Backgammon opening moves
How to play each of the fifteen opening rolls, from full rollouts: every reasonable play played out 2592 times to the end of the game by Colossus, the strongest HedgeHog network. Where two plays come out closer than the rollout can separate, both are listed, because on the evidence either is right.
| Roll | Best play | Equity | As good |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-1 | 13/11 6/5 | +0.005 | 24/23 13/11 |
| 3-1 | 8/5 6/5 | +0.165 | |
| 3-2 | 24/21 13/11 | +0.006 | 24/22 13/10 |
| 4-1 | 24/23 13/9 | +0.003 | |
| 4-2 | 8/4 6/4 | +0.123 | |
| 4-3 | 13/10 13/9 | +0.011 | 24/21 13/9 |
| 5-1 | 24/23 13/8 | +0.009 | |
| 5-2 | 24/22 13/8 | +0.005 | |
| 5-3 | 8/3 6/3 | +0.064 | |
| 5-4 | 24/20 13/8 | +0.022 | |
| 6-1 | 13/7 8/7 | +0.101 | |
| 6-2 | 24/18 13/11 | +0.008 | |
| 6-3 | 24/18 13/10 | +0.004 | |
| 6-4 | 8/2 6/2 | +0.007 | 24/18 13/9, 24/18 18/14 |
| 6-5 | 24/18 18/13 | +0.061 |
Reading the table
Equity is what the play is worth per game in a money game without the cube, from the side of the player who rolled: +1 is a certain single win, and a gammon counts twice. Each roll's page has the whole comparison, win and gammon chances, the rollout's error, and a link that opens the position in Study.
In a match the score can change the right play, above all near the end, where a gammon may be worth nothing or everything; the match equity table is where that starts.