Backgammon Inquest: Rolling the Dice

Rolling the dice when we're playing backgammon in a casual setting just involves picking it up, shaking it, then casting it on the board. However, when it comes to formal games such as tournaments, backgammon concerns in rolling the dice is taken a lot more seriously. So, as an inquest on dice handling etiquette, we'll look into the matter of what's important regarding the subject and how we can go about it the right way.

The matter most strictly observed about rolling the dice in backgammon tournaments is that it should not be manipulated to preserve the randomness of the throw. And using a dice cup promotes this goal.

The randomness of the throw pertains to producing random numbers at the cast of the dice. So any handling, whether it's intentional or not, that impedes this purpose is considered poor conduct. And, more often than not, reputations are put at stake when this concern is raised.

The dice cup is a backgammon accessory that is intended to maintain the randomness of dice throws. It only follows that we should know how to use it properly. You'd be surprised to see that there are steps to using the dice cup rather than chucking dice in and throwing it out.

The steps in proper dice cup usage are as follows: Put the dice inside then cover the cup's opening with your palm. Then, aggressively shake it so that you'll hear the clicking of the dice. Take your hand off the cup's opening then let the dice drop from the dice cup onto the right side of the backgammon board. The dice should fall at the same time and roll and bounce before resting.

One's hand or fingers shouldn't touch the dice in these steps. And in the case when one die falls before the other, one should restart and throw the dice again. Dice should similarly be re-rolled if either one or both die are cocked. That's when dice don't rest flat on the backgammon board after they're cast.

Backgammon tournaments are serious events and dice handling etiquette should be strictly observed. What's important is that the numbers produced as the dice are cast should be random. That's why one must know how to use the dice cup properly. As long as the steps mentioned above are followed in rolling the dice, no questions will be raised and one can be assured that dice are not manipulated to uphold a fair game.