Backgammon and luck

[Robertie]

There's much less variance in backgammon than in a poker session of the same length. Skill manifests itself very quickly. When beginners play each other, the game seems high variance because the players are making pretty random moves, but if you watch an expert play a beginner for a few hours, it won't seem like there's much of any luck at all. A top player will average 6-10 points per hour against a weak player.

In the 1970s, when backgammon was a craze of its own, many chess masters and experts gave up chess and moved to backgammon. Not all were successful, but those who adapted made up most of the world's best players a few years later.