Online backgammon is fast becoming the poker enthusiast's second favorite game. When you start studying the backgammon rules, it is easy to see how this fast-paced and competitive game has won over thousands of poker players worldwide. Combining luck with intellect and skill, online backgammon offers unique wagering opportunities, lucrative tournament action and the social environment poker players are accustomed to.



Learning how to play backgammon is relatively straightforward. The object of the game is to be the first player to move all of your checkers off the backgammon board. This board, which is divided in half by the bar area, is where all the action takes place. It also features four sections containing six triangular spaces known as points which each player will use to move his 15 checkers. A player first moves his checkers toward his home area on the board and then removes them based on the pip count of the dice he throws for each turn.









In a backgammon game, a checker can be moved to any unoccupied point on the backgammon set, a point that is already home to one of your own checkers or to a point. You can also move a checker to a point that is occupied by one of your opponent’s checkers, which effectively removes his checker and sends it back to the bar. This slows your opponent's game down as he must now play the checker out of his home board before moving any of his other checkers.



You can choose how you move your checkers as long as the move relates to the pip count of the two dice. For example, if you throw a four and a five, you can move one checker four spaces and a second checker five. Alternatively, you can move one checker nine spaces. If you're unable to move any of your checkers checkers, you lose your turn.



When played by experienced players, internet backgammon moves at a rapid pace as all players are attempting to be the first to remove their checkers from the board. This is referred to as bearing off in both live and online backgammon. For the purposes of backgammon gambling, your opponent will often try to hit one of your checkers while you're bearing off. If this happens, you must bring the checker back into the game and move it round the board again before you can bear off your other checkers.



As you can see, backgammon requires discipline, a quick mind and a competitive spirit. It is no surprise then that poker fans the world over are being won over by backgammon online.

By: Gene Marshall

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Popular internet backgammon aficionado Gene Marshall writes for many popular backgammon sites. He concentrates on writings about recommended backgammon strategy. Other editorials written by Gene Marshall related to internet backgammon can be found on the web.