play backgammon for money

Backgammon for money – Win with your gammon skills!

Playing Backgammon for money – One of the benefits of living in modern times is seeing your favorite games revived in a digital format, and Backgammon is no exception. Thanks to modern technology, this ancient board game has found its way from the park benches and pubs in your neighborhood to the online world.

And just like you could challenge your friends in a game of backgammon with real money stakes, you now can also win cash by playing it online.

Types of Online Backgammon

Up until a while ago you might have been able to find more backgammon variations online, but the choices today are more limited. In short, you can find one or more of the following variants;

  • Classic Backgammon – played with standard rules, as described below.
  • Acey Deucey – a variation where you would have to first bear your checkers “on” before you can bear them off the board. Also, if you roll an “acey deucey” (1 and 2) you can play the roll as well as choose any doubles to play after the roll. You also get an extra turn.
  • LongGammon – just like classic backgammon, only all 15 checkers are placed on your point 1
  • Multiplayer – play backgammon against another human opponent online

BackGammon
An ancient boardgame for a minimum of two people (multiplayer version available). Players can win by moving pieces after throwing the dice and defeat their opponent.
Pur Skill Gammon variations
  • No Chance Backgammon – Created by famous backgammon player Naim Çagman. In this version players select the numbers to be played. So not like a normal game with rolling the dice
  • Domino Backgammon – Matt Crispin is the founder of this game. Instead of playing with dice the player use dominos
  • Grasshopper – Another variation of Matt Crispin, the racing game without the use of dice
Possible outcome of dice
6-6: 1/36
11: 2/36 (two 6-5s)
5-5: 1/36
10: 2/36 (two 6-4s)
9: 4/36 (two 6-3s, two 5-4s)
4-4: 1/36
8: 4/36 (two 6-2s, two 5-3s)
7: 6/36 (two 6-1s, two 5-2s, two 4-3s)
3-3: 1/36
6: 4/36 (two 5-1s, two 4-2s)
5: 4/36 (two 4-1s, two 3-2s)
2-2: 1/36
4: 2/36 (two 3-1s)
3: 2/36 (two 2-1s)
1-1: 1/36
Backgammon - Chance or Skill?!
In 1982, in the United States, a court case about backgammon commenced, the prosecutor stating the game was primarily gambling and should not become competitive, although eventually it was ruled as a game that uses skill.

US PLAYERS ACCEPTED

Backgammon is […] a gambling game which requires both luck and skill. […] Luck keeps the game interesting, but skillfull play will always be rewarded! – Paul Magriel

Skills Gambling the future for all casinos

Online casinos have realized that the new generation does not want to participate in a game where the player has no control. A “fair chance” is the new guideline for casinos both land-based and online.

To achieve that there needs to be an element of skill which provides partial control. If one is skilled enough one can win more money. This way the player has a chance to get better whilst mastering the game. Are your skills up to par?!

How to Play Backgammon for money?

Backgammon is a bit more complicated than other board games like Dominoes for example. But it’s nothing you can’t learn with a step-by-step approach. The first step in mastering it is to learn the board:

  • A backgammon board is divided into two halves: the home board and the outer board.
  • Each half has 12 triangles which are called the points – 6 at the top and 6 at the bottom, for a total of 24 across the board.
  • The right half of the board is called the home board.
  • The barrier between the two halves is called the jump bar.
  • The left half is called the outer board.

The object of the game is to move your checkers from point 1 (starting triangle) to point 24, in a clock-wise or counter-clockwise direction, depending on the game, and then bear them off (remove them) of the board. The first player is determined by who has the highest number in the first roll.

The 3 Winning Outcomes

  1. Regular Win – when you bear off all your checkers and the opponent has at least one checker beared off. Payouts are according to the basic stake and doubling cube. If the cube hasn’t been used, you win a 1:1 payout.
  2. The Gammon – when you bear off all your checkers before your opponent has beared off any. In this case, the payoff is doubled. The doubling also applies when the doubling dice was used to raise the stakes.
  3. The Backgammon – when you bear off all checkers before your opponent has beared off any, but there are also some of his checkers on your home board. In this case, the basic stake is tripled.

Backgammon Fun Facts

  • Backgammon is believed to be 5,000 years old.
  • Some of the earliest written accounts date back to the Sanskrit literature of the 6th century, when a Persian Physcian Burzoe was credited with the invention of the game.
  • One of the most famous Backgammon players is Tim Holland, who won the first world championship in 1967 in Vegas and has won more major tournaments than anyone in history.
  • Playboy owner Hugh Hefner was a passionate fan of the game.

The Doubling Cube

The doubling cube is a dice that sits on the right side of the board and has the numbers: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 painted on its side. The object of the cube is to increase the starting bet by the set number of times. So, when you want to double the stakes, you take the doubling cube and set in on 2 at the middle of the board.

Once one player decides to double the stakes, the opponent has to accept or forfeit the game. If he accepts, then the next decision to double lies with him, and so forth.

Check out this video to learn more about playing backgammog for money.

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Bearing Off

The final object of a game of backgammon is to bear off your checkers. You can only do this after moving all 15 checkers to your home board. Once you do this, you roll your dice and then pick one checker from the corresponding home points. So, if you roll a 6 and 2, you move one checker from your 2 point and one from your 6, and so on.

If there’s no checker in your corresponding point, you then choose a checker from the next-highest point. If your opponent hits your checker while bearing off, you have to move it all the way back before resuming your bear-off.

Hitting a “Blot”

When a point is occupied by one checker, it’s called a “blot”. When your opponent has a “blot”, you can “hit” his checker and remove it from the board. The hit checker will then be placed on the jump bar and has to be re-entered on your opponent’s next roll and vice versa.

When your checker is on the bar, you roll the dice and then re-enter it to the corresponding open point or “blot” on your opponent’s side. So, if you roll a 2, you move it to your opponent’s point 2. If there’s no free point, you forfeit the turn.

Conclusion about the Backgammon for money game

A classic game of skill that has been enjoyed for millennia not just centuries, backgammon has unsurprisingly won over millions of fans. A true test for any strategic player and more lucrative than many games of skill, this game is the middle ground for those who are looking for a challenge but are not quite into gambling. And thanks to the Internet, you can now play it anytime, anywhere.