Backgammon Doubling Cube, explained by Grandmaster Marc Olsen

[@richardmortenson8525]

Invitation to comment: I believe beginners should *not* use the doubling cube until they get a feel for how games can progress, how advantages can come and go. That said, they should be encouraged to incorporate it into their play, because it really takes the game to an entirely new level.

[@tomhill4003]

Agreed! I learned the game from Persian and Greek in-laws, and they don't use the cube at all. I spent the pandemic learning the game so I could keep my elderly Persian father in law occupied. He still beats me regularly (at 94 years old), bur I have come to love it. Perhaps someday I can move up to using the cube, but I'm simply not at that level yet.

[@nerdgirl]

I’ve never used the doubling cube in the 20 years I’ve been playing. Guess I’ll try but we don’t even play with points.

[@pauladouglass9456]

That is an awesome cube and board. Where can I get a set like it?

[@chein33]

Keep them coming, another well explained video. Ty

[@sjsphotog]

Good quick summary of the use of the cube Marc, Its the HARDEST thing to understand to learn for beginners and the hardest to master. Its all about probability and you need to know your statistics for sure if you want to master the game of BG!! But it makes it much more fun when you can psych out your opponent and get a freebie win if they get scared of losing too much and you win when they still have more than 25% chance of winning and you take advantage of their lesser knowlegde of the skill/game :) haha evil for sure but its not just about luck its 20-25% luck and 70-75% skill/strategy for sure. the better players will win 95% over the long haul.. Best game ever!!

[@osumarko]

I'm enjoy these videos. Can't wait for the next one.

[@fountedakis]

Backgammon is played since thousands of years without the cube, it was brought in by Americans just 100 years ago. You can play dozens of different games on the backgammon board but since you only play the same game over and over again you need to add something to make it more interesting... It's like a card deck, you can play hundred of different games with cards or just the same one all the time but then you need another layer so the game doesn't get boring

[@debnlinda]

Can you suggest a good channel on other backgammon board games?

[@fountedakis]

@@debnlinda I couldn't find a lot of videos here on KZbin but you can find a lot of variations over at: bkgm com / variants

[@Dino-eb1ti]

@@debnlinda kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5eyaGenna1pqM0

[@nonameman3741]

Great explanation,one question though : if i own the cube,is there a point in game when i am no longer allowed to double up ? For instance,all of my checkers are in and i'm ready to start banking off,while my opponent doesn't have his checkers in yet,or we're both banking off and i have less checkers left ?

[@msudlp]

Now you need to explain equity in backgammon.

[@jjmckenna]

Get your abacus out of moth balls. ‘I was told there would be no math!’ 🤓✨

[@erikperrott7302]

If you are playing $100 a point it makes a lot of sense. 100 x64x3. You get a whole new perspective. Even $1 a point can hurt your wallet severely.

[@jjmckenna]

Very informative and interesting video on the workings of the doubling cube, Marc! I think the cube intimidates a lot of casual backgammon players, especially those players who play the game 'for fun,' rather than in a match play scenario, or those that play 'money games.' Casual players who like simply throwing dice and moving the checkers around, without the cube, will hopefully learn that the cube makes even casual play more exciting and fun! Another thing that I believe intimidates causal players is the uncertainty of when to Take, and when to Drop. Many players may assume, incorrectly, that a cube should always be dropped if the player being offered the cube has multiple checkers back, or what looks like a 'busted up board.' This is false! Sometimes a back game setup, or the potential for a back game, gives the player that is behind in the race really decent winning chances, well over the mathematical Take point! As a fairly 'new' player, the workings of the doubling cube seem like a mystery, wrapped in a riddle, trapped in a puzzle. It is definitely the part of my game that I think will require the most study, but it is a fascinating part of the game. It's also why your book, Cube Like a Boss, is on my Xmas 'Wish List'. Cheers!

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

The best-seller book: Cube Like a Boss will do miracles on your game Justin!

[@sjsphotog]

for beginners its best to ignore the cube and just play 1 point single games until they know more then play match play with the cube once they get better and more advanced (1+ years of play)

[@jjmckenna]

@@sjsphotog That’s one way of looking at it, Stephen. I think it really depends on whether an improving player has an interest in tournament play, match play, or money games. If ‘yes,’ then I think there’s no reason to avoid playing with the cube immediately. No harm in learning the hard way!

[@agerray]

The problem if you're playing "just for fun" - nothing wrong with that! - is that the cube has no value. You could double on every turn - it makes no difference. It's only in a competition setting - or playing for money - that it has real value.

