Forum Archive :
Fun and frustration
Don't come looking for sympathy ...
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"Don't come looking for sympathy with your hard-luck stories!", said
John Slattery, "We've all got enough of our own." Wise advice I've
always heeded. But this isn't my hard luck story.
In the pub last night, just after last orders, I sat down for a friendly
game of backgammon with my good friend, Bill. Pat, the barman offered
him an incentive, "If you win, I'll buy you a drink". Bill's a regular;
I'm not. He paused, turned to me and offered, "If you want a drink,
you'll have to win a backgammon."
I won the opening roll and played 54 by bringing two down off the
midpoint. Bill raised his eyebrows; we're all splitters. "Most
backgammonnish play", I muttered.
The game proceeded to swing Bill's way until I'm stuck on the bar facing
almost certain doom.
24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| O O O O O O | | X |
| O O O O O | | X |
| O O | | |
| | X | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| X X | | | +---+
| X X X X X | | O | | 4 +---+
| X X X X X | | O | +---+ 5 |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ +---+
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Lovely word, "almost". I obliged by fanning twice while Bill failed to
cover, then popped out a 61 while those two back markers were loose in
the outfield. "Backgammon's on!" I called. Pat stopped collecting
glasses and sat down to watch. I closed out two easily enough, and then
picked up the third chequer at the last possible roll. Bearing off as
aggressively as I dared, it looked like I was coming up just short:
24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| O O O O O | | |
| O O O O O | | |
| O O | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
XX | | | |
XX | | | |
XXX | | | |
XXX | X | | |
XXX | X O O | | O |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
As I'm sure you've realised, Bill rolled 21. "Mine's a pint, please." I
told Pat, setting up for the next game.
So there's my story. No clever plays. No fancy anlysis, but it certainly
does no harm to have a reputation for being a lucky b*******!
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Fun and frustration
- A game brings you money (Michael J. Zehr, Feb 1996)
- A story from my youth (neilkaz, Aug 2008)
- Backgammon at 50 (Mary Hickey, July 2005)
- Backgammon by mail (MelRae, Aug 1997)
- Backgammon haikus (Phil Simborg, July 2004)
- Backgammon hustler (Socks, Apr 2004)
- Backgammon laws (Walt Swan, Dec 1999)
- Beginner's luck (Paul Tanenbaum, May 1999)
- Characters we all know (Alan Webb, Feb 1999)
- Choking under pressure (Kevin Bastian, Dec 1997)
- Danish Championship semifinal match (Daniel Murphy+, Nov 2004)
- Don't come looking for sympathy ... (Ian Shaw, Nov 2004)
- "Good roll!" (jfk+, Jan 1998)
- Hard luck story contest (Einar Tryggvason, Apr 1996)
- "I resign" (neilkaz, June 2011)
- Lonely checker's lament (Luvrhino+, Aug 2001)
- Losing streaks (Stanley E. Richards+, June 2006)
- Losing streaks (Leo Bueno+, Nov 1999)
- Losing streaks (Jim Peplow, July 1998)
- New Year's resolutions (Alan Webb, Jan 2000)
- One-liners (scuba, Jan 2007)
- Simborg's laws of backgammon (NYCGuy, June 1997)
- Some learning humor (Daniel Murphy, Aug 2011)
- Ten commandments of backgammon (Morten Wang, Nov 1997)
- The square thing (David B. Sandler, June 1996)
- Translation fun (James Eibisch, Feb 1998)
- What are the chances? (Pete+, Mar 2003)
- Wishing good luck (Michel Tarragnat, Apr 2005)
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