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Backgammon scoring: singles, gammons and backgammons
Calculate game points with and without the cube, distinguish a gammon from a backgammon, and understand points-match scoring.
When a game is played to the last checker, score a single, gammon or backgammon, then multiply by the accepted doubling-cube value. A single is worth 1×, a gammon 2× and a backgammon 3×. With no accepted double, use a cube value of 1. You can keep this score as points without playing for money.
The result depends on the loser’s position when the winner bears off the final checker. The USBGF scoring rules distinguish these outcomes.
First check whether the loser has borne off anything
| Losing player’s position at the end | Result | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| At least one checker already off | Single | 1× |
| No checkers off, none on the bar or in the winner’s home | Gammon | 2× |
| No checkers off, and at least one on the bar or in the winner’s home | Backgammon | 3× |
Start with the first row. If the loser has already removed even one checker, the result is a single—even if another of their checkers was later hit and remains on the bar. Being on the bar alone is not enough for a backgammon; zero checkers borne off is also required.
If White wins in our diagram orientation, White’s home is the lower-right group of points 1–6. That is where you look for a losing Black checker when checking the backgammon condition. If Black wins, inspect Black’s home instead: White’s points 19–24. Do not confuse the loser’s own home with the winner’s home.
Worked point totals
| Final position | Accepted cube | Calculation | Winner receives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loser has four checkers off | 1 | Single: 1 × 1 | 1 point |
| Loser has none off, all fifteen in the loser’s own home | 2 | Gammon: 2 × 2 | 4 points |
| Loser has none off and one on the bar | 4 | Backgammon: 3 × 4 | 12 points |
| Loser has one off and one on the bar | 4 | Single: 1 × 4 | 4 points |
A backgammon scores three times the cube, not a gammon plus a backgammon. You do not add 2× and 3× together. The point numbers printed on a teaching board and the pip count are not game scores.
A dropped cube is scored differently
When someone declines a double, the game ends at the previous accepted value. If the cube is at 2 and White offers 4, Black’s drop awards White 2 points. It does not award 4, and there is no gammon bonus based on how many Black checkers are still on the board. See cube timing and ownership before using a cube in a match.
One game, a running total or a points match
For an informal single game, agree beforehand whether you care only about who wins or also want to record the standard outcome. You can also play a series with a running points total.
A match has an agreed target. If White is on 3 in a 5-point match and wins a gammon with the cube at 2, White earns 4 points and wins the match. You do not need to land exactly on 5. Excess points do not create an extra match win. Backgammon Galore’s match-play rules explain targets, cube scoring and the Crawford rule.
Standard match play includes one cube-free Crawford game after a player first reaches one point short of the target. Normal single/gammon/backgammon multipliers still apply in that game; the cube’s value stays 1. If another game is needed afterward, doubling returns.
Agree on exceptions before starting
Some casual or money games use Jacoby: without an accepted double, a gammon or backgammon earns only a single game’s value. That is an optional convention and is not used in match play. Do not apply it to these examples unless both players have expressly chosen it. The rules FAQ describes Jacoby and the other common optional cube rules.
If a game ends by resignation instead of bearing off or dropping the cube, agree clearly on the result being conceded under your game’s rules. For learning games, playing to the finish makes the distinction between a single and a gammon easier to see.
Next, practice the final checker moves or choose a way to play with a friend.