Tag Archives: online backgammon

Poker Fans Embrace Online Backgammon

Online backgammon is fast becoming the poker enthusiast’s second favorite game. When you start studying the backgammon rules, it is easy to see how this fast-paced and competitive game has won over thousands of poker players worldwide. Combining luck with intellect and skill, online backgammon offers unique wagering opportunities, lucrative tournament action and the social environment poker players are accustomed to.

Learning how to play backgammon is relatively straightforward. The object of the game is to be the first player to move all of your checkers off the backgammon board. This board, which is divided in half by the bar area, is where all the action takes place. It also features four sections containing six triangular spaces known as points which each player will use to move his 15 checkers. A player first moves his checkers toward his home area on the board and then removes them based on the pip count of the dice he throws for each turn.

In a backgammon game, a checker can be moved to any unoccupied point on the backgammon set, a point that is already home to one of your own checkers or to a point. You can also move a checker to a point that is occupied by one of your opponent’s checkers, which effectively removes his checker and sends it back to the bar. This slows your opponent’s game down as he must now play the checker out of his home board before moving any of his other checkers.

You can choose how you move your checkers as long as the move relates to the pip count of the two dice. For example, if you throw a four and a five, you can move one checker four spaces and a second checker five. Alternatively, you can move one checker nine spaces. If you’re unable to move any of your checkers checkers, you lose your turn.

When played by experienced players, internet backgammon moves at a rapid pace as all players are attempting to be the first to remove their checkers from the board. This is referred to as bearing off in both live and online backgammon. For the purposes of backgammon gambling, your opponent will often try to hit one of your checkers while you’re bearing off. If this happens, you must bring the checker back into the game and move it round the board again before you can bear off your other checkers.

As you can see, backgammon requires discipline, a quick mind and a competitive spirit. It is no surprise then that poker fans the world over are being won over by backgammon online.

Free backgammon allows you to play often and helps build a strategy

Free backgammon is a term most internet savvy players will be familiar with, due to the amazing growth of online backgammon gaming sites. But for anyone not familiar with the world of backgammon online a little explanation is in order. What is generally meant by “free backgammon” is not a distribution of actual backgammon games free of charge, nor is it a reference to free membership at the local backgammon club. What we’re referring to is the backgammon software downloads that are available at no charge to the player from internet backgammon sites. With a basic Internet connection and a computer that can support the high-quality 3-D video backgammon software the player can download and play the game as often as they like for free. It’s a great way to learn the game, practice your strategy and just play non-competitive backgammon for free.

The vast majority of the players who download the free backgammon software are not simply interested in free gaming. In fact the main reasons for accessing backgammon Internet sites and downloading their software isn’t necessarily the interest in backgammon gambling but the ability to simply play for free, have fun and meet other avid players from all around the world. It’s like the world’s biggest backgammon club right at your fingertips.

But other players also see free games as a chance to practice for the big tournaments. The online backgammon industry has developed a reputation for hosting regular backgammon tournaments with high value prizes. These competitions are arranged at all levels, and even a player that doubts they have the skills to get to the final round and win the main prize, can hope for winning a substantial secondary prize if they are eliminated from the tournament in one of the higher qualifying rounds.

In addition to the skilled games, or those who hope to join their ranks, the businessperson who looks forward to play backgammon for relaxation, or to make a small gamble now and again, also finds the online sites a valuable resource. These players find it hard to find the time to go to their local backgammon club and they appreciate the chance to play the game when it fits in with their schedule. For example, if you finish a busy meeting in the early hours of the morning and wish to unwind over a game of backgammon, you will find someone to play against online or, if you prefer, you can play against a backgammon computer.

Another important group of online backgammon players are the new players to the game. A good proportion of these will want to access the articles and instructions available online to learn the backgammon rules. They will also look forward to the chance to practice how to play backgammon against one of the powerful backgammon computers where you can select a game at a level that suits your skills. Later they can find human opponents of a similar or slightly high skill level to further improve their play.