[@sjsphotog]

@@agerray when I said "playing for fun" is that you wont be using the cube just playing without it for 1 point games and no matches :)

[@JohnMRaggio]

Thanks for the great videos Marc. They lead me to buy your book which I really enjoyed. Quick question - why isn’t Jacoby used in match play?

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

Hi John, thanks a lot! For historical reasons the jacoby rule isn't used in match play, i don't know if there is another answer to that...

[@DrakusRecords]

Does the doubling cube reset back to 1 after each game? Or does it continue to double from where it left off in the next game in the match?

[@StephenCinAZ]

The cube is reset for each game.

[@StephenCinAZ]

My difficulty in deciding when to take the cube lies in figuring out how to determine whether I "win 25% of the time," or what-have-you, in a given position. How does one calculate their chances of winning a particular game, and thus know if they're at or beyond their take point?

[@jackcarpenters3759]

I never use the cube, but i read an article that concluded it simply from the pipcount difference. Don't know exactly it was something like 1.1 x pipcount + 4 is take 1.1 x pipcount +12 is double.

[@winthorpetrois]

@@jackcarpenters3759 No, it's much more complicated than that.

[@lukeanatr]

I'm a bit confused as to what the advantages of dropping are? By taking you have control of the cube and you don't lose any points so it seems advantageous. Anyway I am a complete beginner trying to learn the rules of backgammon and these videos have been great so far, very informative

[@jjmckenna]

What if you had two or three checkers on the bar, and your opponent is threatening to close out his home board? That’s actually a position ‘too good’ to offer a cube, but if your opponent did offer the cube, would you take it, knowing your opponent is likely to win a gammon and four (4) points, instead of just one point if you drop the cube?

[@lukeanatr]

@@jjmckenna No I guess there are some positions like which you described which are overwhelmingly in your opponent's favour and at that point it's just damage control to mitigate points being lost. I suppose I was imagining more nuanced scenarios where the outcome is less clear in which case you would probably need a good head for probability or intuition from experience to make a logical judgement.

[@jjmckenna]

@@lukeanatr Yes, and this is why a grandmaster like Mr. Olsen can write a book on the subject of almost 400 pages (‘Cube Like a Boss’). It’s an incredibly math-intensive subject that mollifies me, and many other players. The hypothetical ‘window’ for offering or taking a cube changes with each roll of the dice, which makes it very challenging to figure out how to handle this little square-shaped riddle.

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

There is a big risk of taking!.. You might lose two points, rather than 1! Or even 4 points if you lose a gammon! That is why you need to win around 1 in 4 games for taking the cube to be better than dropping. If you do not win 1 in 4 games, you are better off dropping.

[@aaronbohn]

is there a point in the game in which its too late use the cube ? for instance , im putting chips home before the other guy. than i pull out the cube , is that bad etiquette or is that okay ? lol

[@cawscwea]

Hello, I am finding these UTubes fascinating. Thank you. I am watching with a different motivation however. I am an old Navy Chief who has played a lot of Acey Ducey . I have been asked to start an Acey Ducey group in senior citizen’s community. I would like to know why Backgammon starts with all the checkers on the board vs bringing all the checkers on via the roll of the dice as in Acey DUCEY? Also I have found that the dynamics of Acey Duecy with the choice of doubles makes for a much more interesting game. Any thoughts and or comments would be greatly appreciated. Warm regards Chuck

[@dennismiller3496]

Excellent video, thanks

[@jordanconnor1223]

Whats the highest double you have seen?

[@luiscerqueiragomes938]

The most difficult thing for me is to determine whether or not my advantage is too good. I would love to read "cube like a boss" but unfortunately I have no time :(

[@katewild2194]

When I used to play for very large stakes the cube rarely went very high

[@ryanmoon05]

Large stakes money games or large stakes tournament play?..the doubling cube plays a different role in each.

[@ryanmoon05]

I should say, the cube has different stakes for both, the role/rule is the same.

[@SuperBadger999]

I love that board, looked high and low on eBay but cannot find anything that big. Can anyone signpost me where I can buy this huge set?

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

We have a wide variety of large boards on our webshop: shop.backgammongalaxy.com

[@jackcarpenters3759]

They should put number 1 on the cube and 32 as the max. You never go above 8 anyways. Now we have to use 64 as number 1. I've always found that weird.

