Backgammon – One of the Most Ancient Games Steps Into the Future – an article by Gene Marshall

Ask most people about leisure activity in the Ancient World and they will probably mention the sport of hunting, Greek athletics, or the cruel contests staged between Roman gladiators and wild animals. It will therefore come as a surprise to many that one of today’s most popular games – backgammon – actually has a history going back some five thousand years. Nobody knows for such who was the first person to invent the backgammon game but scholars believe it was devised or developed in the area today occupied by Iran and Iraq.

Since written descriptions of how to play backgammon had not yet been discovered, it is hard to know for sure that the backgammon rules of ancient Persia were similar to the ones we are familiar with today. The fact that the design of the backgammon board with the twenty four narrow divisions known as points, and the fifteen round counters, and the dice whose throws determine the counter movements, were all part of the ancient game, does suggest it had a great deal in common with the contemporary version.

Backgammon was popularized further by the Romans and became a favorite game of the Emperor Claudius, and the fate of the opponent foolish enough to let Claudius lose can only be imagined. The Roman version of backgammon, known as tabula (from the Latin for table) was played exclusively for money, what we would today term backgammon gambling. The thought of going to play backgammon for the fun alone does not seem to have been part of that cultural milieu.

The spread of the backgammon game around the world continued after the collapse of the Roman Empire, however it was not until the 1740’s that the backgammon rules were first published. The introduction of commercially produced backgammon sets at a price that most people could easily afford, also played a role in making the game available to people all around the world.

The developments in the first five thousand years of backgammon gave no inkling of that at the end of the twentieth century, backgammon stood on the verge of a major revolution. The introduction of online backgammon has initiated a major explosion in interest in the game, and brought it to a whole new, predominantly young audience. The ability to download Internet backgammon as free backgammon has meant there is no longer any need to even buy a backgammon set but you can have a high quality 3-D backgammon game setup on your own computer. Although the long-lasting appeal of backgammon gambling has given a major push to the popularity of the backgammon online games, the chance to play against a sophisticated backgammon computer and play against players from all around the world, are also key attractions. In addition the online game allows players to play at a time that suits them, and from the comfort of their own home. All the information required to learn the rules of the game and understand backgammon strategy is now available online – players have never had it easier.

The Author:

Internet backgammon professional Gene Marshall writes for several top backgammon web sites. The author contributes articles about online backgammon and recommended backgammon playing strategies. More works by Gene Marshall related to backgammon can be obtained on the net.

This article explains how gambling occurs within the game of Backgammon.    

Backgammon is played as a series of games, with the winner of each game earning one point. The overall winner is the first to reach a set number of points, say 5. So in this example, the first to win 5 games takes the crown.  Alternatively there may be a set time limit or a set number of games and the person with the most points at the end wins.

If you want to play for money you can either set a fixed stake for each game, or for the match, both players put their money down and the winner takes the pot, or you can agree a monetary value per point, so that the more points the winner gets, the bigger their prize.

Seems straightforward? Yes indeed, but this simple system is spiced up by the addition of the ‘doubling cube’ which brings a exciting gambling element to the game.
 

The doubling cube

The doubling cube is used to raise the stakes in an individual game. The stakes may be points or a sum of money, depending on the type of game being played. 

The doubling cube looks like a large dice but with the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 on its faces. It is initially placed in the middle of the bar with the ‘64,’ face up, though its actual value at the beginning of the game is 1 (there is no 1 face). As long as it stays in this position the stakes remain at their original level.

If you reach a position in the game where you feel confident of winning, on your turn and before you roll the game dice, you can choose to turn the doubling cube to ‘2’ to announce a double.  This challenges your opponent to double the stakes of the game. The other player must now make a decision: either accept the double and continue the game at a twice the stakes, or refuse the double and concede the game for its current value.
 
If your opponent accepts the double they take control over the cube. The option to use the cube now rests with them. If at some point they feel that the game has turned in their favour they can ‘redouble’, turning the cube to ‘4’. The decision is now yours as to whether you will accept the re-double and take over the cube, or concede the game.

Control of the doubling cube is passed between the players in this way with each given the option to ‘redouble’ at any time before they roll the dice.

So the stakes increase 1-2-4-8-16-32-64 with each use of the cube. If it is at, say, 16 then the stakes are now at 16 times the original value. The doubling cube is really just used to keep track of the enhanced value of the stake. (Incidentally, whilst it is customary to use a doubling cube, in actual fact the process of doubling can occur without one. If a cube is not available you can just keep a written record of the stake value.)

If a player declines a double or a redouble they concede the game immediately and must pay winnings to the other player at the last doubling value that was accepted.

The importance of the doubling cube is particularly apparent if you get gammon or backgammon: 

• If you bear off all of your checkers before the other player has borne off any of theirs, you have ‘gammoned’ your opponent. Ordinarily a gammon is worth 2 points (or double money). If a doubling cube is in use, the game is thus worth twice the value of the doubling cube. So, for example if you are playing $10 per point and the doubling cube is set at 8, you win $10 x 2 x 8 = $160.
• If you bear off all your checkers before the other player has borne off any of theirs, and while they have at least one checker left in your home board or on the bar, you have ‘backgammoned’ your opponent. Ordinarily a backgammon is worth 3 points, or triple money. With the doubling cube in use the game is worth three times the value of the doubling cube. So in the example above a backgammon would win you the grand total of $10 x 3 x 8 = $240.

The Beaver Rule – and other animals

The ‘Beaver’ rule may often be used in money games, though not in match-play or tournaments.

Normally, when a player announces a double they lose control of the doubling cube.  If the ‘Beaver’ rule is being played, the player to whom the double has been offered can opt to immediately announce a redouble and still maintain control of the cube. This is called a ‘beaver’. 
 
In some circumstances the players may agree to other animals being allowed in the game! This works as follows:

1. Player One believes he has the upper hand and doubles
2. Player Two feels this confidence is misplaced and immediately says ‘BEAVER’ and re-doubles, turning the cube to 4
3. Player One is adamant of their superiority and redoubles again, calling ‘RACCOON’ and moving the cube to 8.
4. Player Two could if he likes turn the cube again, naming some other creature. 

The Crawford rule

The Crawford rule is another option which can be brought into a game. This states that if either player is just one point away from winning the match, the next game is played without the doubling cube. If the match is still not over after that game the doubling cube comes back in use.
The reason for this rule is that the weaker player is inclined to simply double and redouble because they have nothing to lose. They are seen as having an ‘unfair’ opportunity to use the doubling cube to snatch victory against the run of play.

The Jacoby rule

This optional rule is sometimes used in money games. It states that a backgammon or gammon may not be scored as such once the doubling cube is in play. This is to avoid the possibility of one player taking a huge number of points in one game and skewing the match to an excessive degree. 

copyright The-Backgammon-Guide 2007