Tips on the Double
The doubling cube is truly one innovation that catapulted backgammon to a whole new level. We can say that it added a bit of a gamble to the game.
We have listed some tips about when to double and perhaps a reason or two behind the why. These are not designed to be everything there is to know about doubling. But these are items that really helps when its time to offer a double.
First tip we have for you is that we can redouble anytime it's your turn to roll. If our opponent offers a double and we accept we can always redouble when it is our turn.
That is a pretty basic fact that we need to remember. When our opponent declares a double, it's not the end of the world. But there are some specifics we need to watch out for when we take a double and plan to redouble on the next round.
Regarding this tip, we'll take a look at a match, let's say that it's a race to three. We are trailing on the first game. To add to our pot of misery our opponent doubles. What do we do? A brave move would be to take on the double. Remember that given this situation we must always redouble on our next turn to roll the dice.
If we lose this game, we lose the match. Instead, it is better to redouble now -- and be sure to win the game and win the match on this one game. Our next tip now will help us to know if we have a chance of winning the game and how it relates to the offer to double.
One fact we must bring out is that the break-even point for accepting a double is roughly about 25%. If our chances to win the game boils down to 25% then that estimate is sure and our next move should be to take on the offer to double.
Of course we all ask why do we take on the double. Here's the reason behind it. Let's suppose that we have four games, and we're doubled on all four. If we pass on every time time we are offered a double we lose roughly about four points. If we take on this double and then win one of the four games we get two points and lose 6 -- that would be a net of minus four points, meaning it all evens out. This estimate does leaves out the fact that we can get gammoned, if that is quite likely to happen in a given game it is in our best interest to pass on the offer to double.
Next tip is that we ought to double whenever it can cost. Supposing that in a race to three we are down two to nothing. If we win the third game we are down two to one, a Crawford game. We get to play another game. On this next game there is practically no reason not to double on your first roll. Why? Because if we lose this game we lose at four to one (which is the same as losing three to one). But in case we win this one game with a double, we win the match.
The tips mentioned here are not all we need to know about doubling. We have just shown how doubling can turn our game around especially when it is our turn to offer a double.