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

You haven't played in the crazy chouettes that I have :)

[@williamwilting]

Somewhere in another video, I heard that, theoretically, 64 is not even the maximum times the stakes, and that players can double to 128 times the stakes as well. There would be no doubling limit, according to the guy explaining this, but 64 times the stakes is rarely doubled to, if it even ever happens. Is that correct? A cube was the easiest way to implement the doubling system, because 'cubes' are produced more often in the form of dice. However, I also understand the confusion new players would have with there not being a 1 on the cube, allthough they should know that the position of the cube is important when showing the 64. 64 on the center of the bar or in the middle between players aside the board means no double has been made yet, while a 64 on one player's side means that the double to 64 times the stakes has been made and accepted. I think that a doubling method similar to the bidding tray method from bridge would he been more practical, because in that case a 1 isn't even needed. Let's say a tray with these cards is put aside from the board, and when a player wants to double, they deal the 2-card on the table, revealing the 4-card in the tray. If the opponent accepts, they put the 2-card in front of them, and if they decline, they put the 2-card back in the tray. With such a tray of cards, they could include cards beyond 64, like 128 and 256, if players would even wish to go that far when playing epic high point matches. An alternative of dealing the card could also be to slide the tray to the opponent to make a double. If the opponent accepts, they take the 2-card (cards on the table always count as accepted doubles), and otherwise the double is declined and the tray is simply put back where it was. They could use numbered tokens instead, but looking for the right one might be frustrating to some people.

[@someguysart2]

Happy 2021, Marc...I am considering buying the exact board in this video from Onur...I would appreciate any critique, positive and negative, that you have to offer. ~Guy

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

Wait until you see the 2021 Galaxy board! It will be released during the UBC final in 1.5 weeks from now!

[@paulgibbons2320]

Doesn't points scoring only matter in match play where to play more than one game?

[@backgammon7743]

A few drunk gamblers invented this doubling cube in 1920's America. I like to play the traditional way. But there are no tournaments without this cube...

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

It adds so much thrill to the game

[@daronarmstrong5527]

Where can I get that board?

[@jacques42]

Until what part of the game can one double up? Even when half of the pieces are already off and it looks like a 99% chance of winning? So, if I have 90% of my pieces off and my opponent still has all of their pieces on the board, I can still double? This seems like a bit weird to double at the very last moment.

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

Either player can double at anytime they want during the game. But once you have doubled your opponent only they can re-double (and vice versa). There's. nothing wrong with doubling just to get a pass and finish the game. But you don't want to double if you have a chance of winning a gammon.

[@jacques42]

@@BackgammonGalaxy Why are you saying that 'you don't want to double if you have a chance of winning a gammon?' This does not make sense, since the stronger the chance of winning, the more one should consider doubling, even more so if it is a gammon or a back gammon. Can you please explain why not to double in that specific situation when one is about to win with a gammon? Thank you

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

​@@jacques42 Because IF you have a good chance of winning a gammon or even a backgammon, your opponent will be very happy to pass the cube giving you only 1 point in stead of 2, 4 or even more points. You never want to double when it's too good (meaning you have high chances of gammon/backgammon) because if your opponent knows what they're doing, they will just pass it and you just missed out on the possibility of winning more points.

[@jacques42]

@@BackgammonGalaxy oh wait, so if the opponent passes, the value resets to 1 point that I would get, regardless of what is was before the last double? Didn't realise it resets and thought it stays on the last double value. So this is a risk for the person with the good position not to offer a double when his position is too good. Gotcha.

[@argonwheatbelly637]

@@jacques42 : No. It only resets at the start of the next game. The risk of doubling when you can gammon, is that whatever the double, you could lose the gammon double, because if you were to offer it (and double) to your opponent, your opponent can concede the game, and you collect whatever the double was that you had. Say, it's on 4, and you offer at 8, your opponent can concede and you get 4x only. If you keep it, and gammon your opponent, you get a double for the gammon, and the 4 becomes 8x. See? It's a strategy.

[@mikekeogh]

Beautiful set, were can you buy?

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

Thanks! Check out the shop.backgammongalaxy.com the new Galaxy 2021 board will be released in one week, and it will be quite similar to this board and more travel friendly, with the same sized checkers and same luxury feel.

[@jedagelijksebraintraining]

I'm wondering what other game can use a doubling cube to make that game also more interesting. Suggestions?

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

Hmm not sure I understand. You mean what other game apart from backgammon?

[@jedagelijksebraintraining]

@@BackgammonGalaxy like you said: the swing in equity must be rare.

[@manuelpaulengelbrecht6798]

Chess?

[@ACBeats09]

Any, that cube is for any game, as you can use it to double the points/bet....

[@jedagelijksebraintraining]

@@ACBeats09 We just wonder what other games can use a cube as beautiful (tactically) and useful (speeding up no contact games) as the backgammon does.

