Understanding the Backgammon Setup

admin · Site Admin Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 860

Anyone new to the game of backgammon may wonder how players remember where to place what on the board. In fact, the backgammon setup is not difficult at all, and once you've done it a couple of times, you'll never forget. Online backgammon games usually include automatic board setups and so it is a good idea to practice setting up a real board once in a while.
So how does the backgammon setup work?

Each backgammon board has 24 long triangles known as points. The point is given a particular number, based on its position that is in relation to the player’s inner board. When performing the backgammon setup before the game commences, the players place their 15 checkers on the board in a particular way, as follows: Five checkers are placed on point six; three checkers are placed on point 8; five checkers are placed on point 13 and two checkers are placed on point 24.

The backgammon setup also involves the doubling dice when applicable. This dice is used to double (and then redouble) the stakes in the game, usually when players are wagering for real money. At the setup stage of the game, the doubling cube is placed on the raised ridge of the backgammon board called the bar. It is initially placed on the number 64 to indicate zero. When the first double is made and accepted, the doubling cube is changed to 2 and then to four and so forth. This is the backgammon setup in a nutshell.