Backgammon is a 2 player board game with an interesting design. 15 Counters for each player are assembled in specific start positions- positions being also called points (points or spaces being denoted by long thin triangles of alternating colour. Usually red and white)..

On the board there are 6 points per quarter. The aim is quite simply to move around the board and get your counters home first. This is a game of strategy and luck, the latter comes from a pair of dice used to get a turns score whereby you can move your counters towards ‘home’. The counters move in opposing nature across each other’s move- an exciting feature of the game.

Each player moves and can protect chips from being ‘taken’ by never leaving them alone (as a single chip on a point). If you roll a six you move one counter six places for example. There are some things to take note of:

You cannot move onto a point occupied by 2 or more opponent chips.

If you land on an opposition counter that is unprotected you can send it back to the start, severely changing the game’s predicted outcome. That player then needs to roll an exact number to come back into play for any free space available.

You ‘bear off’ only when all your counters are in the last quadrant.

Backgammon is played for points and it gets more challenging with a double up system that introduces a risk factor. This is a cube just like a die with 2,4,8,16,32 and 64 marked on it.

On one player getting all his chips home after ‘bearing off’ a score of 1, 2 or 3 points is awarded (multiplied by the stake cube if used).
1 point for when both players have started to ‘bear off’.

2 points for when the loser has not yet started to ‘bear off’. This is known as losing a gammon.

3 points for when the loser has at least one counter in the opponent’s home quadrant or off the board.

A simple in essence game that has been embellished can seem complicated to the noob.

So we will take a quick look at the game for you to appreciate it more.

Firstly Craps is a game played with Dice.

We start with a ‘come out roll’ which is the very first action. The player that rolls is called ‘the shooter’. The Shooter rolls two dice onto the table towards a designed end which has pyramid shapes to cause the dice to spin and give more excitement. Craps can however remember be played anywhere so you might roll in the street!

Sum the dice roll and follow the following 3 outcomes:

You score a total of 7 or 11. This is called a ‘Natural’ and you win and get a second roll.

You score a total of 2 (snake eyes), 3 or 12 You lose but roll again. This is called rolling ‘Craps’

You score a total of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 The remaining options are called a ‘Point’ the croupier will mark your point on the table.

You roll again. Rolling a 7 again is bad however a second time.

Betting

The shooter is obliged to place a bet on the pass or do not pass option. Passing would happen when your first roll wins. If a player places a bet on ‘Don’t Pass’ they are hoping the player rolls a losing sum. They would then win.

After the come out roll more different bets can be placed. These are called the ‘Come bets’. They work just like the Pass bets.

At any point you can also gamble on single rolls such as Any 7- they win if a seven is rolled. Or Boxcars another example if a 12 is rolled.

The dice rolls are required to come round by the left to each player.

Craps is pretty simple in terms of equipment and in nature so has stood the test of time. Craps also has ‘good’ odds with the house edge of 1.41% which beats blackjack or roulette.

Due to the betting complexity which gets easier after time you can learn to play for free first perhaps.

At its simplest Bingo is about trying to mark off 15 numbers on a ticket. A caller announces a number each turn and the first person to mark off their number wins. There may also be prizes for marking ‘corners’ or individual lines, 2 lines or the maximum 15 numbers (3 lines) aka Full House.
Bingo is often thought of more in the realms of entertainment rather than gambling. You buy your ticket and play. The announcers call out numbers in a jovial way like ‘legs eleven’ (11) or Rise and Shine 29..find a full list here.

A National Linked Game Called the National Bingo Game in the UK has had a record breaking major win in excess of a million pounds. This prize money is achieved through technological links allowing prize money to be drawn from big pools of players.

Bingo can be played online but was most popular in specialised Bingo Halls. Entertainment venues could be used to host a game. It is very popular in seaside resorts. Due to the emergence of online games the Bingo hall has come under pressure but the game will remain a very popular pastime for millions.

The balls are drawn from a mechanical draw machine and the announcer calls out the number. Players check their corresponding ticket for the session in play. If the number is on the ticket you mark the number as ‘daubed’ out. This enables you to track your progress!

You buy more tickets to increase your chances of winning. You can call out when you have achieved a winning situation such as a line- and continue to maybe get a full house too.

Bingo originated in Italy in around 1530, it spread across to France gaining the title Le Lotto and to the UK in the 18th Century.

There are a great deal (pun intended) of variants to Poker. The majority of which are roughly classified into how the cards are initially dealt. Stud Poker, Draw Poker and Community Poker.
What makes Poker different to many other games is the way betting takes place. Indeed the variations inside too.
One of the more commonplace games you will find is the community style game of Texas Hold Em Poker. Everyone can make their hand with the community cards and their own 2 cards, others private to each player. Typically for most games the hands follow a ruling to decide the outcome of a win. It is possible to win a hand without showing your cards. This can happen when other players have a bad hand and one player seems to have a very good hand.

Start of play
Betting moves around the table to the left of the changing dealer. First there is a small blind then a big blind placed.  These players start betting -no cards have yet been dealt. Then the dealer goes around dealing 2 cards per player. The player to the left of the big blind is ‘Under The Gun’ and starts. The choices for each player are

Folding- you have no decent hand and don’t want to bluff. 

Calling- you make a bet.

Raise- you make a higher than current bet.

The next round the dealer deals what is called the flop- these are the community cards everyone can use to make their hand from. One card goes face down and 3 face up.

Another round takes place- players can bet or check.

The dealer places a 2nd face down ‘burn’ card and a single faceup card called the ‘turn’

Another round goes and then the dealer places the final community card called the river.

A FINAL round of betting happens before the showdown.’

If one player is remaining still calling the final player or other players the hands are shown and the best hand takes the pot.

History
It is agreed that that poker seems to be derived from other games and that betting is what differentiates the game. Some say the modern game was formed in the mid 19th century in the south USA where it was played on paddle boats on the Mississippi.