Backgammon is without doubt an immensely popular game. As the game is a combination of both luck and skill, it attracts so many different kinds of players. Backgammon is a board game that involved two players trying to move their 15 checkers across the backgammon board, according to the roll of two dice.

Before you start, it is advisable to be well versed with the Backgammon Board Layout. There are 30 checkers used in backgammon, 15 black and 15 white checkers. The checkers are moved across the backgammon board until they reach the bottom right side of the board, called the home-board. Then there are 24 points which are the 24 triangles on which the checkers are moved on the backgammon board. The backgammon points are numbered between 1 and 24. The bottom right of the board is numbered 1. For your opponent however, this is his 24-point

The player's home board is in the bottom right corner quarter of his board. The upper right side of the board is called the outer board. There are two dice used in the game. Each dice has 6 sides and is numbered from 1 to 6. The roll of the dice determines the movement of the checkers across the board points. Now that you are clear about the setting of the board, you are all set to start the game. The player who rolls the higher number initiates the game. If both players roll the same number, they will throw the dice again till the numbers differ.

The objective of backgammon is to bring all your checkers, white or black, into your own home board so that you can begin to remove them from the board. The winner of the game, according to backgammon rules, is the player that succeeds in bearing off all of his checkers first.

Whether a newcomer to the game, or an advanced player, the following comprehensive guide of the general rules of Backgammon will be very useful for complete enjoyment of the game.

Below are few rules when considering the movement of checkers:

a) Backgammon is played by 2 people facing each other at a backgammon table

b) The movement of checkers is governed by two dice, thrown to ensure randomness.

c) Before beginning a game, either player may ask to roll for the choice of seats, checkers, or dice.

d) The numbers on the two dice represent separate moves. When the first move is completed, the second player throws the dice again, and moves in the same manner as the first player

e) A checker can be moved to any point that is vacant, to one that is occupied by your own checkers or to a point that has no more then one of your opponent's checkers on it.

f) As a Backgammon game is relatively short in duration, it is usually played in matches up to a predetermined number.

Remember as there are several variants of the game. A single game is won when a player bears off all of his checkers before his opponent. If, at the time of one player's victory, the opponent has not borne off any of his checkers, this doubles the initial wager and is called a gammon. But if at the time of one player's victory, the opponent has not borne off any checkers and has one or more checkers in the winner's home board or on the bar, this triples the initial wager and is called Backgammon.

There do exist a number of basic and easy approaches to winning at Backgammon. Players should know that its not always be the best idea to charge and hit your opponent. Its not advisable to avoid being hit at all costs, which also has its downsides. Hence, players should follow a balanced approach.

One of the very basic strategy of Backgammon is how should you open your game? it’s best to memorize the best backgammon opening moves, and follow them. The logical explanation for each backgammon move will help you understand your opponents move and also what you do on the next move.

Who is your opponent? Unless you are playing against a computer, every player has some personal traits that affect their game. So, should you change your strategy depending on who is your opponent? Most of the time, we are lucky enough to play people from time to time who have serious flaws in their game. Therefore, you should change your game to take advantage of them. The better the player, the more he plays like a computer program

It has been seen that a player with even distribution will often appear to get lucky rolls because he is able to choose the best possible move from a variety of sound alternatives. Leaving shots is absolutely essential when trying to establish a particular type of game, but you need to consider when and where to leave them. If you are able to get good rolls early in the game and are able to escape your back checkers, you should immediately launch a 'running game

Anchoring is one of the key strategic positions in backgammon. Mastery of anchor placement is essential because it enables you to safely re-enter the board and establishes a defensive point in your opponent's home board.

Make full use of the strategies presented above whether playing backgammon online for fun or real money.

Backgammon is a very old and popular game in the world. It is surely one of the hardest to master. While learning the basic rules is easy, you may take a while to master the game

The combination of skill and luck, along with the human psychology go a long way in determining the course of the game. We all now have easy access to online Backgammon for endless hours of entertainment.

The games are fast and our opponents are anonymous. As the pip count is constantly on display, they are settled automatically. As quite often, good luck is closely misinterpreted as skill.

The human mind is designed to handle the thought of having bad luck better than the thought of being incompetent. Whether you play backgammon directly against with some one, or against virtual player, you are in for some great entertainment. Use your backgammon skill to win and make lots of money. With luck on your side, there is no stopping you!