Forum Archive : Terminology

"Cube provocation play" From:   Chuck Bower Date:   13 April 2007 Subject:   Cube provocation play - definition Forum:   GammOnLine > How would you define "cube provocation play"? This is how I would define the term: A checker play which (A) has the highest cubeful equity, (B) gives the opponent a correct double, and (C) is superior to at least one play which does not give the opponent a correct double. Is that understandable? Anyone have a better way of saying this? Matt Cohn-Geier  writes: You're probably going to want to put in something like "and the player would have a correct take". Otherwise we run into situations where the best play is double but worse plays are too-good-to-double. Are those cube provocation plays? Maybe, but they're certainly not of the kind that give your opponent an inefficient double. Fabrice Liardet  writes: A cube provocation play strives for volatility and creates market losers for the opponent, big enough for him to have a correct double, but a double that is very far from our take point. The idea is that it will force the opponent into a suboptimal double, while a small play that is equivalent or slightly better cubeless will allow the opponent to hold the cube until he has a double that is closer to optimal (optimal = at our take point). It sounds a bit paradoxical, but we forced the opponent into a double that, though correct, we want him to send. Raccoon  writes: I don't agree with Chuck's definition. I think such situations are rare, and the more likely case of "cube provocation" is when an inferior play provokes an incorrect double. The single Google hit for that phrase is a reference to Vision Laughs at Counting. There are no hits in r.g.bg, either -- that surprised me. Kleinman's discussion starts by ironically defining "cube provocation play" as "an egregious error in backgammon" ... "for what can be worse than to play your roll in such a way as to draw a double from your opponent, when an alternate move would restrain him from doubling? In a similar vein, we may call an exceptionally unfavorable roll a 'cube provocation roll'." Then he notes that "avoiding cube-turns" is a good guideline -- if Opponent will cube after Play A but not after Play B, then you should make play B. Then he notes what he calls the "obvious" exceptions: (1) If Play A gives Opponent a double/pass and Play B makes him too good to Double, then of course you should make Play A. (2) If Play A will provoke Opponent to incorrectly double, then you should make Play A if your D/T equity after Play A is higher than your ND equity after Play B. (3) Jacoby Paradox bearoffs -- if your position is 020100 vs. 010010 and you roll 4-1, then you should play 4/off, 2/1, not 4/3/off. After 4/off 2/1 Opponent will double, you'll take, and cash if he misses. After 4/3/off Opponent won't double, but you'll lose more money. And then he wonders if -- other than these exceptions -- there are any times when it's correct to walk into a correct double/take instead of making the play that avoids a cube? Bob Koka  writes: How about this one? X to play 6-1: 24 23 22 21 20 +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | O O O O O | | | | O O O O O | | | | O O | | | | O O | | | | | | | +---+ | | | | | 1 | | | | | +---+ | | | X | | | | X | | X X X X | | X X | | X X X X O X | | X X | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The big play is 8/2, 6/5. If it works I think a cash for X. O has 20 shots giving a big advantage with a small gammon chance. I think it may be last- rollish enough to be an initial double from the bar. The safe play is 8/2, 8/7. X would definitely be losing but definitely not a cube for O. Equity seems to be lower than the big play. Raccoon  writes: Your example is a good one. After 8/2, 6/5*, O should double. The double rolls out 2-ply to about: ND = +0.072, D/T = +0.122. After 8/2, 8/7, O should not double, but has ND equity of about 0.300. An interesting point: by playing 8/2, 6/5*, X gives O a very inefficient double and gives himself a very efficient redouble when White misses. There is some similarity in those cube actions to the 020100 vs 010010 bearoff position. There, 4/off, 2/1 gave O a very inefficient last roll redouble. 4/3/off prevented that redouble for fear of X's very efficient redouble to 8 when O misses (despite that fear, however, X is better off winning 47% of the time with the cube on four than 34% of the time with the cube on 8!).   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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