Master Blackjack to Win at Backgammon ... or ...

Master Blackjack to Win at Backgammon ... or vice versa

If you are new to these games you won't probably see many similarities between Blackjack and Backgammon apart from the fact that they both are games of chance driven by causality of being dealt certain cards in the first or obtaining a certain outcome rolling a pair of dice in the latter.

But are we sure that these games are merely games of luck? Can we say instead that there is a skill factor involved? Of course we can. Certainly logical ability is involved as with each roll of the dice or card dealt, players must choose from a number of available options to manage their cards or moving their checkers with the aim of anticipating possible counter-moves by the opponent.

Also both games certainly require that players know the odds and place their bets accordingly, thus at least some basic maths is needed. They must also know the basic strategy(ies) of the game, and they must be able to maximise the return while minimising the risk.

Very simple at the surface, blackjack is loved by basically all casino players, including the more experienced ones who can lower the house edge to a mere 1% just by using the simple basic strategy, which is the strategy that dictates the optimal decision to take in the various circumstances according to the blackjack version you are playing (number of decks, etc.) and the total value of your cards against the dealer's face up card.

In Backgammon too you can device some basic strategies that simply involve avoiding to be hit, trapped, or held in a stand-off. According to the strategy adopted the game may take the name of a "running game", where you move as quickly as possible around the board, a "holding game", where you keep control of a point on the board, or a "priming game", where you try to build a "prime", a combination on the board where six consecutive points have at least two checkers on them which blocks your opponent's moves.

Lastly when in Backgammon a doubling cube is used to speed up the game, we can see some resemblance when in Blackjack we have the opportunity to double down with a 11 or a 10.

We can definitely say that both the games need the same "forma mentis" to be mastered as attested by the fact that often professional players are experts and rank high in both backgammon and blackjack. Similar game mechanics require strong strategy planning, tactics implementing, and thinking process and acquiring these skills with one game will allow you to increase your winning chances in the other as well.

So play Black Jack online before your next backgammon session and you will see that your game will certainly benefit.