Backgammon Online

27-Oct-2010
11:09 PST

I've noticed three

if i have two counters captured, I invariably throw a double
When I'm in a close count off, my opponent nearly always throws a double
I quite often throw a double when I only have one or two counters to count off.

Am I the only one who's noticed dice roll patterns? If i'm not, nail your dice rolling patterns to the mast here;

28-Oct-2010
07:49 PST

Grab68, I have noticed that there are times when I only have one or two pieces remaining and roll doubles. Great. Just when I needed it. Not. But there are many other times when I don't roll the doubles.

As for whether my opponent throws doubles in a close count off, if there were something with the dice program wouldn't the same thing be happening to your opponent? That is to say, wouldn't you be the beneficiary of the doubles in the close game?

I haven't noticed a pattern when I have two pieces captured, but I can't imagine there's anything different from when I have one or none.

I think that with all of the games we play, its more likely that the games with some weird rolls stick out for one reason or another. And its usually not the games where WE get the rolls that do  

28-Oct-2010
19:57 PST

I swear, if I only have one stone outside my inner table, and it is in my outer table. The dice will add up to whatever is needed to bear off the outer stone. So, that there is only one way to play the roll.  

I'm not saying it happens every time. Just thought, I'd through a new conspiracy out there 

29-Oct-2010
07:41 PST

People have been complaining since the site opened that the random number generator is flawed. As you know, ZE now shows us the overall dice statistics and they look pretty random. I have done some similar comparisons for specific situations, e.g., do people throw doubles more often when they are behind and pull out miracle victories, and I haven't seen any evidence that's happening. If you really think there's a pattern, I encourage you to keep a record of every time the situation occurs and how often the strange roll comes up. What proportion of the time do you really throw doubles when you have two counters captured? I would bet almost anything that it is around 1/6. You just remember the times when you do roll doubles. I am the same way, except that I swear my opponent rolls doubles quite often when they have two men on the bar. But then I think again and remember the many more times they don't roll doubles. It's just so annoying when they do that those instances stick in my head.

So my appeal is to do some systematic counting rather than providing anecdotal evidence if you really want to show that something nonrandom is happening.

30-Oct-2010
06:31 PST

I notice waves of things. Like, I swear this week, I've rolled a lot of 2-2s, when I got 2 on the bar.