Backgammon isn't offered by any Las Vegas casinos for the simple reason that there's no house edge involved. The only way they could make money off the game would be to rent the space to the players, much as they do in poker games, and there simply isn’t enough demand to warrant giving over precious floor space to a game like backgammon. The only gambling on backgammon that takes place in Vegas is in high-stakes private money games, well away from which we'd recommend you stay, should you happen to stumble upon one!
However, there are some options in this city for the backgammon enthusiast. The Las Vegas Backgammon Club meets at 7 pm every Tuesday for tournaments at Jackson's Bar & Grill on the northeast corner of W. Flamingo and Jones. There's a $10 entry, with single elimination, 7 point matches, and $10 reentries. Anyone is welcome to go along to play, or simply to watch.
As far as the tournament you recall at Harrah’s is concerned, this was run by Howard Markowitz, founder and director of the Nevada Backgammon Association. Howard has been a backgammon enthusiast since the '70s and ran a couple of clubs in Chicago before moving to Vegas and founding the Nevada Association in 1992. He organizes bi-annual tournaments in town, which started at the Riviera, moved for a few years to Harrah's, and are now back at the Riv (which offers special room rates to participants). The tournaments are open to all and attract upwards of 250 players from all over the world, with entry fees ranging from $50 for beginners up to $500 at championship level. The next tournament is scheduled for April 26-30, 2006 and players must bring their own boards and be present to claim any prizes. Visit the Web site at www.nvbg.com for more information, or feel free to give Howard a call at 702/893-6025 (just bear in mind that he's on Pacific Standard Time, so don’t call in the middle of the night!).