[@shanannigan]

Great videos, I’ve played backgammon for years but never really developed any strategy just played the dice rolls so these videos are really helpful for me to rethink how I play. Just a quick question about the cube; if your opponent refuses the doubling cube, does the state of the board at that time influence how many points are won/conceded or do you just win a single point?

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

Hi Shane! We're so happy that you like our content and that it is inspiring you to dive more into this beautiful game

[@TexXasBBQ]

@@BackgammonGalaxy I had the exact same question. Thank you for the answer!

[@chrismoser9676]

Monopoly has huge equity swings, especially in specific stages of the game-state, and especially when playing 1 on 1

[@justinamogro1190]

Could you please let me know what are the points??

[@flaviopinhota]

Very good explanation as always! I love the board you're using, where is it from?

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

Hi :) It's FM Gammon. We also have our own official Galaxy board in the shop :-) Only 12 left.

[@jjmckenna]

Flavio - These FM boards are awesome. Very different style from the Neptune board. I did an unboxing video of my FM board, here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHnae5x7Zpuehrc

[@flaviopinhota]

@@jjmckenna I already checked their website and they are beautiful! 😀 I'm going to watch your KZbin video. Thanks for your reply.

[@jjmckenna]

@@flaviopinhota If you have any interest in buying an FM board, hit them up and work out a deal! I have another, lower priced board from them literally on the way from Istanbul, and will likely be putting up another video within a week. It’s a board that retails for around $400US. Tell them I sent you, if interested. ✌🏼

[@flaviopinhota]

@@jjmckenna I will definitely get one in a near future. I already subscribed to your channel, so I will wait for your next unboxing. A $400 board it's more affordable to me ☺.

[@gabrielpons4613]

Thanks! I would like to know how doubling works in this case (that is how backgammon galaxy works): Imagine a match of 5 points and I am loosing 1-4, why can I sometimes make a double and sometimes I'm not allowed to do it?

[@jjmckenna]

Look up ‘Crawford Rule.’ When one player gets to within one point of a winning score, the cube is unavailable for the next game (Crawford game). If the player behind in points wins the Crawford game, the cube is reactivated and the match is ‘post-Crawford’ (cube in play) until there is a winner.

[@gabrielpons4613]

Thanks!

[@sjsphotog]

@@jjmckenna and when that player who is behind wins the crawford game, they should immediately double on their first turn of the next game so that they have an easier chance to come back to win the match.

[@sirmustard5337]

@@sjsphotog i hate when an Opponent does that

[@BushcraftingBogan]

I'm looking for an explanation of the 8/9/12% Rule. Talk to me like I'm 5. Thank you in advance!

[@plus_tick_og]

1 to 3 should not be 33.33%?

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

odds 1-to-3 is equivalent of 25%... It is one part out of a total of four parts. One part for and three parts against.

[@johnt7100]

@@BackgammonGalaxy lol

[@williebarkley7046]

Thank you for this

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

yw Willie!

[@chein33]

Who goes first after the first game?

[@jjmckenna]

The players roll dice after each game to determine who plays first in each subsequent game.

[@chein33]

@@jjmckenna Thank you, believe me or not my wife and I couldn't find the answer.

[@jedagelijksebraintraining]

@@chein33 each start of a game both players roll 1 dice, untill there are two different dices on the table. Then the person who rolled the high dice, has to play those rolled dices as first move.

[@joppes97]

Amazing

[@tfpp1]

Sincere question: Realistically speaking, does the cube ever get up to double digits? It seems like 16, 32, 64 are just useless for match play. Unless, what - you’re playing a 128-point match? Seems like a waste of die faces.

[@jackietomecek-melvin1569]

Well explained.

[@argonwheatbelly637]

Never played for points. Pennies, or even nickels. And in the early 80s, that was good enough for me. Quarters could take your dinner money too quickly. ;-)

[@clarkvanlieshout6328]

This cube seems super OP lol

[@argonwheatbelly637]

Doubling is good. Clocks in games, them I don't like...much. Chess clocks I accept, but not for a leisurely game. And backgammon moves rather fast, so no clock is needed. Things like Boggle need them, and that's ok. Backgammon is a game I like to play in person. Convivial, innit?

[@memofrf]

Cheers

[@williamwilting]

I guess you didn't mean that you'd actually lose a point if you declined a double and lost the game. You don't lose a point, but your opponent gains a point.

[@brianzembic]

Marc???

