Online Backgammon Sites UK

Compete with players from all around the world, use high-tech features to hone your strategy, and stand a chance to win yourself some great prizes. Does all of that sound good? Wondering how you can get involved in the action? 

In 2024, you can use a whole host of casino sites in the UK to play the classic backgammon game online. There’s no need to buy a game board or set the whole thing up and wait for friends to play with you. Backgammon is now accessible 24/7, via desktop or mobile. 

Are you ready to play? Read our full Casinos.com guide to playing backgammon online for free, and find out how you can get the best possible experience at these fun gaming sites. 

What is Backgammon?

“Backgammon is the oldest game in the world. Archaeologists found sets when they excavated the ruins of ancient Mesopotamia. Five thousand years old. That's older than Jesus Christ.” That’s what the character John Locke said about backgammon in the pilot episode of the noughties classic TV series, Lost. And you’d be forgiven if that’s literally all you know about this classic game. 

But fear not, I’ve put together a full guide to the game, and I’m going to tell you everything you need to know so that you can go off and play backgammon online. 

The History of Backgammon

First, let’s get to know the history of the game in a bit more detail. Yes, it originated as far back as ancient Mesopotamia, but it really became popular in the UK from the 17th century onwards. By the 20th century, it was well established under the name “backgammon”. 

The game is played on a board that has 24 triangles called “points” and each player receives 15 pieces called “checkers”. The aim is to move all of your checkers around the board before your opponent can do so. Players take turns rolling the dice to determine how far they can move but there are strategies involved too, so the more you know about the game the better your chances of winning.

Does that sound pretty straightforward? If you’re still interested, I’m going to dive a bit deeper into how to play the game. 

How To Play Backgammon

Before you can play online (either for free or for real money), you need to learn backgammon. While you don’t have to be an expert, it helps to understand the basics. 

As I mentioned, there are 24 triangles aka points on the board. The points are numbered, starting at 24 on the player’s home board, and ending at one, on the opponent’s home board. The board is broken down into four quadrants, each of which has six triangles, which represent a home board and an outer board (one for each player). The board is split down the middle, by a line called the “bar”. 

• Are you with me so far? It’s about to get a little more complicated.

You get 15 checkers each and at the start of a game you need to arrange your checkers at certain points on the board. Your checkers' positions should mirror those of your opponent. 

The idea is to move all of your checkers to the home board and then off the board entirely (referred to as “bearing off”), one by one. The two players move their checkers in a horseshoe shape, in the opposite direction to the other: the first players' pieces can only move counter-clockwise around the board, while the second players' pieces can only move clockwise. And the home area — where you want to be — is the furthest square from where you start.

How To Start Playing

To decide who plays first, each player rolls a die, and whichever player gets the highest number starts. The starting player doesn't roll again — instead, they use the two numbers already rolled. 

If you have a six and a three, for example, you can move one of two checkers six points forward and the second checker, or the same one, three points forward. Unfortunately, if the point six positions down the line is blocked by two or more rival checkers, you can't land there — you can only land on an “open point”.

However, if you move a checker to a point containing only one of the rival’s pieces, this checker will be “hit”, and placed on the bar, where it has to re-enter play back at the beginning.

To win, the player needs to remove all checkers from the board. If the losing player still has checkers on the bar or in their home quadrant, it’s called a “gammon” or double win, and if the opponent has yet to remove any checkers from the board, it’s called “backgammon” or a triple win. 

If you're new to backgammon, the game might still seem confusing. One of the best ways to clarify things is to play a free game of backgammon online. You can practise with free games against the computer on the site 247 Backgammon.

Why Play Backgammon Online?

There are a couple of reasons why you should play online backgammon with friends or by yourself. The first reason is that it’s so much more accessible than playing in person. After all, who wants to set up a whole, big, bulky backgammon board? When you play online, you’ll have the game at your fingertips, whether you’re at home, at a friend’s house, or commuting.

Playing online also gives you the option to compete against people all over the world. If you don’t feel like playing with friends, you can choose opponents at the same skill level as you, or you can simply play against the computer.

Online backgammon can be more exciting than playing in person, because a whole lot of sites offer extras. For example, I’ve seen sites where you can come back every day to claim free coins and other bonuses. Some sites even have special leaderboards, so you can compete against other players. 

Finally, playing online backgammon is a great way to practise and hone your skills so that you can be an absolute master if you do decide to play in person in the future. 

Best Online Backgammon Sites UK

Whether you want to play backgammon online with friends, or you’re just interested in playing for fun against the computer, there are a couple of sites that stood out to me when I was researching for this guide. 

VIP Backgammon

This is a great site where you can play backgammon against the computer, or with your friends. VIP Backgammon is fully integrated with Facebook, so you can invite your friends and share your achievements. There are weekly leaderboards for players all over the world, plus every day when you log in, you’ll get a special free gift to use on backgammon. 

Nextgammon

Nextgammon is a blockchain-based site, so all of the games are provably fair. You can take part in free or paid tournaments, for players at all different skill levels, ranging from beginner to advanced. You’ll get deposit bonuses, free play, and gifts, and prizes to make play even more exciting. The Nextgammon site analyses your play after every game to give you tips to help you do better next time. 

