page_title: Acey-deucey
section_title: Initial setup
hierarchical_section_title: Acey-deucey / Initial setup
caption_attribution_description: English: An empty backgammon board.
context_page_description: Acey-deucey is a variant of backgammon. Since World War I, it has been a favorite game of the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Merchant Marine. Some evidence shows that it was played in the early 1900s aboard U.S. Navy ships. The game is believed to be rooted in the Middle East, Greece, or Turkey, where there were variants in which the game started with pieces off the board.
  Compared to standard backgammon, acey-deucey is more like a race than a strategy game. It features a differing starting position, opening play, and rules for the endgame. Because pieces may be retained in one's opponent's home board, the game offers substantial opportunities for backgame play.
context_section_description: The components of acey-deucey match those of backgammon, including identical boards, number of pieces, and dice.  Unlike standard backgammon, all of both players' pieces are off the board when the game begins. Acey-deucey does not use the doubling cube.
caption: The opening position in acey-deucey is with no pieces on the board.
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