Pip Count, Shot Numbers and Entering Odds

Most backgammon decisions come down to two questions: who is ahead in the race, and how risky is the move you are about to make. The pip count answers the first. Shot numbers and entering odds answer the second. You do not need to be good at math to use either one; you only need a few numbers and a habit of checking them.

What the pip count is

A pip is one point of movement. Your pip count is the total number of pips you need to bring all your checkers home and bear them off. A checker on your 6-point needs 6 pips, a checker on your 13-point needs 13, and a checker on the bar needs 25. Add up every checker and you have your count.

At the start of a game, each side has a pip count of 167. Every roll lowers your count by the number on the dice, and doubles count four times. A hit sends a checker back and adds pips to the victim's count, which is why a single hit can swing a race completely.

How to count fast

Adding fifteen numbers one by one is slow and error-prone. A few shortcuts make it quick:

• Count by points, not checkers. Three checkers on the 8-point are 24 pips. Multiply, then add.
• Start from 167 and track changes. Early in the game it can be easier to remember that a side has moved, say, two rolls and been hit once than to recount everything.
• Use reference positions. If both sides still have most of their checkers in mirrored spots, only count the differences. Checkers that face each other on matching points cancel out.
• Group to round numbers. A checker on the 7 and one on the 3 make 10. Pair them in your head.
• Count the difference, not the total. In practice you care about the gap between you and your opponent, so count only the checkers that differ.

Most online boards can show the pip count for both sides. Use it to check your own count while you learn, then try to count before you look.

When you are ahead

The average roll moves 8.17 pips, so being ahead by about one roll means a lead of eight pips or so. Whose turn it is matters too: the side on roll gets to move first. As a rough guide:

• A lead of several pips while on roll in a long race is a real advantage, though not a safe one.
• If you are clearly ahead, aim to disengage and race: break contact, avoid getting hit and bring checkers home.
• If you are clearly behind, keep contact. Hold an anchor in your opponent's home board and wait for a shot rather than running into a race you will lose.

The game plans that follow from the count are covered in beginner strategy.

Shot numbers

When you leave a blot, you want to know how many of the 36 possible rolls hit it. A checker that is 6 or fewer pips away can be hit directly by one die; farther away, it can only be hit with a combination of both dice.

Two lessons stand out. Direct shots are far more dangerous than indirect ones, so if you must leave a blot, leave it more than 6 pips away when you can. And the indirect counts assume an open path: points you hold between the hitter and your blot block some of those rolls and lower the real number. Doubles are 6 of the 36 rolls, which is why combinations such as 2-2 or 3-3 show up in the indirect counts.

Entering from the bar

A checker on the bar must enter before you can move anything else. The more points your opponent has closed in their home board, the harder that gets:

The same table works the other way: before you hit, look at how many points you hold at home. Hitting against a strong board is often safe; hitting loose against a weak board can give your opponent a return shot from the bar. For the rules of entering and the bar itself, see the backgammon rules, and to check your counting after a game, try the tools described in analysis software.