Backgammon Glossary Dictionary: R
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- Raccoon
- An immediate redouble by the player who just accepted a beaver.
- Race
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- Pure race.
- The relative standing of the players’ pip counts. The player with the lower pip count is said to be ahead in the race.
- Race Equity
- Winning chances that accrue from variations where there is no further hitting.
- Rail
- Bar.
- Railroad Tracks
- To pile all your checkers on a few points; also called candlesticks.
- Rake
- A fee charged by a backgammon play site for hosting money games. It is usually a percentage of the winnings of each game.
- Random Error (in a Rollout)
- Variation in the result of a rollout due to chance. It results when the rolls for one side are luckier overall than the rolls for the other side. You can reduce the random error in a rollout by increasing the number of trials. Compare: Systematic Error.
- Random Seed
- A numeric value that uniquely determines the sequence of dice rolls produced by a random number generator.
- Rated Match
- A match that counts towards your rating.
- Rating
- A number associated with each player based on that player’s record of performance against other rated players. When you win a match, points are added to your rating; when you lose, points are deducted from your rating. The size of the adjustment depends on the strength of your opponent—the higher the rating of your opponent, the more points you receive. Over time, your rating will tend to be higher than players weaker than yourself, and lower than players stronger than yourself. See: FIBS rating formula.
- Rating Points
- Points assigned by a ratings system to players based on their performance against other rated players.
- Ratings Inflation
- A phenomenon that results when players exit a ratings pool at a lower rating than when they entered. The lost ratings remain with the players still in the pool, giving a higher average rating overall.
- Ratings Pool
- The people who participate in a ratings system.
- Ratings System
- A method of assigning ratings to players based on their performance in such a way that players with greater ability will, over time, tend to have higher ratings.
- Recirculate
- To intentionally allow a blot to be hit for the purpose of gaining time to preserve other valuable points.
- Recube
- Redouble.
- Recube Vigorish (Vig)
- The value of cube ownership to the player being offered a double; the additional equity that comes from being the only player who may redouble.
- Redouble
- A double other than the first double of a game. Only the player who last accepted a double may redouble. Compare: Initial Double.
- Reenter
- Enter a checker from the bar after it has been hit.
- Reference Position
- A position of known value that serves as a standard by which other similar positions may be measured or judged. See: Cube Reference Position.
- Refuse a Double
- To resign the game at the current stakes after the opponent offers a double rather than continue play at twice the stakes. Compare: Accept a Double.
- Resign
- To accept defeat. Resignation is a form of settlement; when you resign you must specify whether you are resigning a single game, a gammon, or a backgammon, and the opponent must agree. Resigning is not allowed in tournament play before contact is broken.
- Return Shot
- A chance to hit back after being hit yourself.
- Rim
- Bar.
- Robustness
- Mobility.
- Roll
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- [Verb.] To throw a pair of dice.
- [Noun.] Two thrown dice, each showing a number from 1 to 6.
- Roll a Prime
- To make a new point at the leading edge of a prime using checkers from the rear of the prime. Often the easiest way to roll a prime forward is to slot the point immediately in front of the prime.
- Roll Out
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- To analyze a position by playing it out over and over again.
- To estimate the equity of a position by means of computer simulation; see rollout.
- Rollout
- An estimate of the equity of a position obtained through computer simulation. A rollout consists of numerous trials, the results of which are averaged together. See post by Gregg Cattanach. See also: Truncated Rollout, Cubeless Rollout, Cubeful Rollout, Random Error, and Systematic Error.
- Roll-Over
- A backgammon variant in which players have a once-per-game option of rerolling their own dice or asking for a reroll of the opponent’s dice. See: How to Play Roll-Over.
- Roof
- Bar.
- Root Number
- [Because you "root" for your opponent to roll one.] A dice roll that forces a position to collapse.
- Round
- A period in a tournament during which each contestant (except those who received a bye) plays another contestant. For example, each round of an elimination tournament eliminates half the players.
- Round Robin Format
- A tournament format in which every contestant plays every other contestant in turn. The number of rounds required is one less than the number of contestants. Compare: Elimination Format.
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- Run
- To escape a runner from the opponent’s home board and it advance toward home as quickly as possible.
- Runner
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- One of the two checkers that began the game on the opponent’s one-point.
- Any checker on the bar or in the opponent’s home board.
- Running Game
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- The strategy employed by a player who is ahead in the race and tries to bring his checkers home and bear them off with as little interaction with the opponent as possible.
- The stage of a backgammon game which begins when contact with the opponent is broken; a pure race.
- Russian Backgammon
- A backgammon variant in which all checkers start off the board, and both players enter in the same quadrant, move around the board in the same direction, and bear off from the same quadrant. See: How to Play Russian Backgammon.
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