How to play Mexican Backgammon

You will be pleased to know that the Mexican backgammon board is set up the same as your regular backgammon board, and the aim of the game is the same, as are the majority of the rules. Those that are different are easily explained:

When you roll the backgammon dice, you must move the smallest number first- if you are unable to use it, you forfeit the go. This rule applies also to the re-entering of backgammon pieces. For example, if you have a piece out, roll a 2 and a 4 but the 2 is occupied, you cannot do anything on that turn.

When you roll a double, in the Mexican version of the game, you get the standard 4 moves, but also you get to roll again. However, if you are not able to play one of the moves, then you loose your turn.

If you roll a 1 and a 2 you have rolled a Mexican. This means that you move the 1 and 2, and you then choose a double to play. The double is played and you take another roll – as if the double you called had actually been rolled.

In Mexican backgammon you can only put a maximum of 5 backgammon pieces on any one finger.

Once you have gotten all your pieces ‘home’ in Mexican backgammon you can only take off from the exact finger indicated by the backgammon dice.

Those are all the differences between regular and Mexican backgammon – you are now prepped and ready to go!