Best Opening Move for 5-1 in Backgammon
Best play: 24/23 13/8 (+0.014 equity, gnubg 3-ply analysis)
The opening 5-1 brings a checker safely to your 8-point with the five (13/8) — the only real question is the ace. The modern answer is 24/23: split the back checkers and start the fight for an advanced anchor. The classical alternative 6/5, slotting the golden point, was the book play in the pre-bot era and still wins the gammon-rate contest, but rollouts give the split the overall edge for money. Either way the five is automatic; think of 5-1 as a one-die decision between steady (24/23) and sharp (6/5).
All reasonable plays for 5-1, ranked
| # | Play | Equity | Diff | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24/23 13/8 | +0.014 | — | 50.1 |
| 2 | 13/8 6/5 | -0.017 | -0.031 | 49.5 |
| 3 | 24/18 | -0.029 | -0.043 | 49.7 |
| 4 | 13/7 | -0.085 | -0.099 | 47.6 |
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best opening move for 5-1 in backgammon?
The best play for an opening 5-1 is 24/23 13/8 (GNU Backgammon, 3-ply cubeful analysis). It wins 50.1% of games from the start, with a cubeful equity of +0.014.
Is slotting with 6/5 wrong after 13/8?
Not badly — it trails the split by a small margin in rollouts but produces more gammon wins. At scores where gammons matter a lot, slotting is a defensible deviation.