In order to get the game under way each player must throw one die and the player with the highest number goes first they must use the numbers being shown. Players will then take alternative turns, rolling two dice at the beginning of each turn.

After rolling the dice the player must if possible move checkers according to the numbers shown on the dice. For instance you roll 5 - 3 you can either move one checker 5 points and another checker 3 points or you can move one checker a total of 8 points, however you can't jump to 8 points you must move the one checker either a 5 or 3, should you roll a double for instance 3 - 3 then you must move four checkers 3 spaces each or one checker 4 x 3 or two checkers 2 x 3.

During the course of a move a checker may land on any point that is unoccupied or is occupied by only one of your opponents checkers (known as blots) or any number of your own checkers. Should you land on one of your opponents blots this is then classed as hit and is removed from the board and put on the bar dividing the inner and outer boards. Checkers on the bar re-enter the game at the opponents home board in the example red player has thrown a 4 and is returning the blot on point 21 or your opponents point 4.

When all your checkers are on your home board you can then start bearing them off, you must move checkers in accordance to the numbers rolled for instance if you roll 6/5 you must move a checker from point 6 if there are any however you have two options for the 5 you may either move a checker from the 6 point down to the 1 point or you can bear off a checker from the 5 point, however if there are no checkers on the 5 but there are on the 6 point then you must move from the higher number first. For instance you have 2 checkers on your 6 point, none on your 5 but 3 on your 4 point and you roll 6/5 you must in this instance move two checkers from your 6 point. however if you only had 1 checker on your 6 point none on your 5, 2 on your 4 point then you would move one from your 6 point and one from your 4 point. Should one player bear off all their checkers before their opponent has had a chance to remove any then they have won a gammon which counts for double a normal loss, should the opponent have checkers on the bar or in their opponents home board then they have lost a backgammon which counts for triple the normal loss. Play Backgammon – Win Money!

In order to speed up match play and to promote more use of strategy a doubling cube is normally used. see illustration. This is a six sided die marked with numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64. Before rolling the dice on your turn you can offer to double the stakes by passing the doubling cube to your opponent, should they decline the offer they have to resign and you have won the game, however should they accept then the right to redouble belongs exclusively to that person. The cube is then placed on their side of the board with the 2 facing upwards.

Although it is rare for a game to be redoubled beyond 4 times the original stake there is no limit to the number of doubles, During money games a player is allowed to beaver when offered the cube doubling the value of the game again, while retaining possession of the cube. This must be done immediately on offer.

Jacoby rule widely used in money play but not in match play, it is a rule that allows gammons and backgammons to count for their respective double and triple values only if the cube has already been offered and accepted. This encourages a player who has taken a large lead to offer the double thereby ending the game rather than play on hoping for a gammon or backgammon.

Crawford rule this was designed to make match play more equitable for players in the lead. Where a player is one point away from winning a match, their opponent will want to double as early as possible in order to catch up they will do this regardless of wether the game is worth one or two points the trailing player must win to continue the match, to provide some balance the Crawford rule requires that once a player reaches a score one point short of winning neither player may use the doubling cube for the following game. The Crawford rule is used in tournament match play. It should be noted that after the Crawford game normal use of the doubling cube resumes.