In the position shown in the margin, for instance, White has already thrown off three of his men, but one has been caught and set back. It is impossible for Black to win unless he can catch this man again, or capture one or two of those in White’s home table, keeping White from throwing off any more men until Black gets home.
Suppose that in this position Black threw double threes. His play would be to separate all his men in the outer table, so that no matter what White might throw he could hardly escape being caught. The black men might be placed on the points marked with small crosses, and then if the white man cannot be caught and set back long enough for Black to get home, the game cannot be saved. If Black succeeds in picking up this man, he should then complete his home table as rapidly as possible, still keeping his outside men spread, and not disturbing the two men on White’s trey point until necessary.
Throwing Off. Always throw off every man possible; never move up instead of throwing off, unless there are some adverse men in your home table. If you make a throw which will not take off a man, do not move two men, but move up and take off one man if possible.
Chances. Some players profess to attach great importance to the chances of the dice, but such matters are of little practical value except in a general way. It may be interesting to know that the odds were thirty-five to one against a certain throw, but that knowledge does not prevent your adversary from winning the game.
It should always be remembered that it is more difficult for your adversary to hit a man that is very close to him or very far from him, than one that is about half way. The odds against being hit by a given number, either on one or on both dice, are given in the margin. The throws given in the second column cannot be made without counting both dice, and a player is therefore safer when it takes “double dice” to hit him.
| Single Die. | Double Dice. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 to 11 ag’st | 1 | 30 to 6 ag’st | 7 |
| 24 to 12 ag’st | 2 | 30 to 6 ag’st | 8 |
| 22 to 14 ag’st | 3 | 31 to 5 ag’st | 9 |
| 21 to 15 ag’st | 4 | 33 to 3 ag’st | 10 |
| 21 to 15 ag’st | 5 | 34 to 2 ag’st | 11 |
| 19 to 17 ag’st | 6 | 35 to 1 ag’st | 12 |
LAWS.
1. If the men are wrongly set up, the mistake may be remedied if the player in error has not moved a man, otherwise they must stand as set up.
2. If a player begins with less than the proper number of men, the error cannot be rectified after the player has made a throw for his move.