Forum Archive : Terminology

"PRaT" From:   Raccoon Date:   27 January 2007 Subject:   Re: German-American PRaTS ? Forum:   GammOnLine Paul Lamford popularized PRAT as an acronym for Position, Race and Threat in his 2002 book Using PRAT as a guide, for instance, an advantage in all three categories generally means Double/Pass or Too Good; in two categories Double/Take or Double/Pass. The quote: > Das Rennen, Position und Drohungen Kriterium für Dopplungsentscheidungen. > > Mit diesen drei Kriterien (R-P-D) lässt sich die Stellung bemessen und > bietet bei einem Vorteil in mindestens zwei Punkten eine ausreichende > Überlegenheit zum Doppeln. Ein Vorteil in mindestens einem Kriterium > rechtfertigt das Annehmen eines Dopplers. is from an article in Harald Johanni's Backgammon magazin issue 2, April 1990, summarizing a seminar given at the 1989 European Championship in Deauville by the 1988 World Cup winner Joe Sylvester. Adam Tansley  writes: Paul Lamford may have popularised PRAT, but I don't think he lays any claim to inventing it. Fellow British player Robin Clay discussed it's use in his 1996 book Backgammon Winning Strategies. Interesting to hear it mentioned earlier than that. Next time I see him, I'll ask Paul where he first acme accross the idea. David Montgomery  writes: I remember what I think was a Joe Sylvester article in Flint of Chicago Point from 80's or 90's on this. And I have a vague recollection that Sylvester (or whoever) may have attributed the idea to something/someone earlier. Raccoon  writes: Kleinman reference to Sylvester in Flint: "How can we tell when to turn the cube? How can we tell when to take it? "These are the questions Joe Sylvester addresses in a recent issue of Flint Backgammonews. To solve them, Joe proposes his 'CIA #2': "Evaluate the race, positional features, and threats. An edge in two of these three departments justifies a double or redouble. An edge in all three makes it a pass." -- Danny Kleinman, p.18 of But Only the Hogs Win Backgammons, 1991 "CIA" stands for "Concept In Action." Kleinman, continuing, rejects "CIA #2" as an inadequate basis for both double and take decisions, since these require quantitative, not qualitative, estimates: "to establish that O should take we need quantitative estimates: that (after adjusting for gammons and redoubling potential) O has at least 25% chances. To show that X should double, we likewise need quantitative estimates: that X is beyond O's pass-point, or that X has threats (of such-and-such probability) to go beyond O's pass- point (by so much) after each side rolls once." Thus, that one side has "an edge" in three of three departments isn't enough to tell us that the other side should pass; that one side has "an edge" in two of three departments doesn't mean the position is a double, or a take. It might be too good. It might be no double. It might be a take or a pass. Kleinman, continuing, writes "I can't for the life of me derive any quantitative estimates from the qualitative analysis [showing that one side has an edge in this or that department] of Positions 1 and 2, nor do I think Joe or anyone else can." He suggests, however, two methods of relating the features of a position to a quantitative estimate of win probabilities: (1) by noting and when possible summing "mutually exclusive ways of winning" -- by priming, blitzing, racing, hitting a late shot, etc., since mutually exclusive ways of winning are cumulative, all adding "positive probabilities, yielding a larger probability," and (2) by comparing the position to "acquir[ed] benchmarks distinguishing passes from takes."   Did you find the information in this article useful?           Do you have any comments you'd like to add?

