Others : Online backgammon popular among poker fans

Backgammon is becoming very popular among the poker fans, mainly because of its exciting rules. The game requires skill, luck, and intellect, it hosts very profitable tournaments, it has unique betting options, and a social environment very similar to poker.

The rules of the game are not too difficult: the first player to remove all his checkers from the board wins. The board is divided in half by the bar area, and it contains four equal sections. Each player has 15 checkers and he can move them on any of the board's points (six triangular spaces placed on each section).

At first the player must move his checkers towards his home area, and then depending on the pip count of the dice he throws on each round, he must remove the checkers of the board. The checkers can be moved on any unoccupied point, or on a point that is occupied by your checker/checkers.

You can also move your checker on a point that is occupied by one of your opponent's checkers, and in this case his checker is removed and it’s send back to the bar. This will give you some extra time, as your opponent has to move his checker out of his home board before he can move any other checkers.

The pip of the dice dictates with how many points you can move your checkers. You can move them in two ways; for example if you throw a six and a two, you can move one checker six points and another checker two points, or you can move a single checker eight points.

If you can't move any of your checkers you lose the turn. The internet backgammon is played at a higher rate then the regular game, and this type of game is called barring off. In this type of game, your checkers are more vulnerable and the opponent will often try to remove them out of the game.

The game requires a competitive spirit, a quick mind, and lots of discipline. No wonder that it is getting more and more popular with poker players.