Backgammon Live

This site allows you to play free backgammon with over 10 million players worldwide. You’ll collect free bonuses and gifts every single day, and progress through different levels. You can even spin the magic wheel for a chance at more freebies.

Backgammon Live offers an interactive experience, where you can chat with your opponents while you play, and there’s even the option to try out other games like online blackjack, roulette, and online slots. 

Backgammon Strategy

You’re probably wondering if backgammon is based on luck or strategy. Well, it’s a bit of both. The luck element comes in the form of rolling the dice — there’s nothing you can do to change the outcome. The strategy is in how you choose to move your checkers to give yourself the best possible chance of winning.

Let’s look at some specific strategies.

The running game

The aim here is simply to advance your checkers as quickly as possible. It’s a good idea to use this strategy only if you open with a strong roll, just in case your opponent tries to do the same thing. As long as you stay ahead, you have a good chance of winning.

The blocking game

In this strategy, you’ll be trying to block your opponent from advancing, by occupying key points with your checkers. You should use this strategy if you’re behind, and you need to stop your opponent in their tracks. You might be able to occupy six points in a row, preventing your opponent from either advancing or from re-entering the game if they’re hit. 

The holding game 

The holding game involves maintaining two of your checkers on one point of your opponent’s home board. This will prevent your opponent from landing in this key position. From a defensive point of view, it gives you a place to land if any of your checkers have to be re-entered. 

Game Variations in Online Backgammon

If you master backgammon and you’re looking for extra layers of strategy, you might want to try a variation of the game with its own rules.

These are a few of my personal favourites. 

Gul Bara

There’s one main difference between traditional backgammon and Gul Bara. In this variation, players cannot hit their opponent’s checker by landing on the same point. This means that there’s more focus on positioning your checkers strategically and blocking your opponent. 

Hyper Backgammon

This is a much quicker format of the game, where each player begins with just three checkers, rather than 15. The game is shorter thanks to the reduced number of pieces, but it can also be more unpredictable, so strategy is extremely important. 

Chouette

While regular backgammon is played with just two people, Chouette is designed for three to six players. One person plays against a team of opponents, led by the captain, who is advised on moves by the rest of the team.

Best Backgammon Apps

If you want to enjoy games of backgammon while you’re on the go, there’s no better way than on a downloadable app. If you’re on iOS or Android, you’ll have some good options for backgammon apps. 

Backgammon Live

With more than 5 million downloads from the Play Store alone, this is one of the best backgammon online apps available. It’s a free app, where you can play backgammon tournaments, collect daily bonuses, and hone your skills. 

Also, you can collect coins or purchase more to keep playing for longer. Plus, you can play against other backgammon players from around the world or visit the mini casino where you can try out games like online roulette.

Backgammon - Lord of the Board

This is a hugely interactive app, with millions of players from all over the world. The app uses classic backgammon rules to provide an authentic experience. You can log in via an account like Facebook, to save your progress and play online with your friends. 

The fun leaderboards, interactive chat feature, and great graphics make this one of the best backgammon apps for Android and iOS. 

XG Mobile Backgammon

Endorsed by the US Backgammon Federation, the XG Mobile Backgammon app allows you to play against your friends as many times as you want. The graphics are amazing, and the app gives just as good an experience as playing online backgammon on your desktop. 

The thing I liked most about this app is the fact that there’s a tutor mode for skilled players and a beginners mode for newbies. The computer will even point out your mistakes to help you improve. 

Backgammon Bonuses

If you’re ready to start playing backgammon online, you might start out with free games, before you move on to any real cash play. But when you do purchase coins or make a deposit at backgammon sites, you’ll want to make sure your money goes as far as possible. The best way to do that is by claiming backgammon bonuses to help boost your balance. 

Backgammon Free Coins

There are lots of ways to get free coins to play with but how you do it will depend on the specific site at which you’re playing. For example, some sites like Nextgammon operate more like a traditional online casino when it comes to free coins. So when you deposit real money to play backgammon you can expect offers like a welcome bonus and deposit match offers. If you’re a regular player and deposit all the time, you can look forward to lots of free coins.

If you also like casino games like slots, you can see different online casino welcome bonuses listed here:

Daily Gifts

Many of the UK backgammon sites that we recommend offer daily freebies, so you’ll have lots of reasons to keep coming back. For example, Backgammon Live hands out free coins every single day, while VIP Backgammon will give you more free coins every day when you make a purchase. 

Challenges and Giveaways

Interacting with backgammon online game sites via social media is a great way to bag yourself some extra bonuses. For example, Backgammon Live has an active social media presence where you can take part in challenges like quizzes and word searches to get more free plays. 

Where to Find Free Backgammon Online

If you’ve read this whole guide with interest, and you’re keen to start playing online backgammon, I have some good news: most of the sites I’ve mentioned on this page offer free backgammon. The best thing to do is sign up at one of my recommended sites and claim your daily bonuses. 

You’ll be able to play at least a few games totally free every single day, and then if you decide you want to spend some money to keep playing, you’ll be able to do that too, through in-app purchases. If you don’t want to pay to play, simply log back in the next day to get more free coins or game tokens.