Freerolls.Club

About This Glossary

This glossary covers the terms you'll hear at the table, read in strategy guides, and see in analysis. Terms are grouped by function rather than listed alphabetically, so related concepts sit next to each other and make more sense together.

If a term has its own dedicated article, there's a link. For everything else, the definition here is all you need.

Board Geography and Setup Terms

Point: one of the 24 narrow triangles on the board. Checkers sit on points.

Bar: the raised strip dividing the board in half. Checkers that get hit are placed here.

Home board: points 1–6. The section where you bear off.

Outer board: points 7–12. The section between the midpoint and your home board.

Midpoint: the 13-point. Five of your checkers start here.

Pip: the unit of distance on the board. Moving from the 8-point to the 5-point is a move of 3 pips.

Golden Point: the 5-point (your own or your opponent's). Widely considered the most valuable point to make in the early game because of its blocking power and bearing-off efficiency.

Gameplay Mechanics and Movement Definitions

Blot: a single checker on a point. Vulnerable to being hit.

Hit: landing on an opponent's blot, sending it to the bar.

Enter / Come in: bringing a checker from the bar into the opponent's home board.

Fanning / Dancing: failing to enter from the bar because all required points are blocked. Not a fun experience.

Closed board: all six home board points occupied by your checkers. An opponent on the bar can't enter.

Bearing off: removing checkers from the board during the final phase of the game.

Scoring Terminology and Win Conditions

Single game: a win worth 1 point. The opponent bore off at least one checker.

Gammon: a win worth 2 points. The opponent didn't bear off any checkers.

Backgammon: a win worth 3 points. The opponent hasn't borne off and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board.

Match play: playing to a set target score (e.g., first to 7 points).

Money play: each game is scored independently for stakes.

The Doubling Cube Dictionary

Doubling cube: a marker (not rolled) showing 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64. Controls the game's stake multiplier.

Take / Accept: agreeing to continue at the new doubled stake.

Drop / Pass: declining the double and conceding the game at the current stake.

Redouble: offering a new double when you own the cube (after having previously accepted a double).

Beaver: a money play rule allowing the player who was doubled to immediately redouble while keeping the cube. Basically saying, "I think your double was a mistake, so let's play for more."

Crawford Rule: in match play, when one player is 1 point from victory, the next game is played without the cube.

Jacoby Rule: in money play, gammons and backgammons don't count unless the cube has been turned at least once.

Strategic Concepts and Game Plans

Anchor: a made point in the opponent's home board. Your safe landing spot and launchpad for counterattacks.

Builder: a spare checker positioned to help make a new point on a future roll.

Slot: placing a blot on a point you want to make, hoping to cover it next turn.

Cover: adding a second checker to a blot, converting it into a made point.

Prime: a series of consecutive made points that block the opponent's movement.

Blitz: an attacking strategy focused on hitting opponent checkers and closing home board points to prevent re-entry.

Running game: a strategy of racing to bear off first, typically chosen when you're leading in the pip count.

Holding game: maintaining an anchor in the opponent's board and waiting for a chance to hit.

Back game: a defensive strategy using multiple anchors deep in the opponent's board, waiting for a late-game shot.

Timing: having enough productive moves remaining to maintain your position without being forced to break key points. Think of it as fuel in the tank: when you run out, your position starts falling apart.

Crunching: being forced to break your own points because you've run out of useful moves. This is what happens when your timing runs dry.

Dice, Probability, and Math Lingo

Direct shot: a blot within 6 points of an opponent checker. Can be hit with a single die.

Indirect shot: a blot 7 or more points away. Requires both dice to combine for the hit.

Duplication: here's a neat idea: you arrange your checkers so the opponent needs the same number to do two different things. Since they can only use each die once, this cuts down their good rolls. For example, if they need a 4 to both escape and hit, fewer rolls let them do both.

Joker: a lucky roll that dramatically changes the game.

Market loser: a roll so strong that it swings the cube decision from "opponent takes" to "opponent drops."

Pip count: the total distance (in pips) that a player's checkers must travel to bear off. Lower is better.

Gin: a position where one player has already won and the remaining rolls are a formality. The outcome is determined. Named by analogy with gin rummy.

Tournament Play and Chouette Slang

Chouette: a multi-player format where one player (the box) plays against a team led by a captain. Rotation happens after wins.

DMP (Double Match Point): both players need exactly 1 point to win. Gammons don't matter and the cube is irrelevant.

GG (Gammon Go): a match score where winning a gammon wins the match but losing a gammon doesn't end it. Encourages aggressive play.

GS (Gammon Save): a match score where being gammoned costs the match. Encourages conservative play.

PR (Performance Rating): a measure of average error per decision. Lower is better. This is the number players use to track how well they're playing over time.

Match equity table (MET): a chart showing each player's probability of winning a match at every possible score. Used to make precise cube decisions in match play.