Backgammon has grown to become of the preferred online games these days. The game requires a mix of skill as well as luck making it a thrilling experience. However, you must know how to play the game before you can start to enjoy it.
The primary goal
Your primary objective in the game of backgammon is to move the given checkers to your side and then off the board before he/she can manage to do so. Each player gets 15 checkers to play with.
Beginning the game
Playing the online version of backgammon is not very different from playing the land-based version of the game. A board turns up on the screen and a throw of the die decides who starts the game. Each player is supposed to throw a couple of dice in each turn and move their respective checkers accordingly. If a player manages a double, he/she is entitled to four moves.
However, keep in mind that the checkers can only be moved in the direction of the opponent’s side. Again, these checkers can only be placed in a square that is unoccupied, occupied by the same players checker or one that has not more than one of the opponent’s checker.
The skill of hitting
If you can manage to get your checker at a spot that has been taken by one of your opponent’s checker, that particular checker is said to be “hit”. This leads to that players checker being removed from the board and to the bar.
Bring In
If you suffer the aforementioned “hit”, you will be required to bring in your checker from the bar so you can continue your game. This checker is placed at the starting position. However, if you fail to throw the required combination on the dice, you miss a turn.
What is the Bear Off?
Once you have managed to pull all your checkers into your homefield, you can start bearing them off. This is when you can actually begin to remove your checkers off the board. These checkers are to be removed from the homefield only if you can manage to get the right numbers. The player who is able to bear off all his/her checkers wins the game.
Scoring
The first player to bear off all the checkers wins a point. On the other hand, if a player is able to remove all the checkers off the board before the opponent could even start, he/she is entitled to two points; also known as a Gammon. Again, if a player manages to bear off all the checkers while the opponent still has at least a single checker in the winner’s homefield, the winner gets three points.
Tips for Online Backgammon
If you have not been initiated into online backgammon, it is better that you play for fun before you can risk bets. Most websites offering online backgammon have an option that allows players to play for fun. Once you learn the tips and tricks of the game, you can then move on to playing for real money.
There are various betting amounts that you can use to bet but it is always better to start small. Start with an amount such as $2 and once you are sure about how to play, you can take your bets up to a couple of hundred dollars as well. However, the multiples of tens are the most commonly used bets.
