Online Backgammon Rating System

Hedge · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 18

I recently started playing online backgammon and I am just curious how player ratings are determined. Thanks to anyone who can explain.

Checker · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 10

Player ratings for online backgammon are based on your wins and on your losses. If you win a game your rating goes up, if you lose a game your rating goes down. It’s as simple as that.

The number of points your rating goes up or down is usually also dependent on the rating of your opponent. For instance, if you win to a player with a much higher rating then your own then your rating will go up much higher than it would if you played against a player with the same rating as you or a lower rating. On the other hand, if you lose to a player with a much lower rating then you then your rating will go down much more than if you lose to a player with a higher rating then you.

At first your rating may not be very accurate in expressing your backgammon abilities because it will take several games in order to raise or lower your rating to the point where it is accurate. However, once you have played a number of games the rating should be a good representation of your skills.

When you are looking at the ratings of other players it is important to also look at how many games they have played. The more games your opponent has played the more likely his or her rating is accurate.