Recently I had the pleasure of playing backgammon with a delightful retired couple at one of our regular group get-togethers. They have played backgammon in several countries spanning a few decades. They were very experienced players indeed! As we sat down to play, I suggested that we play a five-point match in order to allow time for each player to play against every other player who showed up that night. I was surprised to find that the concept of playing a match to a specific point score was totally foreign to my new friends. As it turns out, they normally play the traditional open-ended “Money Game” style of backgammon and had not played the closed-ended “Match” that is more common in tournaments, online games, and even live over-the-board games where there is a group of players who all want to play with everybody else in the group.
Traditionally, “normal” backgammon is a gambling game and the “points” equate to money won or lost. When two people play a money game, the game may be open-ended in terms of points/money. You might play for a specified amount of time, and then settle up the bets when the time runs out. Or you might agree to play until one player is ahead by a specified point/dollar amount, and then end the game and settle up. Like a Poker game, a backgammon money game can go on for a long time, depending on what the players have agreed to. In this sense, a money game can be thought of as “open-ended.”
Match play is more closed-ended, where the players agree to a specific number of points, and they play until one of the players has met or exceeded that score and is declared the “winner” of that match. In a tournament, that winner would go on to the next “round” in the tournament, and the loser would be eliminated. By limiting the number of points to a match — five points is common — the matches move along quickly and several “rounds” can be completed in order to declare an overall “winner” of the tournament in a reasonable amount of time. The winner may win some kind of tournament prize.
The doubling cube adds an important dimension to the game. It forces you to really evaluate the strength of your position at various points during a game. Used well, the doubling cube will help you to win more matches, or to win more money in a money game. There are some important differences in how the doubling cube is played in a Money Game vs. a Match, and there are even some official rules that typically apply to one but not the other. Some examples are:
- Crawford Rule: This applies to match play, but not to money games. Under this rule, when one player is one point away from winning the match, for the following one game only, the doubling cube may will not be used. The reasoning for this is pretty simple: If you are only one point away from winning, you have nothing to gain by doubling the other player. Similarly, if you have the lower score in the match and your opponent is one point away from winning, you would double automatically, because you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The Crawford Rule therefore requires the lower scoring player to win a game before being able to use the cube again. The normal point multipliers of one point for a win, two points for a gammon and three points for a backgammon do still apply during the Crawford Game.
- Automatic Doubles: This optional rule may apply to a money game, but not to match play. Under this rule, when the players both roll the same number on the opening roll, the stakes are automatically doubled for that game, and the doubling cube is advanced to “2″ while remaining in the middle. When players agree to use this optional rule, they also agree on how many automatic doubles will be applied to a game, typically specifying a maximum of one automatic double.
- Jacoby Rule: This rule also only applies to money games, and states that gammons and backgammons are scored as a single game if neither player has offered the doubling cube during that play. This is to discourage a player from prolonging a game by not offering the doubling cube because his lead is “too good” to double.
- Beaver: This optional rule is often used in money games, but never in match play. This rule says that a player who accepts the doubling cube may immediately redouble without waiting until it is his turn to do so, and still retain possession of the cube. These additional doubles are called “Raccoon,” “Otter,” etc.
In a money game, you are free to double your opponent before your turn anytime that you have possession of the cube. But in a match game, it would be pointless to double your opponent when you are only one point away from winning the match. Similarly if your opponent is a point away from winning the match, and it is the post-Crawford game, you should always double at your first opportunity.
In a money game, each game is separate and you “settle” up your bets at the end of each game, or when you reach your agreed time/dollar limit. The “winner” basically wins money. In a match game, since you don’t play for money, the “winner” of the match basically just wins the match, or maybe some kind of prize. Match play is more about the love of playing rather than being about winning money.
This summarizes some of the key points that make Match Play different than Money Games. To avoid confusion, it is important to always agree to which type of game you are playing at the start, and which rules/options will be used. This keeps everyone “on the same page” and avoids misunderstandings.
