Backgammon is in many respects, very similar to poker in that it is a game of luck and chance. Too many novice players whilst observing a game of backgammon in progress simply assume the player merely rolls the dice and is utterly bound by the whatever the results are and this way of thinking renders the entire game as a mechanical process.  

This kind of player fails to appreciate the strong tactical significance that the dice offers, and as a result will chalk their wins and losses entirely too pure luck. Whilst luck does play a factor in the game of backgammon it is not the be all and end all, and so the player who is comfortable and confident with the dice odds will be able to play far more effectively.

Most novice players will groan as soon as they hear the dreaded words “dice odds” uttered, as this invariably conjures up dreary and rather unappealing mental images of hours having to be devoted to the studying of complex mathematical formulae and equations. Books on probability and frequency ratios strike mortal terror (or at least crippling apathy) within the heart of the novice player and so they invariably find that their interest in the game of backgammon subsides as a whole. Most new players do not want to contend with having to spend copious amounts of time studying, nor do they want to spend equally large amounts of time devoted to the calculating of the odds there and then whilst they play.

Another common concern voiced by novice players is that they do not want to have to deal with pedantic and long-winded mathematical calculations every time they want to roll the dice!

The reality is that the odds associated with each combination of numbers that a dice roll will provide is constant meaning that so long as the player is intimately aware of the actual combinations as well as their respective odds, then they do not need to understand the maths involved. Being able to calculate odds within backgammon is an extremely useful skill to have and will allow the player to decide whether to press on with their counters or whether they should play more defensively. However, it is by no means an exact science nor a guarantee that the player will defiantly win, but they will help the player stack the odds firmly in their favour.