Doubling cube

Karkadann · **Posted:** Tue May 06, 2014 7:04 pm

Has any body ever used the doubling cube in Backgammon, I was doing a bit of research and found something called a doubling dial that preceded the cube, and I was wondering if any body ever used either one of these things

Lord Chaos · **Joined:** Fri Sep 08, 2006 1:57 am **Posts:** 1337

"Doubling dial" I've not heard of, but my mother and I used to play backgammon. When one of us got the upper hand, we'd use the doubling cube. We never played for money, though; we just kept score, so it was nearly meaningless.

The doubling cube is simply a single die, with 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 on the faces. The player wanting to double sets the die to display the current number, if the other player agrees. It simply means any score is multiplied by the number on the die. So, if you win by 5 men, and you've doubled twice, you score 20.

I assume this answers your question. If not, I'll try again. Or... Wikipedia is your friend on this kind of thing.

Karkadann · **Posted:** Wed May 07, 2014 4:09 pm

Thanks but I was actually wondering on average how many people use them. I found out about the Doubling dial when I was researching the doubling cube, a cube might be more difficult to use because you would hafta kick it around until you get the right number facing up, but a doubling dial that I found out about reading up on the doubling cube might be a bit easier. Its gotta be easier then my chess clock, luckily the only python file needed

[Reveal] Spoiler:

was a png file I stashed inside of it :shock:

Lord Chaos · **Joined:** Fri Sep 08, 2006 1:57 am **Posts:** 1337

Got it.

My guess is that the doubling cube is used mainly "serious" players and gamblers. What I don't know is the order of the faces, and I don't have a cube here; in other words, if you were to spread the faces out in a flat network, what order would the numbers be in, for an authentic re-creation.

Mac_Fife · **Posted:** Wed May 07, 2014 8:56 pm

On initial reading, I though that "doubling dial" might have been a mis-hearing of "doubling die" but I get it now.

My cube is laid out as:

Code:

   ┌──┐
   │64│
┌──┼──┼──┐
│8 │ 2│16│
└──┼──┼──┘
   │32│
   ├──┤
   │ 4│
   └──┘ 

This means that half of the "doubles" can be made by just turning the cube over 180°. You should also place the cube so the number is the right way up for the person being doubled.
Note that the '64' and '32' are rotated 90° CW from how they're shown above, if you want to be pedantic

.

dj_ · **Joined:** Sun Jan 02, 2011 5:28 pm **Posts:** 146

The cube is most often used to just end a game. When you are way ahead you double, and for the most part the other guy knows he is way behind and does not accept the double.

However, from a gambling POV, doubling immediately make your opponent think more than he might want to. And if there is real money involved, and he is more of a gambler than you, he gets an edge with that fast double.

You need to understand the cube in backgammon.

Doubling cube

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