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The correct play is to enter on Black’s 3 point and move one man from White’s bar point to White’s 5 point. There is almost no chance for you to win this game in a race. Your only hope is that while bearing off, Black will be forced to leave a blot, which you hit. The point to hold, therefore is Black’s 1 point. From there you will be a threat as long as you wish to remain. If, on the other hand, you make Black’s 3 point, you chances of getting a shot will be far less (assuming that Black will be able to make his 1 point).

One more important factor to be taken into consideration is that by making your 5 point your home board position has become rather formidable, thus causing Black to think twice before making a frivolous play such as hitting your blot on his 3 point and leaving a blot of his own. Actually, the odds are 5 to 4 against Black’s making his 3 point (any roll with a 6 or 5 — 20 chances out of 36). If you had made Black’s 3 point, the chances of his making the 1 point are much better. Also if he is forced to hit your blot on his 1 point, and in the process of doing so leaves a blot of his own (this would happen only with a roll of 6 and 2), there is still the fact that your board leaves much to be desired.

Rollout  Tom Keith 2013

Money play White owns 2-cube White rolls 3-2 1296 games with VR Checker play: 3-ply Cube play: XG Roller

XGID=----BABCB----B----cccc-cBA:1:1:1:32:0:0:0:0

	3-2:		Game	G	BG	Equity
1	bar/22, 7/5	W L	.3315 .6685	.0113 .3833	.0005 .0514	−0.6247
2	bar/22, 13/11	W L	.3230 .6770	.0126 .4033	.0005 .0579	−0.6678	(0.0431)

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List of Positions from Better Backgammon

Better Backgammon (1974), by Tim Holland