 

Terminology

Alphabet soup  (Tom Keith, Apr 2004) 

"Anchor and guard" position  (Chase+, Apr 2010) 

"Back game"  (Marty Storer, Jan 2004) 

"Baffle box"  (garyo+, Mar 2005) 

"Bagai position"  (Timothy Chow, Dec 2012) 

"Banana split"  (Rich Munitz+, June 2011) 

"Banana split"  (Adam Stocks+, Sept 2004) 

"Beavers"  (Sander van Rijnswou, May 1999) 

"Beavers"  (Shuman Lloyd Lee, Aug 1991) 

"Blunder", "whopper"  (Raccoon+, July 2005) 

"Bot"  (Pit Bull+, Mar 2004) 

"Bronstein" clock setting  (rew+, Sept 2012) 

"Calcutta auction"  (Roland Scheicher+, Dec 2001) 

"Chouette"  (Roland Scheicher+, Mar 2002) 

"Cube provocation play"  (Chuck Bower+, Apr 2007) 

"Dance"  (William R. Tallmadge, May 1998) 

"Dropper"  (Robert D. Johnson, Sept 1996) 

"Duplication" and "diversification"  (Simon Woodhead, Nov 1991) 

"Equity"  (Gregg Cattanach, Aug 2000) 

"Equity"  (Gary Wong, Dec 1998) 

"Equity"  (Chuck Bower, Oct 1996) 

"Equity"  (Michael J. Zehr, Mar 1996) 

"Equity", "volatility", "claim", "market"  (Erik Gravgaard, June 1995) 

"Freeroll"  (montygram, Nov 2005) 

"Gammon price"  (Ron Karr, Aug 1996) 

"Gammon rate", "gammon price"  (David Montgomery, June 1995) 

"Gammon-go" (GG) and "gammon-save" (GS)  (Mary Hickey, Feb 2004) 

"Gammon-go" (GG) and "gammon-save" (GS)  (Marty Storer, Oct 2002) 

"Gammon-go" (GG)   (Chuck Bower, Jan 2004) 

"Golden point"  (Daniel Murphy, Dec 2004) 

"Holding game"  (Alan Webb+, Dec 1998) 

"In the box"  (Ken Bame+, Sept 2012) 

International phrase dictionary  (David Allen Sorensen, Sept 1997) 

"Joker"  (Richard Divdesman, Sept 1998) 

"Kamikaze play"  (Bill Patterson+, June 2011) 

"Kauder paradox"  (Carl Tait+, Nov 1995) 

"Latto paradox"  (Jean-Pierre Seiman+, July 2004) 

"Lose your market"  (Shuman Lloyd Lee+, Aug 1991) 

"MCV"  (Mislav Radica+, Oct 2009) 

"PRaT"  (Raccoon+, Jan 2007) 

"Phantom double hit"  (Marty Storer, May 2010) 

"Polish prime"  (Jason Lee+, Jan 2006) 

"Pure play"  (Daniel Murphy, Nov 2000) 

"Pure play"  (Casey Forrest+, Feb 1996) 

"Raccoon"  (Steven Keats, Feb 2011) 

"Root number"  (Ken Bame, June 2004) 

"Russian Bridges"  (leobueno+, Mar 2013) 

"Short play"  (AJ+, July 2012) 

"Speed board"  (Gregg Cattanach, June 2004) 

"Splot"  (mamabear, Apr 2007) 

"Squeeze", "trap play"  (Philippe Michel+, Feb 1997) 

"Suicide play"  (Brian Sheppard, Aug 1997) 

"Swing tournament"  (Carlo Melzi+, Mar 2006) 

"Table stakes"  (Carlo Melzi, Sept 2002) 

"Technical play"  (Adam Stocks+, July 2002) 

"Thematic"  (Beauregard+, Aug 2009) 

"Thorp count"  (Stephen Turner, June 1996) 

"Time," "timing," "checker," "dancing"  (Marty Storer, Apr 1992) 

Turkish names for rolls  (Lars Soezueer, Mar 1997) 

"Vigorish"  (Anthony R Wuersch, Feb 1995) 

"Volatility"  (Michael J. Zehr, June 1998) 

"Wash"  (Hardy Hübener+, Sept 2004) 

"Wash"  (Brian Sheppard, July 1997) 

"Weaver"  (Alan Webb+, May 2000) 

"Zone" of attack  (Matt Reklaitis+, Dec 2007) 

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