With online backgammon etiquette, there are no visible or physical interactions between the players but there are still many things you can do to make it a pleasurable experience for both players. If you treat your opponent the way you’d like to be treated, then you'll always be able to find opponents to play with.

A backgammon server is also like a private club, and each server has its own rules and regulations. So you must read these before beginning to play on a backgammon server. In this way, you will be aware of all the dos and don’ts and how to handle any situations that may arise in online play.

The Guide to Online Backgammon Etiquette

Like any games, online backgammon etiquette is important so the game is played in a good spirit. If you want to play backgammon online you still need to be aware of following backgammon etiquette.

*Some players chat “gl” to you at the start, which means “good luck”. It’s very nice of them to wish you luck, but truth is does anyone really want their opponent to be the lucky one? Therefore, a better salutation you might want to use to answer that is “good match” which means let’s play well and enjoy the match.

*No matter how hard it gets and how cruel the dice can be you need to maintain a friendly demeanor and not be difficult to be with. This is the cardinal backgammon rule when it comes to Backgammon Etiquette.

*Try to be a good sport regardless of the outcome.

*Do not talk which your opponent is in the middle of his move.

*Do not blame the outcome on the dice or luck. This is especially the case in online backgammon where no one has any control over the dice.

*You should never make comments about how lucky your opponent is, since that implies that he is only lucky, and not skillful. In backgammon, luck is simply not enough to win.

*Try not to celebrate good rolls and your opponent’s bad ones. So many people violate this aspect of backgammon etiquette.

*Don’t take forever to play your move. Ultimately the amount of things you can do is limited so just pick one of them. Some online backgammon rooms prevent this by forcing players to do their move by a certain time.

*Some players become frustrated with how a game is going and will leave the table or disconnect from the server. This is called “dropping”. It is not fair to your opponent if you drop or disconnect from a match. Your opponent can report you to the server andit will show in your game history that you have dropped players on numerous occasions and other players will see this and not want to play with you. So if you really are frustrated with a game or see you cannot win it, be righteous and simply resign the game.

* One final recommendation, never use backgammon bots (programs) such GNUbg, Jellyfish or Snowie to help you play backgammon online. Using such programs gives you an unfair advantage over an opponent, and if your opponent checks his game files with such a program and see you beat him with a bot, he will feel cheated of his money and will report you to the server.

Remember that when you are playing online backgammon, there is a real person behind the board, even if he is thousands of miles away, in another continent, or a different time zone. He wants to enjoy the game, just as you do, and he wants a fair and equitable game. Let him concentrate when he needs to, and wait for him to finish his move before you throw your dice.

Take a moment at the end of the game to say “thanks” just like you would in real life. It doesn’t cost a cent.