Double the Excitement with a Doubling Cube

To turn the game more upbeat and start our adrenaline glands working overtime we can try a backgammon doubling cube to double the excitement. Here's what we should do.

First, what's a doubling cube for? It's what players resort to when they want more thrill and challenge out of backgammon. It's a giant die. It has 6 sides on which are written a numeral each: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64. It ends with 64 but actually the numbers can go on to infinity, if the players choose to. Note that each number is actually a sum of the double of the previous one. Like, 2 and 2 is 4, 4 and 4 is 8, 8 and 8 is 16, and so forth. Hence, "doubling" cube.

If we feel luckier than the opponent in a game then we may opt for a doubling cube. We say so before rolling the dice. This means the stakes—and risks—are doubled for that game. We place the cube with the face with the number 2 on it facing up. This signals that the stakes have been doubled. Our opponent is then placed on a spot—to accept or to forego or quit. Whoever first accepts a double has the sole right to redouble for the remainder of the game.

But few players actually redouble a double. The most they do is make a wager 4 times higher—although there's no limit to how many times we want to double. But when we are playing backgammon just for fun, we don't use real money and thus we may redouble all we want. But we should have rewards and penalties to make a double challenging.

Backgammon often has a beaver option when money is involved. This means we redouble when offered a double by the opponent. But in this instance we retain the right to the cube. To counter our beaver the opponent may raccoon—another doubling term. We may also have a beaver and raccoon even while playing backgammon for fun--we beaver or raccoon the prizes or rewards or punishments at "stake."

Automatic doubles bring more fun to the game. This makes ties during the first dice roll as a double to double the stakes. For instance, we roll a 3-3 and then another roll of 5-5 and another of 1-4. This calls for quadruple stakes.

The doubling cube provides an added kick to the excitement of the game. We can enjoy the same even if we just play for fun.