Acey-Deucey: Rules of the Backgammon Variant
Acey-deucey is the backgammon variant long played in the US armed forces, especially the Navy. Every checker starts off the board, and one roll — 1-2, the "acey-deucey" — can swing the game. Here's how it's played and how it differs from standard backgammon.
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The idea in one paragraph
Acey-deucey uses a standard backgammon board, but nobody starts with checkers on it. Both players bring all 15 checkers in from off the board, entering through the opponent's home board exactly as a hit checker enters from the bar, and then race them all the way round to their own home board and off. Rules differ from crew to crew; below is the core most versions share.
Basic rules
- Start: the board is empty. All checkers are off the board, waiting to enter.
- Entering: each die enters one checker on the matching point of your opponent's home board (a 4 on their 4-point) — the same way as entering from the bar in backgammon.
- Moving early: in most versions you don't have to enter all 15 before moving checkers already on the board.
- Hitting: as in backgammon — land on a lone opposing checker and it goes to the bar, and it must re-enter before its owner moves anything else.
- Bearing off: once all 15 are in your home board, as in backgammon.
The acey-deucey roll: 1-2
The 1-2 roll is what gives the game its name and its drama. In the most common version:
- play the 1 and the 2 as usual;
- then choose any double you like — 6-6 if you want distance, something smaller if you need precision — and play it as four moves;
- then roll again.
If the next roll is 1-2 again, the bonus repeats. Many crews add that if you can't play all of the chosen double, the rest is lost — and sometimes the extra roll too. Agree on these details before you start.
Acey-deucey vs backgammon
| Backgammon | Acey-deucey | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting position | 2-5-3-5 setup on the board | All checkers off the board |
| First moves | Develop and make points | Enter checkers through the opponent's home |
| Special roll | None (doubles play four times) | 1-2: play it, pick a free double, roll again |
| Game length | Shorter: pip count 167 each | Longer: every checker travels the whole board |
| Hitting | Yes | Yes, and lots of it |
Because every checker makes the full journey, games are long and full of contact. Luck plays a bigger role than in backgammon — one well-timed 1-2 can turn a game around.
How it compares to other variants
Acey-deucey is one of several relatives of backgammon. Long nardy also starts all checkers in one place — on a single point, the head — but has no hitting at all; plakoto and fevga come from Greece; nackgammon and hypergammon change the setup. Overview: backgammon variants.
Want to play now?
NARDEON doesn't have an acey-deucey mode. What you can play right away, free in the browser, are the two big games: backgammon, the closest relative of acey-deucey, and long nardy, which also starts with every checker far from home.
Play for freeNo sign-up, no download — right in your browser
FAQ
What is acey-deucey?
A variant of backgammon in which all 15 checkers start off the board and enter through the opponent's home board. Its signature is the 1-2 roll, which gives extra moves and another roll.
What happens when you roll 1-2 in acey-deucey?
In the common version you play the 1 and the 2, then choose any double and play it as four moves, then roll again. Some crews require the chosen double to be played in full or lost.
Is acey-deucey the same as backgammon?
No. The board, hitting, the bar and bearing off are the same, but the start (all checkers off the board) and the 1-2 rule make it a different, longer game.
Can you play acey-deucey on NARDEON?
No. NARDEON offers backgammon (short nardy) and long nardy. Acey-deucey is described here as reference.
Where does the name come from?
From old card and dice slang: "ace" is a one and "deuce" is a two, so acey-deucey is the 1-2 roll.
Updated: October 23, 2026