Backgammon Scoring Explained
Backgammon is scored in points, and points add up to matches. Here's what each game is worth, how a match to 3, 5 or 7 works, and how to keep score — in backgammon and in long nardy.
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What a single game is worth
A game ends when one player bears off all 15 checkers. What the winner scores depends on how far the loser got:
| Result | Loser's position when the game ends | Backgammon | Long nardy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Win (single game) | Has borne off at least one checker | 1 | 1 |
| Gammon / mars | Hasn't borne off any checker | 2 | 2 |
| Backgammon | Hasn't borne off and has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board | 3 | — |
In Russian and Caucasian tradition a gammon is called a mars and a backgammon a koks or home mars. The details, with tips on avoiding a gammon when you're behind, are on the gammon vs backgammon page.
Matches: playing to a number of points
Serious backgammon is played as a match: you agree on a target — 3, 5, 7 points or more — and play games until one player reaches it. On NARDEON you choose Match to 1, 3, 5 or 7 when you start. A match to 1 is simply one game.
Points carry over in full. If you lead 4-2 in a match to 5 and win a gammon, the final score is 6-2: there's no need to land exactly on the target.
Example: a match to 5
| Game | Result | Points | Score (you – opponent) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | You win a single game | 1 | 1 – 0 |
| 2 | Opponent wins a gammon | 2 | 1 – 2 |
| 3 | You win a single game | 1 | 2 – 2 |
| 4 | You win a backgammon | 3 | 5 – 2 — match over |
How to keep score over the board
- Write both names and the match length at the top of a sheet.
- After each game write the result (1, 2 or 3) under the winner and the new totals.
- Decide before you start whether gammons and backgammons count — in casual home games some families play every game as 1 point.
- If you use a doubling cube, multiply the result by the value on the cube.
Scoring with and without the doubling cube
In classic tournament backgammon a doubling cube can double the value of a game during play: a gammon on a cube showing 4 is worth 8 points. Rules such as Crawford exist only because of the cube. NARDEON doesn't use a cube, so scoring stays simple: each game is worth exactly 1, 2 or 3 points, and match strategy is about playing for or against gammons.
How a match can end early online
Online, the score isn't the only way a match finishes:
- Resign — the match goes to your opponent;
- Running out of time — you lose the match (12 free seconds per move, then a 2-minute bank; see how long a game takes);
- Disconnecting for more than a minute — the match goes to your opponent.
During play the score is shown next to each player's name, along with the match target. After an online match the full game-by-game record is saved, so you can replay it move by move.
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FAQ
How many points is a backgammon game worth?
A normal win is 1 point. A gammon — your opponent hasn't borne off a single checker — is 2. A backgammon — they haven't borne off and still have a checker in your home board or on the bar — is 3. With a doubling cube these values are multiplied by the cube.
What does "match to 5" mean?
You keep playing games until one player has at least 5 points. A gammon worth 2 counts in full even if you only needed 1, so the final score can be 6-3 or 7-4.
How do you keep score in backgammon?
Write down each game's result as it ends: who won and whether it was a single game, gammon or backgammon. Add the points to the running total. Online the score is kept for you.
Is scoring different in long nardy?
Long nardy has a win (1 point) and a mars (2 points). There's no 3-point result in the official rules, and NARDEON doesn't count one.
Do you score points for hitting or for the pip count?
No. Only the final result of each game scores. Hits, the race and the number of checkers left don't add points — except that they decide whether a win becomes a gammon or a backgammon.
Updated: October 24, 2026