One strategy in the game is to keep one man, called an 'Oscar', off the board until it is needed for defensive purposes.

Once a piece has been entered, it can be moved even though other pieces haven't been entered. Pieces are entered onto the opponent's inner board as if they were on the bar. The initial play is markedly different from that of standard backgammon. Acey-deucey does not use the doubling cube. Unlike standard backgammon, all of both players' pieces are off the board when the game begins. The components of acey-deucey match those of backgammon, including identical boards, number of pieces, and dice.

Because pieces may be retained in one's opponent's home board, the game offers substantial opportunities for backgame play. It features a differing starting position, opening play, and rules for the endgame. The game is believed to be rooted in the Middle East, Greece, or Turkey, where there were variants in which the game started with pieces off the board.Ĭompared to standard backgammon, acey-deucey is more like a race than a strategy game. Some evidence shows that it was played in the early 1900s aboard U.S. Since World War I, it has been a favorite game of the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Merchant Marine.

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