Backgammon is an exciting, tactical game. This Cheat Sheet gives you some of the essential info you’ll need on your way to becoming a master backgammon player.
Backgammon starting positions
Knowing the starting positions in backgammon is very important. Before you start playing the game in earnest, be sure to lay out your board like this.
Dice number-rolling odds in backgammon
Knowing how many ways you can roll any specific number naturally (the roll contains the desired number) or in combination is very useful in backgammon. The following table shows the chances that a roll contains or combines to the numbers from 1 to 12.
| Number | Chance of Rolling It |
|---|---|
| 1 | 11 |
| 2 | 12 |
| 3 | 14 |
| 4 | 15 |
| 5 | 15 |
| 6 | 17 |
| 7 | 6 |
| 8 | 6 |
| 9 | 5 |
| 10 | 3 |
| 11 | 2 |
| 12 | 3 |
| 15 | 1 |
| 16 | 1 |
| 18 | 1 |
| 20 | 1 |
| 24 | 1 |
The outcomes of rolling two dice
Rolling two dice together can produce a variety of outcomes for you when playing backgammon. The following table shows the odds available when you roll two dice.
| Dice | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 2 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 3 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 |
| 4 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
| 5 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 |
| 6 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 |
Keep the backgammon match equity table handy
A match equity table gives you the percentage chance of winning a backgammon match at any particular score. Here’s the table so you can have it to hand while you play.
