Playing the Three in the Opening
When considering the Three in the opening roll, you should consider what type of strategy you're going to go for. Generally there are two viable strategies you can choose from during the opening. Backgammon players will often be made to choose from either a split play or a build play to decently do the Three. These two strategies take on different approaches for a roll of Three during the opening.
Let's take a closer look at the two options with a dice roll of Three during the backgammon opening. The first option is a build play by doing 13/10. Opening rolls such as a Four-Three, Five-Three, and a Six-Three would take on a build play backgammon strategy. Though most players don't really favor a 13/10 in most opening rolls, a build play is still a worthwhile option.
The big disadvantage of the build play for the opening when you have a blot on the 10-point is that a roll of Six-Three or Five-Four can hit it. That gives you odds of four out of 36.
The good news about this backgammon opening is that you have more options to secure key points like your Five-point, Four-point, and Seven-point. You need to roll a Six-Three, Five-Three, Five-One, Six-Four, or Six-two to make those points in your next turn. We haven't even mentioned that you also have plenty of options to make your 10-point on the next turn in a backgammon game.
Heading over to the split play, you do that by doing 24/21. The disadvantage with this move for the opening is that you let your opponent hit your blot and make a point at the same time. Your opponent just needs to get a Four-Two, Four-Four, a Two-Two, and a One-One on the dice to do that.
The good news about this backgammon play is that you pose a threat to run a back man. You also have pretty good chances to make the 18-point, the 21-point, or the 20-point on your next turn. We also need to mention that your opponent should have second thoughts before bringing down a builder to either the Nine- or Ten-point on the opponent's side.
Now choosing which approach to use during a game of backgammon would certainly be up to you. But there are a couple of things you should look out for when making that choice. First is that you should check out which type of play works well with your strategy. Another is to check if you are ahead or trailing behind in a backgammon match.
A roll of Three on the dice during the opening opens up some sound choices. Just remember the disadvantages and advantages you've seen and evaluate which approach works well with your strategy and the current status of your backgammon match.