Introduction
Play65 offers online backgammon
where you can compete with other players from all over the
world. You can play using "fun money" or you can play using real
money. There is no charge when you play for fun money.
In order to play, you have to
download client
software from Play65's web site. Go to
http://www.play65.com
and select Click to Play to begin the installation
process. Your computer must be running Windows.
During installation, you are
prompted to select a player name and password. I used my real
name, jasonblaine; many people use a pseudonym. You might
have to try a few times to find a name which is not already
taken.
Playing for the First Time
If you don't know the rules of
backgammon, you should review them
here before you
start to play.
I found the software a little
daunting at first. A couple pop-up windows appear right after
you log in. One window asks you to sign up to play for real
money. Another window tells you about the current month's
events. Just close these for now; you can come back to them
later if you want.
When you finally get past the
introductions, this is what the lobby screen looks like:
The main part of the screen
shows who's playing:
I found it helpful to watch a
game or two before playing myself. You can click on Watch
to view a game somebody else is playing.
Playing a Game
 When
you click on Join, a window pops up to show you the rules
that your opponent wants to play. The sorts of things that can
be negotiated are:
- The stakes per point;
e.g., $3 a point.
- The maximum amount you
can win or lose; e.g., $12.
- Whether you are using a
doubling cube and, if so, whether you are playing
beavers.
- Whether it is a single
game or a
match.
- If playing a match, the
length of the match and whether the
Crawford rule
will be used.
If you agree to the terms set out
by your opponent, click the check mark and wait for your
opponent to agree also. Or maybe you want to change some of the
conditions first. Suppose you want to play for lower stakes.
Just type the new stakes you want to play for and then click the
check mark. Hopefully the other player will agree.
Once you both agree on the
conditions of play, the game begins and a window pops up showing
the playing board.
The Playing Board
The playing board is nicely laid
out and easy to use.
I found the user-interface
very natural. When you want to roll the dice, just click your
mouse on the dice. Moving the checkers is easy too. Drag and
drop the checkers where you want to move them. The numbers on
the dice dim as you move the checkers to remind you which
numbers you've played.
A slightly faster method of
moving the checkers is to simply click on the checker you want
to move. Use the right mouse button to click on the checker you
want to move using the larger number on the dice; use the left
button to click on the checker you want to move using the lower
number.
When you're finished your
turn, click on the dice to pick them up.
Time Controls
Every game is timed to ensure
that play proceeds at a reasonable pace. You can play either at
Normal speed (45 sec/turn) or Fast speed (25 sec/turn). This the
amount of time you have available to roll the dice and move your
checkers. If you can't finish in the required time, a global
timer with extra time on it begins to count down. The global
timer starts each game at 150 seconds if you are playing Normal
speed or 90 seconds if playing Fast speed. If you run out of
time on your global timer, you lose the game.
I find even 25 seconds per
turn plenty of time. In fact I'd prefer something faster; maybe
10 or 15 seconds per turn.
Playing for Fun Money
You can play for fun money or for
real money. When you play for fun money you start with $100 in
your account. You win and lose fun money the same as if you're
playing for real money. The only difference is—and it's an
important one—if you ever lose all your fun money, your $100
gets magically restored again. You never really run out of fun
money.
Playing for fun is free. The
overall quality of competition is not quite as high as on the
money side of the site, but there are still some very good
players there. It's a lot of fun to try to build up your money
over time. Games are rated, so you are also trying to improve
your rating.
Ratings
allow you to find opponents of approximately equal ability.
Playing for Real Money
Before you can play for real
money, you must fill out a form giving personal information such
as your name, address, e-mail address, and telephone number. You
must also read and agree to the
user agreement.
It doesn't cost anything to
sign up to play for real money. You don't even have to make a
deposit! Play65 will give you $2 free to get you started.
One benefit of playing for
real money is that you can have your games recorded. This allows
you to review them later to see what errors you made. Computer
programs, such as Jellyfish,
Snowie,
and GNU
Backgammon, can do this analysis for you automatically.
