Nahmad billionaire backgammon champion

David Nahmad, Billionaire art dealer & backgammon champion

David Nahmad. He is presented as a prime example of the game’s old guard: a wealthy player to whom the action comes simply because he’s got enough money and enough gamble to make it potentially worthwhile for certain players. His family, I’ve been told, is in the fine arts business and they have more or less cornered the market on Picassos. 

Nevertheless, he seems to be just as proud of having won the World Backgammon Championship in 1996, and his passion for the game is considerable.
A day later, over espressos at a beachfront restaurant near his apartment in Monte Carlo, he tells me that he views backgammon as being parallel to life itself. “The way you play, the way you attack, the way you defend yourself, it’s a picture of life,” says Nahmad, looking sporty in shorts and a golf shirt. “It gives you equilibrium.”

Reportedly a multibillionaire, Nahmad is not into backgammon for the money; he likes the competition, which is why he prefers tournaments to cash games, and enjoys the reality that one high-risk play in a tournament can cost you the entire event. In a cash game, you can do all the gambling you want and reach into your pocket to right the wrong. (Source)

In my view, tournaments and sit-and-go in Poker are a better way to find who the Best Player really is than cash games. In tournaments and sit-and-go you start with the exact same stack (amount of Money) that your opponent(s).