grenv: Ratings are an approximation and are no better than the data on which they are based. In backgammon, random factors dominate the early ratings, so a player's rating is really reliable until they have a few hundred games behind them. The ratings aren't bogus, but unquestioning reliance upon them is. They are only an indication of ability, not proof. As you have observed, playing style is the ultimate proof of ability; not even won-loss record is better in that regard.