Backgammon Online

Knowing some strategies and tips will help you decide how to position your chips on the board so that you can make the best use of the dice rolls -- make your own luck!

• Hit or make a point (make a point : placing two or more chips on a point), but hitting is generally preferred.
• The most important point to make is your opponent's 5-point as well as your own 5-point. Then make your 4-point and 7-point.
• Split your runners (runners : the 2 chips that start in opponent's home board on their 1-point) early in the game, before your opponent has a chance to make points in their home board.
• Try to make points, especially in your home board so that you opponent has less options to re-enter the board once on the bar.
• If you must leave a blot (blot : a single chip on a point), try to make it at least 7 points away from getting hit by your opponent's chip. (Probability shows that rolling a sum of more than 6 is less likely than a sum of less than 6, and that a sum of 6 or having 6 on either die is greater than both.)
• Leave blots early in the game as builders/slots (slot : a blot you plan to cover on your next turn), but avoid leaving blots if you are ahead in the game.
• Leave no more than 4 blots.
• Have no more than 6 chips on one point.
• Keep your chips within 6 points of each other so you can cover a chip or safely land a chip.
• If your opponent makes an advanced anchor (advanced anchor : an anchor on opponent's 5-point, 4-point, or 3-point), try to make one yourself.
• If you have a closed board (closed board : a prime in a home board) and the pip advantage, bear off from your higher chips first.
• If your opponent has an anchor (anchor : a point made in opponent's home board), try to maintain an even number of chips on your highest points so that when bearing off, you will lessen the chance of a blot should you roll high doubles.
• If you have to break up a prime, start with the point farthest from home.