Stackgammon 7 returns to Dream Kabob in Las Vegas on Thursday, October 29, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Bring $10 cash for a starting stack of 10 chips and join four rounds of social backgammon hosted by the Backgammon Social Club.
The games are ordinary backgammon. The twist is the chip stack in front of you, like a poker stack: it's your score for the night. Each round you're paired with a randomly assigned opponent, and chips pass between you depending on how each game finishes. Chip awards and the opening cube increase each round, so stacks can grow or shrink quickly, and the players still holding chips after round 4 cash out.
How a Stackgammon night works
- RSVP free online, then bring $10 cash. That buys your starting stack of 10 chips.
- Play four rounds. Each round lasts 30 minutes, with a maximum of five games against your opponent for that round.
- Watch the clock at 25 minutes. Whatever game is in progress at the 25-minute mark is the last game of the round; don't start another one after it.
- Win or lose chips game by game. A plain win, a gammon or a backgammon each pays a set number of chips, and the awards increase each round (see the table).
- Survive. Lose your whole stack and you're out, unless a rebuy is still open.
What every game is worth
These are the event's base chip awards for each finished game, along with the first cube offer for each round. In the final round a backgammon is worth 32 chips, so a late backgammon can swing the whole night.
| Round | Single win | Gammon | Backgammon | First cube offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| 3 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 8 |
| 4 (final) | 8 | 16 | 32 | 16 |
The doubling cube is part of play. The table shows the value of the first cube offer in each round; how the cube and any other details play out at the board will be explained by the organisers on the night, so ask them if anything is unclear.
Rebuys, top-ups and the cutoff
Had a rough first round? At the end of round 1 and again at the end of round 2, you can rebuy or top your stack back up to 10 chips. After round 2, that window closes for good. From round 3 onward there are no rebuys or top-ups, and if you lose your stack, your night at the board is over.
Cashing out: one dollar per chip
After round 4, every player still holding chips cashes out at exactly $1 per chip: finish with 27 chips and you take home $27. The club calls this its ICM settlement. According to the flyer, 100% of the money goes back to the players and the club doesn't take a cut.
Before you go
- Bring your own board if you have one. The club's event page invites players to bring their finest set.
- Come hungry. Dream Kabob is a Persian restaurant, and these nights are as much dinner and conversation as competition.
- The official event page lists the night as 21+.
- Arrive by 6:00 p.m. so you're seated when round 1 starts.
New to backgammon?
You don't need to be an expert, but you do need to know how the checkers move. Our step-by-step first-game guide covers the basics in a few minutes, and the full Beginner's Guide to Backgammon and Rules of Backgammon go deeper. One note: Stackgammon's chip values, rounds and cashout are this event's own house format. In a standard game, a gammon is worth double and a backgammon triple, with the doubling cube on top.
