When players start to familiarize themselves with the game of backgammon, they will see that not all dice are the same. In particular, they will note two types of backgammon dice that do the same job but are different all the same, as well as a larger cube that does not have regular numbers. We explain the difference between these dice.

A typical pair of backgammon dice that is used in sets has concaves with holes for pips. They may come in all sizes, have sharp corners and there are usually no restrictions on them. In comparison, many casinos use precision dice for their backgammon games. Precision backgammon dice have beveled factory cut corners to ensure that the dice’s face is a perfect circle. Precision dice also have perfectly smooth surfaces and are usually made from plastic. These types of dice are used to cut down on cheating in a casino setting.

A doubling cube is another type of dice that players may come across. This cube is only used when players are going for stakes in the game. A doubling cube has the numbers 2,4,8,16,32 and 64 on each side and represents the number of times that the stakes are doubled and redoubled. These cubes are bigger than regular dice. They are placed on the bar of the backgammon board at the beginning of the game (on number 64 to represent the number 1) and will change if and when the stakes increase in the game.