Doubling Cube Basics in Backgammon

UltimatePokerForum.com
The Ultimate Poker Site

Doubling Cube Basics in Backgammon

The doubling cube is the very heart of backgammon and makes it the
exciting game that it is. Without it the game might well have died off in the
1920's. Despite the fact that it has now been in existence for eighty years it
is also the least well understood and most difficult part of the game.

Each game starts at a stake of 1 point. During the course of the game, a
player who feels he (or she) has a sufficient advantage may propose
doubling the stakes. The player does this by turning the doubling cube to the
next appropriate value. Each face of the doubling cube bears a number to
record progressive doubles and redoubles, starting with 2 and going on to 4,
8, 16, 32 and 64. At the commencement of play, the doubling cube rests to
one side of the board, in the centre between the two players with a
displayed value of 64 (there is no 1 on the doubling cube so 64 serves as 1
at the start of the game). At any point during the game, a player who thinks
he is sufficiently ahead may propose doubling the stakes, in the first instance
by turning the cube to 2, and so on.

A player may double any time it is his turn and he has not yet rolled the dice.
A player who is offered a double may refuse, in which case he concedes the
game and pays one point. Otherwise he must accept the double and play on
for the new higher stake. A player who accepts a double becomes the owner
of the cube , which is placed on his side of the board (showing the new
value), and only he may make the next double.

Subsequent doubles in the same game are called 'redoubles'. If a player
refuses a redouble he must pay the number of points that were at stake
prior to the redouble. Otherwise he becomes the new owner of the cube and
the game continues at twice the previous stake. There is no limit to the
number of times a double may be offered in one game.

It may seem counter-intuitive to accept the doubling of the stakes when you
stand worse in a game. However, consider the following two scenarios:

In four games Player A doubles Player B in each game. Player B drops
all four doubles and is therefore down four points (-4).
In four games Player A doubles Player B in each game but this time
Player B accepts the doubles. He goes on to lose three games but wins
the fourth game. He loses two points in each of the games he loses
(-6) and wins two points in the game he wins (+2). His net result is -4
points. The same as scenario 1.

This gives us the basic rule of doubling - if you can expect to win 25% of the
time from any specific position then you can (and should) accept a double.

Doubling is far more complex than this because cube ownership, psychology,
gammons and backgammons (and in tournaments the match score) all play a
part in doubling decisions but that is beyond the scope of this first article on
the topic. As we progress we will gradually add levels of complexity.

Note that the doubling cube can be used in any game. I have played chess
and scrabble with a doubling cube and I once watched a game of golf in
which the doubling cube was in use - a five-figure sum changed hands at the
eighteenth!

Want to try what you've learned about Doubling Cube? Download
GammonEmpire now, and start playing!

The Doubling Cube is the
least well understood and
most difficult part of the
game of Backgammon

Site Directory

Home WSOP WSOP Circuit WSOP Articles WPT WPT Articles Reviews Poker Tools Poker Articles

RSS Feeds Forum Site Map Links Contact Us Poker Supplies Advertise Link Exchange About Us

Back to our Main Backgammon Section