Backgammon Opening Moves: Best Play for Every Roll

There are 15 distinct opening rolls in backgammon, and getting them right is the cheapest skill upgrade in the game — you face one on every single game you ever play. The table below gives the best play for each roll according to GNU Backgammon (gnubg 3-ply analysis), with the cubeful equity of the position after the roll. Click any roll for the full analysis: every reasonable alternative ranked, a board diagram, and the strategic reasoning.

Four rolls make a point outright (3-1, 4-2, 5-3, 6-1) and one escapes cleanly (6-5) — those five are settled theory. The rest involve real decisions between splitting, building and running, and several remain close calls even for modern engines. Test any of them yourself in the free solver.