Acey-Deucey is played by two players with 15 checkers each on a standard 24-point backgammon board — but nothing starts on the board. Checkers enter in the opponent's home board on points matching the dice, then travel around to your own home board to bear off. The signature roll, 1-2, pays out a double of your choice plus another roll. The winner scores one point for each opposing checker not borne off; there is no doubling cube.
Play now — it's freeEach player starts with all fifteen checkers off the board. On your turn you enter checkers by placing them on points in your opponent's home board that match the numbers you rolled: roll 6-3 and you may enter one checker on the opponent's 6-point and one on the 3-point. White enters on points 19–24 and moves toward point 1; black mirrors on points 1–6 moving toward point 24.
The object is to move all fifteen checkers around the board into your own home board and bear them off first. Unlike some variants, you may mix freely: once you have entered one or more checkers, later rolls may move those forward, enter more checkers, or both.
Each die moves one checker that many points to an open point (one not occupied by two or more opposing checkers). The two dice are separate moves, and one checker may use both if the intermediate point is open. Doubles are played twice over — four moves of that number.
You must play both numbers if possible; if only one fits, you must play the higher one. If nothing fits, the turn passes.
| Point state | May you land? | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| No opposing checkers | Yes | Open point |
| 1 opposing checker (a blot) | Yes — a hit | The blot goes to the bar |
| 2+ opposing checkers | No | Blocked point, also for mid-move touch-downs |
Rolling 1 and 2 is the heart of the game. First you play the 1 and the 2 in the normal way (either order). Then you name any double you wish — 1-1 through 6-6 — and play it: four moves of that number. Then you roll again and play the new roll as usual. If the new roll is another 1-2, the whole sequence repeats.
The privilege has teeth: if you cannot use any part of the 1-2 — say you can move the 2 but not the 1 — you forfeit the rest of the turn and may not name a double or roll again. You may name a double even when only part of it can be played, but then the unused part is lost and you do not get the extra roll.
Landing on a lone opposing checker (a blot) hits it to the bar. From the bar the checker must re-enter in the opponent's home board — the same points used for the initial entry — before any other move may be made. If only some bar checkers can enter, you enter as many as you can and give up the rest of the turn.
Once all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board you may bear off: a roll of 3 removes a checker from the 3-point. If the rolled point is empty, you must move a checker from a higher point; if there are none, you remove a checker from the highest point that has one.
The winner is paid by what the loser left behind:
| Result | Winner scores |
|---|---|
| Loser has borne off at least one checker | 1 point per opposing checker not borne off |
| Loser has borne off none (shutout) | 15 points |
| Doubling cube | Not used |
| Gammon / backgammon bonus | Not used |
Gammons and backgammons do not count extra — a win is worth exactly the number of opposing checkers still off the winner's bear-off tray.
Yes. Neither player has any checkers on the board at the start; both players enter their fifteen checkers into the opponent's home board using the dice, and entry can be mixed freely with normal forward moves.
You first play the 1 and the 2 normally. Then you name any double from 1-1 to 6-6 and play up to four moves of it. Then you roll again and play that roll. If the extra roll is itself 1-2, the sequence repeats — and chains as long as the dice cooperate.
No. Once you have entered one or more checkers you may use later rolls to move them forward, to enter more checkers, or to do both in the same turn. Only checkers on the bar have a compulsory re-entry.
No. The American Navy version is played without a doubling cube, and gammons or backgammons do not multiply the score.
The winner scores one point for each opposing checker that has not been borne off — including checkers still waiting to enter or sitting on the bar. A total shutout is therefore worth 15 points.
A hit blot goes to the bar and must re-enter on the opponent's home board, exactly like the initial entry, before that player may make any other move.
Yes — play free in your browser, no download: quick match against a real opponent or a private room code for a friend.