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Bring down two men from white’s 12 point, placing them on black’s 8 and 10 points. It is true that your blot is vulnerable to a roll of 9, but should it not be hit, this play, on black’s next move, changes lackluster rolls of 5-1, 4-1, 6-3, 6-2, or another 5-3 into good rolls. It also improves subsequent rolls of 4-3, 3-2, and 2-1.

Some experts have suggested establishing black’s 3 point with a roll of 5-3, but it is an inferior play. At this point in the game, the 3 point is almost irrelevant; it does not become really valuable until the 5 and 4 points have been secured.

13/8, 13/10

Alt: 8/3, 6/3

Rollout  Tom Keith 2013

Money play Centered cube Black rolls 5-3 1296 games with VR Checker play: 3-ply Cube play: XG Roller

XGID=-b----E-C---eE---c-e----B-:0:0:1:53:0:0:0:0

	5-3:		Game	G	BG	Equity
1	8/3, 6/3	W L	.5168 .4832	.1666 .1356	.0089 .0065	+0.0980		Alt
2	24/21, 13/8	W L	.5064 .4936	.1432 .1369	.0075 .0053	+0.0198	(0.0782)
3	13/10, 13/8	W L	.4952 .5048	.1521 .1436	.0075 .0072	−0.0027	(0.1007)
4	24/16	W L	.5014 .4986	.1235 .1420	.0057 .0051	−0.0114	(0.1094)

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List of Positions from Backgammon, the Cruelest Game

Backgammon, the Cruelest Game (1974), by Barclay Cooke and Jon Bradshaw