Backgammon game equity is all about your chances of winning

admin · Site Admin Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 862

Since the earliest days of the backgammon game, money has been wagered on the outcome of games. The concept of backgammon game equity can have several different though related meaning. It can be used to describe the probability of your winning a match, and it can also be applied to a calculation of the value of your current position in the game. The first use of the term is simply describing the odds of your winning the match.

For instance, if your opponent needs to win the next two matches to win against you in a tournament (50:50 odds on each match) your backgammon game equity would be .75. When the equity of your current position is worked out, what is effectively being calculated is how much you would be willing to accept for another player to take over your position at this point in the game.

The significance of backgammon game equity is that knowing this value helps the player decide if it is in their interest to accept an offer of the doubling cube, or make this offer themselves. True, calculation of backgammon game equity requires some basic understanding of mathematics and probability but with the availability of calculators and computers today, even those who don't consider themselves great mathematicians are able to make these calculations.

Writers on backgammon have devised various formulas for making backgammon game equity calculations, and these are easily found in both backgammon books and online. Although at first these calculations might sound intimidating, in a short while players become experienced at making them and see the gains in their winnings.