Ball State

» Online backgammon

By China at 3:38 PM

A few years ago I stayed with my Aunt for the summer. My uncle who had been in several backgammon tournaments and played online regularly, taught me to play and I was hooked.

Backgammon is not a mathematical game, for the most part it is a game of chance. It can become a more complex game however, when you get into pip counting. Pip counting takes a very mathematical mind, if you plan to do it accurately. People who play online backgammon are a bit spoiled in that the pip counting is done for you, all you have to do is click on the mouse and the pip count is there for you. My uncle can do the pip counting in his head so quickly that you can hardly tell that he is doing it. I have tried over and over again to get it down, but to no avail. I began researching pip counting online to find out if there was a better way for me to come up with the pip count, and I did find several resources that were very helpful. One such resource was and article called Cluster Counting by Jack Kissane. He by far has to be one of the world’s fastest pip counters. Although his article did give some great advice, I continued my search for the method that was right for me.

Then I came across a method called cancellation counting. This method allows you to size up approximately which of you is ahead and by approximately how many pips, to help you determine your next move. Basically what you do is compare your number to theirs row by row and any similar numbers cancel each other out. This helps you determine your relative relationship to your opponent in the game. For instance, begin at each player’s ace point and move upward cancelling out the point amounts that are the same as you go up. Then you have 2 on the 4 point and they have one on the 8 point, then they cancel out. If you have 2 on the 5 point and so do they then these cancel out. Do this as you move up the board, and before long you will know who is ahead and by how many pips. Then you can make any play or cube decisions based on this.

You will find that using this method takes some of the headache out of playing backgammon and before long, others will be impressed with your ability to figure like a pro.