Backgammon Variants: American Acey-Deucey

If you want to try a variant of our regular backgammon game, you should try American Acey-Deucey. This is a one quick game variant where you can expect heavy hitting fast action. This variant of backgammon became quite popular during the First World War. You won't be needing any extra equipment to play American Acey-Deucey.

The equipment you will need to play American Acey-Deucey will be pretty much the same as the ones you use for regular backgammon except that you won't be needing the doubling cube. Both players will still be needing 15 checkers each, a backgammon board, dice, and dice cups. Setting up your backgammon board will be a lot easier for American Acey-Deucey. All you need to do is keep your backgammon board empty and you can start rolling your dice.

Both players will begin the game without any checker on the backgammon board. Players will first make the opening roll. Another difference that American Acey-Deucey has compared to regular backgammon is that the player winning the opening roll must roll again for the first move of the game.

Since both players will start the game with checkers off the board in American Acey-Deucey, you will have to enter checkers on your opponent's home board. The areas of the backgammon board are still the same as the regular game. You still start at your opponent's home board and run your checkers to your own home board. The objective of American Acey-Deucey is still the same as regular backgammon.

The same rules that you have for moving checkers all around the backgammon board still apply in American Acey-Deucey. You still move checkers according to the pips that show on the dice. Hitting and entering still works the same way in American Acey-Deucey. Rolling doubles will also give you the same benefits this backgammon variant.

A distinct difference in the rules for American Acey-Deucey is when you roll a 1-2 (i.e. Acey-Deucey which is the name of the game). When you make this roll, you still play it as you would any other dice roll in the game. You then get the privilege of naming any double roll you would like to play (e.g. 3-3, 5-5, 2-2). Then you play the double you named, but if you can't use all the numbers you named then you forfeit the next step.

The next step after playing the double roll you named is another privilege, which is to roll again and play the next move. If you get to roll another 1-2 then the cycle just continues in American Acey-Deucey.

Another difference in the rules is that the winning player gains one point for every checker that the opponent isn't able to bear off. You can expect a lot of action in American Acey-Deucey. It's a fun, fast-paced, and action packed way of playing backgammon.