Games are saved in
.GAM
or .MAT
format, depending on whether you're playing single games or
matches. (For information on how to load
.GAM files into Gnu
Backgammon, see this post.)
The Rake
When you play for money, the
house charges a rake. This is a service fee to pay for running
the site and handling the money. The size of the rake depends on
the amount you are playing for, the players' ratings, and
whether you are playing a match or a single game. The following
chart outlines the rakes in effect at the time of writing this
review. The winner pays the rake for both players.
| |
Single Game |
Match to
n Points |
|
$.50 to $20 |
4.9% |
3.9% + .25% × n (max 7.9%) |
|
$20 to $100 |
3.9% |
3.4% + .25% ×
n (max 6.9%) |
|
Over $100 |
2.9% |
2.9% + .25% ×
n (max 5.9%) |
|
Example 1:
You play a single game and win $10. The commission is 49
cents for you and 49 cents for your opponent. As winner,
you pay both players' commission, so you receive $9.02. |
|
Example 2:
You play a five-point match and win $10. The commission
is 51.5 cents for you and 51.5 cents for your opponent,
so you receive $8.97. |
The rake may be further
increased or decreased according to the players' ratings. For
example:
- The rake is decreased
by 50% when both players are over 1700.
- The rake is increased
by 50% (or more) when there is more than a 100-point
difference between the players' ratings.
I like the reduction by 50% for
players who are rated over 1700. It gives you an incentive to do
well so you can enjoy the reduced commission. It also attracts
good players to the site. For full details and Play65's current
commission schedule refer to Play65
Automatic Game Resolution
 Occasionally
connection problems mean a game has to be abandoned. If either
player loses their connection for more than five minutes, Play65
will resolve the game automatically.
It does this using a special
version of BG Blitz. The program analyzes the game, determines
each player's chances of winning, and splits the pot
accordingly. Both players receive an e-mail message explaining
what happened.
Withdrawing Money
You can withdraw money by a
variety of methods. The minimum withdrawal is $20. To withdraw
money, click on "Cashier" at the lower left of the lobby screen.
The withdrawal screen shows buttons for Neteller, PayPal,
Moneybookers, wire transfer, and bank draft. I selected PayPal
and withdrew $20. The money showed up in my PayPal account two
and a half days later.
Tournaments
Play65 offers a variety of
sit-and-go or event tournaments (including play-for-fun
tournaments). Check the current month's
calendar
to see what tournaments are scheduled. I haven't tried any of
the tournaments yet. I'll update this section when I do.
Play65 versus GammonEmpire
Are Play65 and GammonEmpire the
same thing? Yes and no. Both sites licence their technology from
LogicEmpire, which developed the software that runs the site.
And both sites have the same pool of players. The only
difference from a player's perspective is that they are marketed
by different organizations.
|
Terminology
|
|
Event Tournament. A
tournament which begins at a specified date and time.
Freeroll Tournament. A
tournament with no entry fee. On Play65, you can use
your stars to enter freeroll tournaments.
Rake. A fee charged by
the house and collected from the winner's proceeds.
Satellite Tournament. A
tournament in which the winner receives free entry to
another tournament. |
Sit-and-go Tournament. A
tournament which begins when a specified number of
players register.
Series (Match). A series
of games between two players that ends when one player
wins by accumulating the required number of points.
Single Game. The normal
style of competition in which games are played
independently.
Table Stakes. The
betting limit on a single game. This is the maximum
amount you can win or lose. |
Conclusion - Pros
- The user interface is
easy and natural to use. The controls are simple and
straightforward. It's obvious a lot of thought has gone into
creating the client software.
- The graphics and sound
effects are great. (You can turn off the sound.) The country
flags and color-coded skill levels are a nice touch.
- There is a large pool of
players to compete against; you can find competition at
every level.
- Play is free if you stay
on the fun-money side.
Conclusion - Cons
- The client software
crashes occasionally. Fortunately when this happens you can
just restart, log in, and your game is resumed
automatically.
- There are a couple
features missing some people might want: (1) There is no
Jacoby rule. (2) There is no way to flip the orientation of
the board so that checkers bear off on the left instead of
the right.
|
