Acey-Deucy: The Backgammon Variant Where Everyone Starts Off the Board
Acey-deucy is one of the best-known relatives of backgammon. It uses the same board, the same fifteen checkers per side and the same idea of racing around the board and bearing off. What changes is the start of the game and one very special roll. Those two differences make it a looser, more swingy game, and a good one to try once you know the standard backgammon rules.
The Starting Position: An Empty Board
In regular backgammon the checkers begin on fixed points. In acey-deucy the board starts empty. Every checker has to enter the game the same way a hit checker re-enters in backgammon: through the opponent's home board, using the numbers on the dice.
From there the path is familiar. White enters in Black's home board, travels through Black's outer board, then through White's outer board, and gathers in White's home board. Black does the mirror image. Once all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board, you may start bearing off, exactly as in backgammon.
Moving Checkers Before All Have Entered
The key rule difference is freedom of movement. In backgammon a checker on the bar must enter before anything else moves. In acey-deucy you are not required to bring in all your checkers first. On any roll you may enter new checkers, move checkers already on the board, or mix the two. Blots, hitting, entering from the bar and blocked points all work as in the standard game.
The Acey-Deucy Roll (1-2)
The roll of 1 and 2 gives the game its name and is the most powerful roll you can throw. When you roll it:
- You play the 1 and the 2 as usual.
- You then choose any double you like, from 1-1 up to 6-6, and play it as a double: four moves of that number.
- Finally you roll again and take another full turn. If that extra roll is also 1-2, the whole sequence repeats.
House rules differ on one detail: what happens if you cannot use every part of the sequence. A common version says that if any part of the 1-2 sequence cannot be played, the rest of the sequence is lost. Agree on this before you start.
The odds of throwing 1-2 on any given turn are 2 in 36, the same as any other specific non-double combination. It is not a frequent roll, but a game lasts many turns, so expect it to show up from time to time, and when it does it can swing a position completely.
Opening Strategy
Because nothing is on the board at the start, the early game is about structure rather than escape. Good players try to:
- Make advanced points early. A point you own deep in your opponent's side, or along the middle of the board, gives your later checkers a safe landing spot.
- Build adjacent points. Two or three points in a row are the start of a prime, and a prime matters even more here because your opponent still has many checkers to bring in. See blocking in backgammon for how primes work.
- Keep some checkers in reserve. Since you are allowed to leave checkers off the board, holding a few back gives you flexibility to use awkward numbers later.
- Plan for the 1-2. The free double can complete a prime or rescue a trapped checker. Keep positions where a big double would help you.
Where Acey-Deucy Fits
Acey-deucy is mostly a casual game. The swings from the 1-2 roll make long-term planning less reliable than in backgammon, which is part of its charm. If you enjoy it, the other regional games on our backgammon variants page are worth a look too.