Third Coast Rules

1. NO GAMBLING. Backgammon is fun for the entire family. We are here for comraderie, intellektual stimulation, and B.S. like that.
    
2. POOR SPORTSMANSHIP including calling your opponent's bad numbers; throwing the cups or dice: threatening violence; insulting one's family, speech, looks or I.Q.; and general poor sportsmanship, WILL NOT BE TOLERATED until after the dice are picked up.
    
3. WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE. You may speak German, Armenian, Turkish, Yiddish--but FRENCH WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
    
4. CHEATING. Anyone found cheating or acting unethical in any way WILL BE BARRED FROM THE GAME for one round.
    
5. CRY ABOUT YOUR ROLLS SOMEWHERE ELSE. Everyone thinks they roll bad. If you want sympathy, get a dog.
    
6. NO EXCESSIVE THINKING. It won't help anyway--if you were so smart, you wouldn't be here--so don't waste everyone's time
    
7. DRESS CODE STRICTLY ENFORCED. If you wear a dress, it must be a short one.
    
8. PATRONIZE THIS ESTABLISHMENT. We appreciate the fine food, service, air-quality, lighting, entertainment, art work, classy clientelle, and overall decor of The Third Coast On Delaware, and the fact that this is the only hole in town left that will have us.
    

Tip your waiter well--he'd rather be somewhere and someone else too!

• Be creative….any idiot can make the bar with a 6-1.
• The best way to break a streak of bad rolls is to double.
• Almost every cube is a take.
• Always go with your gut, even if logic tells you otherwise.
• If you win the opening roll, you're probably going to win the game, so double!
• The faster you play, the better you play.
• The more you hit, the better.
• Don't take advice from so-called experts…they're just luckier.
• If you're stuck, raise the stakes…it might change your luck.
• Back games are more fun…so get in them as much as possible.
• If your opponent isn't doubling, you probably should be.
• Most of the time, the best move is an illegal move.

THREE-WAY BACKGAMMON

Three players compete against each other, to determine a champion. The first player to reach 11 points wins. Any player who gets to –11 is eliminated.

The three players roll the dice or draw to see who is in the box first. The other two players roll to see who is captain and who is partner. They play a normal game, with normal doubling cube rules, and ONE cube. The partner may NOT consult on any moves, but does consult on all cube decisions. The first game, the captain has the final say on cube decisions. Since this is match play, there are gammons and backgammons without the cube being turned.

If the box wins 2 points, he goes +2 and each of the opponents goes –2. If the box loses 2 points, he goes –2 and each of the others go +2. If the box wins, he stays box and the other two players rotate. If the captain wins, he becomes box, the partner becomes captain, and the box becomes partner.

After the first game, the team member with the most points has final say on all cube decisions, regardless which player is captain. If both players have the same score, the captain has final say in cube decisions.

If someone gets to 11 points, the match is over and he is the winner. If someone gets to –11, he is out and the other two keep playing until one of them is plus or minus 11. If two players hit or go over +11 together, they play a single game to determine the champion.

(Of course, the above can be lengthened or shortened, and can also be expanded to tournament competition with brackets of three-man competitions leading to a final 3-man showdown.)