| Books |
From Backgammon for Blood, by Bruce Becker
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| White to play 5-4. |
This is in the same category as the 5-2 move in terms of the B12 man to W8 being a reinforcement rather than of immediate potential.
The blot on W9 can be hit in only six ways (2-2, 4-4, 6-2, 2-6, 5-3, and 3-5), but it would be a waste for your opponent to use the 2-2 or 4-4 throws by hitting you. If not hit, the W9 man can be utilized in twenty-one throws, and five others make points as well.
For this opener, the author who recommended splitting the back men for the 4-3 more advises doing the same thing here. Again, and for the same reasons, I disagree. In fact, here the move is even worse, since this has the disadvantage of four men on the W8 point and no additional building point in your outer board as there was with the 4-3 move he suggests.
There is one other alternative, which I also do not like: to move one man from the B1 point to the B10. This has three disadvantages: it breaks up the B1 point; it is of no use on your next throw except for a 6-4 or 4-6; and because it can be hit in thirteen ways it really has to be removed from danger on your next throw if it is not immediately hit. This move is a liability; avoid it.
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Rollout
 Tom Keith 2013 |
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Money play Centered cube White rolls 5-4 1296 games with VR Checker play: 3-ply Cube play: XG Roller |
| 5-4: | Game | G | BG | Equity | ||||
| 1 | 13/9, 13/8 |
W L |
.4994 .5006 |
.1531 .1386 |
.0082 .0074 | +0.0210 |
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| 2 | 24/20, 13/8 |
W L |
.5042 .4958 |
.1398 .1358 |
.0075 .0057 | +0.0187 | (0.0023) | Alt |
| 3 | 24/15 |
W L |
.5016 .4984 |
.1213 .1358 |
.0056 .0052 | −0.0124 | (0.0334) | |
| 4 | 13/4 |
W L |
.4840 .5160 |
.1424 .1464 |
.0067 .0077 | −0.0533 | (0.0743) |
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