Backgammon Facts You Need to Know
Backgammon is a five thousand year old board game that is still enjoyed by men and women from all around the world until now. In recent times, it is a form of gambling famously played in casinos in the likes of Las Vegas, Macau and Monte Carlo. Gamblers can also enjoy this game via the Internet thru online casinos.
Backgammon has a rich history. This popular two-person game is perceived to be about 5,000 years old and evidence suggests that it is mentioned in the writings of a popular Greek philosopher, Plato. During the 17th century, backgammon was extremely popular in the European countries of France and England and was described by a certain Edmond Hoyle in 1743. Backgammon's popularity crossed over the Atlantic and was graciously accepted into American culture in the 1930s. Wheaton Vaughan of New York city further boosted the game's popularity by developing the current set of backgammon rules. A reinvigorated interest in the game came in the interesting decade of the 1970s along with the rise of radical ideologies.
Together with the extremely popular card games of poker, baccarat and blackjack, backgammon is a board game that is enjoyed worldwide with or without money wagering. Although there is no regulatory body to govern international players, it does not deter the success of large international gambling events held in tourist hotspots of Monte Carlo in Europe, the Bahamas in South America, Boston and Reno in North America.
Backgammon just needs two players to get the game rolling. A rectangular board that is divided into two equal halves by the bar is where the players would be playing. One side of the board is called the inner table while the other side, the outer table. The game also needs two dice cups, four dice and a doubling cube whose six sides sport the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16 32 and 64. Numbers are double of the preceding number as they are used to double the bets when gambling. Last but note the least, a backgammon players needs a set of 15 pieces where each piece or chip is to be called men, stones or counters. They are usually in contrasting colors, often manufactured in black and white pairings or red and white. The goal is to be the first one to push all 15 pieces or men into the inner table and in backgammon terms, to bear them off, meaning to eliminate them completely from the board.
Backgammon has definitely survived years and years of transition and because it is one of the most interesting board games that man has ever created, it managed to penetrate a number of societies and civilizations and still lives until now. It is a simple and exciting game that is to be enjoyed by men and women, young and old, professional and amateur gamblers alike.
