Top Tips for Playing Backgammon and Blackjack

You need to be a quick thinker to play Backgammon well. It’s a fast-moving board game that needs concentration and strategy. You also need a lot of skill to win at Blackjack. These tips will help you become an awesome Backgammon and Blackjack player.

Backgammon is a game for two people and is played on a board divided into 24 points with a six point "home" section for each player and a middle bar. You have 15 stones which you move from point to point on the roll of two dice. The aim is to move all 15 stones to your home, then do something known as "bearing them off" by rolling the number of the point where a stone is placed.

Learning the rules of how to move your stones around a Backgammon board to win takes time but, with practice you soon get it all down pat.

• You can use the dice scores to move two separate stones, or combine them to move one.
• You can double two identical scores to allow four moves, separately or in any combination.
• If you have a point occupied by two or more stones of the same colour, it’s blocked to the other player.
• If your opponent lands on a point occupied by only one of your stones, your stone is moved to the bar.
• To re-enter it, use a later dice roll to move the stone to whichever point in your opponent's home is indicated.

There are many versions of Blackjack. This simple version is a fun one to learn to play with friends and family.

Blackjack Basics

However many players are at the table, blackjack is fundamentally a two-person game; you’re playing against the dealer and your aim is to gain a hand totalling close to 21 without going over or "busting".

• Number cards are of face value. Aces can be one or 11. "Face cards" meaning the Jack, Queen or King score 10.
• The dealer gives each player two cards, both face down. The dealer has one card turned up, the other down.
• If you’re lucky enough to get an ace and a 10 or face card, you have a "natural blackjack" which is an instant win. You need to see what the dealer has first though. If they also have a natural, there is a tie or "push" between you and the dealer while all the other players lose.
• If nobody has a natural, each player in turn has the option to be dealt another card called a "hit", to stay with the cards they have or "stand" or to surrender if they bust.
• When you’ve chosen to stand or surrender, the dealer reveals their face-down card. If they have a total of 16 or less, they must hit and as soon as they have 17 or more, they must stand.
• If the dealer busts, all players still in the game win. Otherwise, players with higher point totals than the dealer win.

These easy-to-learn versions of Backgammon and Blackjack are great for thinking on your feet and will guarantee you hours of fun with friends and family.