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The correct play is to move one man from White’s 2 point to White’s 1 point, hitting Black’s blot and one man from Black’s 12 point to Whites bar point. Your objective is to force Black to hit your blots, so that these men may reenter and pick up Black’s blots on his board. You therefore disdain making a prime. Although it would most likely prevent you from losing a gammon, it would also minimize your chances of winning. This play would allow Black to eliminate his inner board blots if he rolled a 1.

The reason you did not make you 8 point is that in the event Black rolls a 1 or a 2 (hitting one of your blots) but cannot move from there, and you in turn roll a number that does not hit either of Black’s men on his 1 or 2 point, you must have men in position to hit his blot in your board.

For example, assume you had made your 8 point and Black rolled 2 and 4 (entering on your 2 point and hitting your blot). If you now rolled 3 and 5, you would be unable to hit on your 2 point without breaking another point in your board, once again giving Black the opportunity to make his 1 point with the roll of an ace.

13/7, 2/1*

8/1*

Rollout  Tom Keith 2013

Money play White owns 2-cube White rolls 6-1 1296 games with VR Checker play: 3-ply Cube play: XG Roller

XGID=-aBBBBC-A---AAA--------aa-:1:1:1:61:0:0:0:0

	6-1:		Game	G	BG	Equity
1	8/1*	W L	.5641 .4359	.0000 .0337	.0000 .0079	+0.3419
2	14/8, 2/1*	W L	.5656 .4344	.0000 .0655	.0000 .0171	+0.3087	(0.0332)
3	12/6, 2/1*	W L	.5561 .4439	.0000 .0856	.0000 .0219	+0.2723	(0.0696)
4	13/7, 2/1*	W L	.5528 .4472	.0000 .0823	.0000 .0260	+0.2572	(0.0847)

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List of Positions from Better Backgammon

Better Backgammon (1974), by Tim Holland