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Online Backgammon and Tournaments

Backgammon is one of the games that has seen growth in the past few years on a professional level. One of the main reasons is the improved prize pools that are being offered at these backgammon events. The World Series of Backgammon Tour is an event that is gaining popularity, even though it isn’t a mainstream show yet. Some very interesting things have come from it. If you want to play backgammon online, read on.

Most people only know Backgammon as a family-type board game, but it is actually a complex game that is played at the professional level. Perhaps it isn’t like chess, but it sure involves skill. The World Series of Backgammon Tour is a series of events that give players a chance of earning money. What is interesting about this series is that poker players are entering this game at record numbers giving it instant recognition. The analytical skills required in poker transfer well in Backgammon, making it a competitive game.

Backgammon Tournaments and Players

Today, backgammon tournaments are held worldwide.
There used to be a time when these tournaments were regional, but now it has advanced to the point that they are held worldwide. Open tournaments are the most popular as the prize money can be a good amount since it is open to all types of players.

Gus Hansen is one of the names that most people will recognize. He is a poker superstar that loves playing backgammon and tells everyone it is in his blood. He is not going to give up poker, but he has a real affection for backgammon and with his name recognition it can only help make backgammon a better known skill game. Many people do not realize that the game of backgammon is one of the oldest board games there is. Most of the best players are from the UK and Denmark as it is extremely popular in these countries, but it is slowly growing a fanbase in the United States as well.

Some of the top players are Karsten Bredahl, Bob Koca, Falafel Natanzon, and Rida Hassan. Of the Top 20 players in the World only one player is from the United States. The popularity of backgammon is growing in the United States, but it is nowhere near what it is worldwide. As the sport grows in the United States, you will start seeing more top ranked players from that country.

In early November, the Las Vegas Open is held and it is one of the biggest tournaments in the United States. In December, the California State backgammon tournament is held. During the year many overseas tournaments are held as well as some in the United States. As more tournaments are shown on television and talked about, backgammon will grow at a much quicker rate. Having some of the top poker stars entering backgammon tournaments is also something that helps the surge in popularity.

World Series Of Backgammon Tour TV coverage

The World Series of Backgammon Tour continues to attract attention for different reasons. The main reason that this skill game is seeing great growth is because of television and online coverage. For a game to grow, you need to have media coverage, and ESPN International provides it to the world. With Jessie Cantrell, John Clark, and Gus Hansen talking about it through this media, backgammon can only grow bigger than it already is.

The second thing that has made this sport grow is the Internet. For backgammon to grow, you need to have places players can meet up and online is the perfect solution. To discuss strategy, know the best places to play etc. Forum Casinos plans to launch a dedicated backgammon section in the near future.

Play Backgammon Online

So, with that said, where do I play? As with casinos, there are quite a few backgammon rooms but from personal experience and speaking with the visitors on Forum Casinos, the two best backgammon rooms are Play65 and PartyGammon.

Play65 is a Backgammon room that accepts US players, so it always has a couple thousand players online and ready to play. They hold multiple tournaments, some of which reach several thousand €. They have a promotion where you get a 40% bonus on your deposit. You can also play for free, so if you want to try it out click on the Play65 link. We will provide a full review of the backgammon room sometime in the future.

The second place to play online is PartyGammon, which is part of the large corporation PartyGaming, which also has PartyPoker, PartyCasino and so on. Playing here, you get the advantage to join a well established organization. First of all, they are well branded so there are a lot of players. Secondly, they are listed on the London Stock Exchange so your money is 100% safe.

I hope you learned something about online backgammon. See you at the boards, and try to win some money.