Backgammon winners aren't the ones who know how to handle the dice best. That might work for craps, but for backgammon, strategy is much more important than any roll of the dice. While you might get a series of poor rolls in a game, the dice rarely determine the winner in a backgammon game. If they did, then beginners and experts alike would win and lose about half of the games. Look at any site that lists winning backgammon players, and you'll see that some players win tournament after tournament, while others almost never make it past the first match. Learning about backgammon strategy will prepare you for the game – you will know how to take advantage of good rolls, and to protect yourself against the rolls that aren't as good. Here are some guidelines on how to play backgammon strategically.

Build anchors in your opponent’s home board. This will make sure that you always have a place to land if you're hit. It will protect you from your opponent creating a closed board and locking you out of the game.

A good way to keep your opponent from making progress is to construct a prime - six points in a row - to block your opponent’s men. The prime serves as a line of defense which your opponent cannot cross, but you can. A prime in a player’s home board is known as a closed board, since your opponent cannot enter from the bar. Closing your board is one of the most important parts of your backgammon strategy.

Spread your backgammon pieces reasonably evenly, so there is always a piece available to cover a man or to provide a resting place for a runner.  You have more flexibility and will find it is easier to protect your position if you have fewer men on a point, and you should do almost anything necessary to avoid having more than six on one point.

Leaving blots early on in the game can sometimes be strategic, but if you are in a weak position, you should probably cut down on your number of blots. Remember that a blot six points away from your opponent's piece is more likely to be hit than a blot at any other distance.

Hit your opponent only when it is to your advantage. Be careful not to hit just for the sake of hitting. A hit must always increase the strength of your game; be careful that it does not work towards advancing your opponent’s game. Threaten your opponent’s blot, and to force him to act evasively rather than allowing him to advance his game.

Remember that if your home board has several blots, hitting your opponent risks those advanced checkers!

The most important part of backgammon strategy is to learn from every opponent, whether from their mistakes or from their clever maneuvers.