It is believed that Backgammon first started in the Persian Empire or in Iran, Iraq and Syria, as it is called nowadays. The game was usually played on wooden tables, using pebbles, instead of round pieces, and dies made of stone or wood, and it was quite similar to other Egyptian, Sumerian, Roman and Persian games. It is not a gambling game, as many people believe, but it is a game which involves war strategy; in many cases it may be as difficult as chess.
Backgammon was popular a long time in the Middle East, but it wasn't as popular as it is nowadays. Actually it started to gain popularity since the 1920s, when the doubling cube was introduced in the game. So the doubling cube increased the fame of the Backgammon game and since then it has been perceived as a gambling game, and very soon in America appeared clubs where people had the opportunity to play it. In the 1970s Backgammon became a caprice, being played in tournaments well paid for everybody. Since then the popularity of the game has decreased, but it is still played by a lot of people, and Backgammon clubs can be found quite everywhere. Nowadays it is a game of great attraction on the Internet, where it can be played online. Here are some rules of the Backgammon game on the Internet. It is exactly the same as the real game, but on the Internet you can meet different people from all over the world and you can really play for money. There are two ways of playing:
1. Making a new table, for which you establish the rules and the stake, and then you wait for partners (it is a recommended procedure), or
2. Entering a table already made by anybody else. In both cases the winner takes the money. Concerning the rules, you may choose between "series" and "single".
The single type
Each match is played independently and the player who loses, pays to the winner the stake established first, multiplied by the value "doubling cube", and in the case of a double line it must be multiplied again by two.
The series type
It is a series of lines played between the contestants, which finishes when a player reaches a number of victories, established before the start of the game (for example the classical match is a "series" match till three, which means the first who wins three lines. Of course, there is applied the double line rule, which values as two normal games).
Doubling cube
The Backgammon game is played for a stake previously established. During the game, a player who considers that he has enough advantage may propose the doubling of the stake. He may require it only when his turn comes, before throwing the dice. The other player may refuse, and then he gives up playing and pays the initial stake. Otherwise he must accept the doubling of the stake. A player who accepts the doubling of the stake becomes the holder of a "doubling cube" and only he is the next who may require the redoubling of the stake. Thus, the stake may be doubled during a game, until maximum sixty-four times the initial stake.
Attention!
Check carefully the type of the game before clicking OK on the acceptance window! After you clicked OK, nothing can be changed and you must play the game according to the rules established initially! |
