What do you think?
Rate this book
Backgammon for blood!
Book has tight binding and sharp edges. No sign of shelf wear. Dustcover worn on edges. Fast ship.
- GenresNonfictionGamesReference
124 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1974
3 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 3, 2022
I recently purchased a backgammon set at a thrift store and this book was the bonus tucked inside with the pieces. Initially I just thought, what a funny, intense looking book from 1974, then all of a sudden I was reading it. Then I brought it on a trip and was reading it for hours by the hotel pool, then I was playing backgammon in the hotel lobby, and then I had finished the book.
If we’re bringing back backgammon, let’s bring Backgammon for Blood back into print. It has a lot of good strategy with details about probability and statistics that I would really need to revisit to put into practice. But even after the one read-through I have noticeably improved my game. It’s an overall informative and entertaining book, including strategy like being confident, playing in a good atmosphere on a nice board, and the very, very important aspect of betting.
If we’re bringing back backgammon, let’s bring Backgammon for Blood back into print. It has a lot of good strategy with details about probability and statistics that I would really need to revisit to put into practice. But even after the one read-through I have noticeably improved my game. It’s an overall informative and entertaining book, including strategy like being confident, playing in a good atmosphere on a nice board, and the very, very important aspect of betting.
June 27, 2023
Learned a lot of strategy, though some of it may be a bit outdated now.
May 23, 2017
On the paperback copy I own, author Bruce Becker's disembodied head floats menacingly over a backgammon board, grinning slyly as his severed hand clutches a cigarette. We immediately learn two things from this cover: 1) Somebody doesn't know that you don't wear a black turtleneck against a black background, and 2) This same somebody takes backgammon way too seriously.
Becker's book is the kind of board game guide that one usually associates with chess, crammed full of statistics, moves, game theory, and strategic planning. The book doesn't contain nearly as much philosophical meandering about backgammon as the cover image indicates, so there is very little meditating on the ruthlessness of the titular blood sport to trudge through on the way. With chapters like "Insidious Openings" and "The Diabolical Doubler: Betting for Blood" waiting inside, you can bet this book takes backgammon as seriously as three-dimensional chess or three-week Risk campaign. When Becker gleefully recalls his daughter screaming "I hate you!" in his face after losing a game to him, you have no doubt that he is completely serious about playing "for blood."
You could say that this book is specifically for those who have friends who play backgammon like Bruce Becker, but it's very existence is itself advice that if you know somebody who takes backgammon this seriously, you probably shouldn't be playing backgammon with them. However, if you are the kind of person who often finds yourself in seedy bars playing backgammon for money while dressed like a beat poet, then you'll want to read this book twice. After that, good luck, or as the author closes his introduction, "Happy blood-letting!"
Becker's book is the kind of board game guide that one usually associates with chess, crammed full of statistics, moves, game theory, and strategic planning. The book doesn't contain nearly as much philosophical meandering about backgammon as the cover image indicates, so there is very little meditating on the ruthlessness of the titular blood sport to trudge through on the way. With chapters like "Insidious Openings" and "The Diabolical Doubler: Betting for Blood" waiting inside, you can bet this book takes backgammon as seriously as three-dimensional chess or three-week Risk campaign. When Becker gleefully recalls his daughter screaming "I hate you!" in his face after losing a game to him, you have no doubt that he is completely serious about playing "for blood."
You could say that this book is specifically for those who have friends who play backgammon like Bruce Becker, but it's very existence is itself advice that if you know somebody who takes backgammon this seriously, you probably shouldn't be playing backgammon with them. However, if you are the kind of person who often finds yourself in seedy bars playing backgammon for money while dressed like a beat poet, then you'll want to read this book twice. After that, good luck, or as the author closes his introduction, "Happy blood-letting!"
Read
April 16, 2022I don’t believe that that’s Becker’s face on cover of Backgammon for Blood. Probably a model. If you search his name you get a Hollywood headshot. Nothing like book cover.
That said, does anyone know Bruce Becker’s whereabouts. Is he alive? Internet dhows nothing.
That said, does anyone know Bruce Becker’s whereabouts. Is he alive? Internet dhows nothing.
December 9, 2016
Read in the late 70's. Went from beginner to intermediate in one day.
October 8, 2012
Written in the seventies. You can tell. Backgammon sounds fun.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews