Pip Counting

Hedge · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 18

I am pretty new to the game of backgammon but I’m trying to learn as much as I can.
I have recently been hearing a lot of the term “pip counting”. I know that pips are points on the dice, but what does it mean to count pips? How do I do it and how can I use it in my game?

Jennifer · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 17

The pip count is the total number of pips you need to roll in order to bear off all of your checkers. It is determined simply by the total number of points that each of your checkers must move in order to be borne off the board. If you have a checker on the 14 point, then the pip count for this checker is 14.

Pip counting is a very important tool in determining where you stand in the game. It can help you make decisions such as whether or not to double. For instance, if your pip count is 115, but it will only take your opponent 62 pips to win the game, you are probably better off resigning that accepting the double, as your chances of winning are slim to nothing.

It might seem crazy to you that someone would take the time to count up all the pips of his and his opponent’s game, however there are shortcuts. In online backgammon, the software sometimes incorporates a pip count. However, if you aren’t playing with this feature there are a couple ways to quickly get a general idea of your pip count.

The first is to count opposite checkers. If you have a checker directly across from another checker on the board (such as one in your three point and one in your opponent’s three point) the total pip count is always 25. If you count these checkers first, you can get a good idea of your pip count. Blocks of checkers with two checkers on each point are a good place to start counting too.

Liss · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 30

Pip count isn’t only useful when you are trying to decide whether or not to accept a double. If you take a pip count in the middle of the game and find that you are more than ten percent behind you know that you need to start making bolder moves. At this point, you will only win the game with a whole lot of luck or by taking risks and being really aggressive. If you made a bold move and gets you hit back to the bar, you haven’t really lost anything. If you had continued playing it safe, you would have lost the game anyhow. There is always the possibility that you will forge ahead and that your opponent won’t be able to hit you and you will win the game, so you must, must, MUST take chances!

On the other hand, if you see that you are ahead in the race you need to make safe moves—protect your checkers by not leaving any exposed because the pip count situation could quickly be reversed if your opponent hits you.