Backgammon - How to and Where to Play

Ladbrokes - no download

Ladbrokes offer a no download backgammon game with options of playing for free or money,

The Ladbrokes tutorial is a must see if you don't know how to play the game and even experienced users will find it useful, Backgammon at Ladbrokes

With better rakes than the competition you can see why it makes sense to play backgammon at Ladbrokes. They also have lots of open tables, a regular tournament section.

Play 65

Play 65 are a download only site play65 are probably one of the biggest online backgammon sites which is why we are promoting them here.

Play65 tournaments - A backgammon tournament is a competition, which involves a relatively large number of backgammon players at the same game table. Backgammon tournaments contain multiple matches, each involving a subset of competitors. The overall backgammon tournament winner will be determined based on the combined results of those individual matches.

Play65™ offers a variety of backgammon tournaments for any backgammon player, who wishes to play against several opponents at the same game table. Play65™'s daily or monthly backgammon tournaments include: Sit and Go's, swing, satellite and knock out tournaments.

How to Play Backgammon - the aim of the game is to remove all your checkers before your opponent simple enough you may say, if only, this is a game of infinite skill and moves and to play well takes a lot of thought. Firstly setting up the board the board is divided into two sides each containing 12 triangles called points making a total of 24 points, each player starts with 2 checkers on the 24 point, 3 checkers on their 8 point and 5 checkers on both their 13 and 6 points each player will move their checkers in opposing directions from the 24 point down to the one point and finally off the board althogether.

Points 1 - 6 are called the home or inner board and points 7 - 12 are the outer board.

To start the game each player rolls a single die the one throwing the highest goes first using the die thrown. (in the event of a tie both players throw again until one throws higher.) Checkers must always be moved according to the number showing on the dice as long as their is a legal move available. You can move one or two checkers and in the event of throwing a double you can move one two or four checkers. You cannot move checkers to a point occupied by two or more of your opponents checkers, however if they have a single checker on a point (known as a blot) you can land on that point and the checker is moved to the middle bar. Play Backgammon – Win Money!

Checkers on the bar must be replaced on the opposing players home board at the point indicated by the die for instance a roll of 4 puts the checker on the 21 point a roll of 3 puts the checker on the 22 point.

Once all your checkers are on your home board you can then commence to bear them off. According to the numbers shown on the dice. A roll of 3 allows you to bear off any checkers on your 3 point or you may move checkers from your 4, 5 or 6 points closer to your one point if you throw a 6 you must first remove checkers from your 6 point if there aren't any you can start removing from the next highest point.

If you remove all your checkers before your opponent has bore off any of theirs then you have won a gammon which counts as a double if you bear off whilst your opponent has checkers on the bar or in your home board then you have won a backgammon which counts for triple.

Doubling cube - in order to speed up match play and an added strategy tool, a doubling cube is normally used. A doubling cube is a six sided die marked with the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64, before rolling the dice on their turn a player may demand that the game be played for twice the current stakes, an opponent must accept the double or resign however on acceptance ownership passes to the player accepting and only they can redouble.

Jacoby Rule this is usually used in money play but not in match play, this rule allows gammons and backgammons to count for the higher values only if the cube has been offered and accepted.

Crawford Rule usually only used in match play to make things more equitable for the player in the lead