Optional Rules

1. Automatic doubles. If identical numbers are thrown on the first roll, the stakes are doubled. The doubling cube is turned to 2 and remains in the middle. Players usually agree to limit the number of automatic doubles to one per game. 
2. Beavers. When a player is doubled, he may immediately redouble (beaver) while retaining possession of the cube. The original doubler has the option of accepting or refusing as with a normal double. 
3. The Jacoby Rule. Gammons and backgammons count only as a single game if neither player has offered a double during the course of the game. This rule speeds up play by eliminating situations where a player avoids doubling so he can play on for a gammon.

Getting To Know Backgammon

Originating in Rome, the game of Backgammon is a very entertaining one that many people enjoy for hours upon hours. Backgammon has the appearance of checkers, but really doesn't have much in common with the game of checkers other than that. The game involves counting dice. Being able to play this game in online casinos allows the players of this game to enjoy it whenever they want without the danger of brick-and-mortar casino betting.

Knowing The Rules

There are many rules associated with the game of backgammon:

* Backgammon is meant for two players, no more, no less.

* Either player has the opportunity to go first, so the colors of checkers you play with does not matter. First player is determined by who has the highest count on their dice thrown. Dice thrown from each player to determine who goes first is the dice count for the first player's move.

* Two pairs of six-sided dice are best for the game - giving each player one pair. Dice cups are often used in order to avoid dice manipulation.

* The backgammon board has 24 triangles that are in alternating colors - these are referred to as points. Six points make up a quadrant.

* Each player has an inner board and an outer board - separated by the bar (where checkers are located after they get hit).

Getting Down To Play-Time

* The object of the game is to bear all of your checkers first. After moving your pieces around the board and returning to their inner board, a player starts the bear off where they try to collect all of their checkers before the other player.

* The dies thrown can be split up between two players or all used for one player. The number on the dice is the number a single player can move - no more, no less.

* You can move your checker to any point with your checkers on them or no more than one of your opponent's checkers. You can also move to points that have no checkers on them.

* Rolling doubles gives you double the count that you can move using up to four checkers.

* If a player lands where an opponent's single checker is, that opponent's piece is moved to the bar and the player's piece replaces theirs. This is called a hit.

* Pieces can be removed from the bar when the roll of one dice will move that piece to a point where an opponent is not located in the opponent's inner board. If you cannot get out of the bar, the turn goes to the opponent.

* The bear off cannot begin until all of a player's checkers are on the player's inner board.

* If during a bear off, you get hit by your opponent, the hit checker moves to the bar and the bear off can't continue until that piece is back in your inner board.

Simple Guide For The Newbie Backgammon Player

Backgammon, a game that has been played for centuries by several different cultures, is still one of the most popular board games played today, and is enjoyed by people worldwide in real live circumstances and also online backgammon is enjoyed nowadays as well, where people can download backgammon software or play for free. New players to the backgammon board game could start to learn how to play backgammon by learning some of the basics every beginner should know. This includes understanding the backgammon board, backgammon set up, the object of the backgammon game, and backgammon instructions.

The board used for the game is compromised of four quadrants, each quadrant containing 6 "points," which essentially add up to 24 long pointy triangles, 12 on each side of the board (2 quadrants on each side). The points on the backgammon set may be numbered 1 through 24 starting in the lower right hand corner and going around clockwise to understand backgammon setup, and checkers are set up on the board in a specific sequence. 2 checkers are placed on the 24 point, 5 on the 13 point, 3 on the 8 point and again 5 on the 6 point for one of the players. The checkers for the second player are set up directly opposite the board with the same number of checkers, so that there are 2 checkers placed on the 1 point (which is directly across the 24 point), 5 on the 12 point (directly across the 13 point), 3 on the 17 point, and 5 on the 19 point.

The goal of the backgammon game is simple. With each turn the player rolls their dice and moves their checkers according to what the numbers on the dice add up to. If a player gets two of the same number, or a double, they get to move their checkers double their turn. For example, if a player gets a double 6, they can move a total of 24 spaces, but they must move each checker in lumps of 6. Each player is moving their checkers in the opposite direction around the board, first to get all their checkers into their homeboard, and then slowly bearing them off.

To start the game, each player rolls the dice once, and the player with the higher number gets the first turn. Winning the game is dependent on both luck and skill. Luck comes, obviously, with the roll of the dice, and skill comes when players must choose which checkers are the best to move. When a checker is left alone, unguarded by another checker, the opponent can "hit" that checker by landing on it if they get the right number on their dice roll to land exactly on the same point, and that checker that is hit then goes to the bar, where it can only be brought down again with a roll that allows for it to land on an empty point. These are the several simple aspects of the game, and perfection and skill comes with practice and patience.