Disorder

Ep75. What can Backgammon teach us about Ordering the Disorder?


Listen Later

What can games of skill and chance, of risk and reward – like Poker and Backgammon– teach diplomats, policymakers, and interested participants about how to Order the Disorder? 

 

In this episode, Jason Pack is joined by the former #1 Giant of Backgammon, Wilcox Snellings. In the 1990s, he was considered by his peers to be the best player in the world. The duo discuss: Wilcox’s upbringing, New York’s gambling culture, the milieu of high stakes gambling and its myriad lessons for confronting disorder with probabilistic calculations. 

 

The duo explore how concepts of expected value and game theory, which underpin modern economics, derive from gambling. They also explore the concepts popularized by Nate Silver in his new book 'On the Edge', which focuses on the dichotomy between ‘the River’ (i.e. the community of risk takers) and ‘the village’ (i.e. the community of PC, play-it-safe, left-leaning establishment elites). Wilcox and Jason explore how today’s crop of political leaders often fail to utilize the principles of risk vs reward calculations and fail to grasp inherent causal connections when making decisions. In the Ordering the Disorder section, Wilcox and Jason link the failure of left and centrist politicians in tackling the challenges of campaign finance, taxation equity, and income inequality to their risk averseness.  

 

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear its partner episode with Sander Lylloff the 2022 World Champion of Backgammon Subscribe to our Substack: https://natoandtheged.substack.com/  

 

Next week that special bonus episode will drop only on the Substack. 

 

Producer: George McDonagh 

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn 

 

Show Notes Links 

 

Listen to the World’s current number 1 Giant of Backgammon Mochy talking to Jason’s friend Etan Ilfeld: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-etan-ilfeld-podcast/id1500914118?i=1000671570803  

 

Venture into online backgammon and amongst the stars on Backgammon Galaxy: https://www.backgammongalaxy.com/  

 

For another more personal interview about Wilcox’s life: https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=Wilcox+Snellings&mid=801C99A1E7F69963E00A801C99A1E7F69963E00A&FORM=VIRE  

 

 

Read more about Nate Silver’s book https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/09/09/on-the-edge-the-art-of-risking-everything-nate-silver-book-review 

 

And a fairly cogent critique of Silver’s book:  

https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/09/20/on-the-edge-book-review-nate-silver-risk/  

 

Read Jason’s article written in Dubai three years ago about Backgammon, peace making, and the Abraham Accords: https://www.mei.edu/publications/personal-vantage-point-gamble-abraham-accords-dubais-first-international-backgammon  

 

Watch Jason Play a commentated tournament backgammon live from Dubai starting at 3:51:00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzDxx1yG78o  

 

Listen to current world number 1, Mochy on Backgammon and Life on the Etan Ilfeld Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-etan-ilfeld-podcast/id1500914118?i=1000671570803  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

DisorderBy Jason Pack & Evergreen Podcasts

  • 3.8
  • 3.8
  • 3.8
  • 3.8
  • 3.8

3.8

90 ratings


More shows like Disorder

View all
The New Statesman | UK politics and culture by The New Statesman

The New Statesman | UK politics and culture

145 Listeners

The Two Matts by The New World

The Two Matts

70 Listeners

Oh God, What Now? by Podmasters

Oh God, What Now?

197 Listeners

The Bunker – News without the nonsense by Podmasters

The Bunker – News without the nonsense

101 Listeners

Byline Podcast by Adrian Goldberg

Byline Podcast

22 Listeners

This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler by Podmasters

This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

152 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

2,999 Listeners

Battleground by Goalhanger

Battleground

317 Listeners

The News Agents by Global

The News Agents

906 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics: Leading by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics: Leading

859 Listeners

The Rest Is Money by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Money

194 Listeners

Behind The Lines with Arthur Snell by Arthur Snell

Behind The Lines with Arthur Snell

35 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics: US by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics: US

2,156 Listeners

Quiet Riot by Alex Andreou, Naomi Smith, Kenny Campbell

Quiet Riot

40 Listeners

The Rest Is Classified by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Classified

845 Listeners