the throat (figuratively, of course.) A great book

rodrian@execpc.com from Wauwatosa, WI, March 6, 1999

The most difficult thing when introducing a friend to backgammon is getting them excited about the game. Anyone can learn how to play, and even play well. But, if they're going to stick with it they must get real pleasure out of playing the game. That's what this book will inject them with. Sheer strategic adreneline and the kind of bloodlust one usually finds only in pro-football. Does a book like this exist on any other game of strategy. Of course not. That's why I love backgammon. This was the first book I read on the game. It quickly imbued me with a love of the game, and a desire to play as often as possible. I've reread it many times to keep Becker's spirit of the game alive in me. I recommend it to everyone, player and not-yet-player alike!

Jae-Tea Alexander from San Diego, California, June 4, 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.

Bob Morgan from Seattle, WA, August 21, 2000

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