Poker Fans and the Backgammon Game
By: GENE MARSHALL

In recent months, much has been written about the popularity of internet backgammon amongst poker fans. While backgammon is essentially a board game and poker relies on obtaining a winning hand of cards, there are some similarities between the two, which is helping to put the backgammon game firmly on the map in the poker world.

One factor that both games have in common is a traditional fast pace. The best poker games offer high action and risk and online backgammon easily matches this. The use of the doubling cube creates healthy backgammon gambling opportunities by doubling the wager at various stages throughout the game. This is an aspect of backgammon online that has become highly popular with poker fans, who enjoy a strong element of risk.

When you start studying the backgammon rules, it is not difficult to see how the competitive nature of the game has won over thousands of poker players worldwide. Like poker, a player cannot rely on luck alone and expect to win. Instead, backgammon stragegy is required, along with a high degree of intellect and skill. Similarly, the social aspect of the game and the ability to compete in tournaments offers poker fans the environment they are accustomed to.

For the average poker player, learning how to play backgammon is relatively easy. The main object is to be the first player to transport checkers to the home board and then bear them off the board. The backgammon board, features six triangular spaces which will house each player's quota of 15 checkers. It is divided in half by the bar area. The movement of checkers is dictated by the pip count on two die which a player throws to take his turn.

If a player moves his checker to a point where one of his opponent's checkers resides, he can remove that checker and place it on the bar. This is called “hitting” and plays a useful role in game strategy. Once hit, a player is unable to move any of the other checkers on the board until he has reintroduced his checker back into the game from the bar. This can only be done by rolling the die on his next turn.

Players can move one or two checkers each turn as long as the spaces moved correspond to the total pip count on the die. One checker can be moved to represent the count on both die, or one checker can be moved for each. When a player is unable to move any of his checkers, he loses his turn.

Once a player has transported all his checkers to his home board, he must bear them off. If one of his checkers is hit by his opponent in the process of bearing off, it is placed on the bar and must be played into the game and moved back to the home board before any other checkers can be removed from the board.

When played by serious backgammon fans, the game operates at a rapid pace. The ability to think quickly, pre-empt an opponent's moves and adhere to a game strategy help to make backgammon one of the most fun and competitive games to play online and a natural choice for poker fans.

About the Author:
Gene Marshall is an internet backgammon writer that is commissioned by a number of well-known internet backgammon websites. Further material and articles published by Gene Marshall on the matter of backgammon can be accessed on line. The author concentrates on editorials about where to buy a backgammon set and backgammon tips.

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