[@ericwazner6521]

👍🎲👊💰

[@MG-gb9it]

I would like to know more about the rules at BACKGAMMON GALAXY? Can you please explain how this rule is a new ruling system and how it is legal to implement this rule as a new standard of play......this is the response from BACKGAMMON GALAXY when I questioned why when I lose a match I receive the penalty of lowering my ranking score and when I win a match from a higher ranked player I do NOT get rewarded any ranking points: **The Galaxy Rating system (GR), is a new and innovative system of ranking players, and the way it works: To win GR from your opponent, you have to win both the match AND the error rate battle (the two crowns). If you win one, but not the other, it's a GR draw.** Seems like a scam to keep higher ranked players UP and lower ranked players DOWN......

[@katewild2194]

Let me tell you a match I played in the world championships after a few rolls I can see I am a much better player than my opponent now I have to adjust my game because if I make the best move and he hits I might well lose more points so by making a move which is not so good I am at less risk when I beat the then world champion in the British championship I doubled when it was very close but I worked out if I throw what I need I have a good chance of winning if I was playing a weaker player I would never have doubled. Let me tell you secret when I played tounerments I never doubled unless I was a massive fav the reason being if I give him the cube I am leaving myself open to losing a lot of points

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

That is a very interesting strategy Kate. Did you have a lot of success with it?

[@katewild2194]

If you are the better player you want to roll the dice and make as many moves as possible also make the games as complicated as you can I will give you an example you start the game you roll 6-3 or 6-4 the best way to move is 6 out and 3 down the reason being is their is a good chance the game will proceed into a blot hitting game I know I will be making the best moves almost every time and get an advantage if you watch such a game you will see players thinking should I hit should I play this move it was agony for me at times because I knew the correct move. I will give you another tip for playing tournaments another time if you like.

[@michaelblankenau6598]

You sound like someone who over estimates their own ability and underestimates that ability of the opponent . Probably not nearly as strong as you think you are .

[@marcomonti5758]

1/3 is not 25%

[@djtopinambur]

it is not 1/3, it is 1:3 ;)

[@Marcolino10DK]

Odds 1-to-3 is 1 unit out of 4 units or 25%.

[@ACBeats09]

It's 33,33333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333%, as a close rate. 10 is not dividable by 3

[@jackcarpenters3759]

divide 75 by 25

[@VonDutch33.]

I would love someone to just make a 30 sec video when explaining these things 😂 8 minutes 😢

[@BackgammonGalaxy]

The doubling cube is somewhat complicated. We wanted to make sure to explain it properly and not just superficially. There are entire book dedicated to teaching proper cube strategy ;-)

[@macleadg]

Congratulations on the Backgammon Galaxy upgrade. I can’t logon now so I’ve stopped playing there. Massive screwup.

[@MG-gb9it]

I have to say that THERE ARE SO MANY VARIABLES IN THIS GAME BECAUSE OF THE ROLLS OF THE DICE, what the system is programed that is a correct move may NOT BE depending on the roll of the dice..... THE CORRECT MOVE MAY BE TO LEAVE AN EXPOSED CHECKER but only a FOOL will leave an exposed checker if it can be covered/paired. THE RULES HERE ARE A MATTER OF OPINION and that is exactly what it is....AN OPINION!!!! THERE ARE NO RULES THAT A PLAYER HAS TO FOLLOW EXACT MOVEMENTS ACCORDING TO EACH ROLL OF THE DICE. IT COMES DOWN TO A WIN IS A WIN, AND A LOSS IS A LOSS. ERROR BATTLES is a made up strategy for winners to stay winners and beginners/losers not to advance......kind of what is going on today in politics. HAS BACKGAMMON TURNED INTO A POLITICAL GAME?

[@MG-gb9it]

I have to say that THERE ARE SO MANY VARIABLES IN THIS GAME BECAUSE OF THE ROLLS OF THE DICE, what the system is programed that is a correct move may NOT BE depending on the roll of the dice..... THE CORRECT MOVE MAY BE TO LEAVE AN EXPOSED CHECKER but only a FOOL will leave an exposed checker if it can be covered/paired. THE RULES HERE ARE A MATTER OF OPINION and that is exactly what it is....AN OPINION!!!! THERE ARE NO RULES THAT A PLAYER HAS TO FOLLOW EXACT MOVEMENTS ACCORDING TO EACH ROLL OF THE DICE. IT COMES DOWN TO A WIN IS A WIN, AND A LOSS IS A LOSS. ERROR BATTLES is a made up strategy for winners to stay winners and beginners/losers not to advance......kind of what is going on today in politics. HAS BACKGAMMON TURNED INTO A POLITICAL GAME?