H

Half-Roll
Handicap
Hari-Kiri Play
Heavy Point
Hit
Hit and Cover
Hit and Pass
Hit and Split
Hit Loose
Holding Game
Holland Rule
Home Board
Hypergammon

Half-Roll (Half-Throw): When bearing off, the player about to throw, who has removed one more checker than the opponent, is said to be a half-roll ahead. When there are only a few checkers remaining for each side in the bear off, it is correct to double if you are a half throw ahead.

Handicap: A concession by which the stronger player accepts a predetermined disadvantage before play begins, so as to help equalize the winning chances for both sides. A handicap for a stronger player may include playing with two less checkers, not being allowed to use the cube, or letting their opponent start off with two rolls at the beginning of the game.

Hari-Kiri Play: See Kamikaze Play.

Heavy Point: A point with more than three checkers on it. The 6 pt. is a heavy point early in the game so you want to use those builders to make points in your inner board.

Hit (bump, knock off, send back): To move one or more of your checkers to a point occupied by a blot of your opponent putting them on the bar. Hitting a blot in your opponents inner board makes a big difference in the pip count.

• As opposed to the common assertion, hitting is not always the best move.
• Sometimes, hitting is a huge error.
• Other times, backgammon hitting is a risk worth taking

Hit and Cover: To hit an opponent's blot and make that point with the same roll. When you hit and cover, it is also called 'pointing on your opponents head'.

Hit and Pass (Bump and Run, Bump and Pass, Pick and Pass): To hit an opposing checker and continue your checker to safety. A hit and pass is an effective way of slowing your opponent down while remaining safe yourself.

Hit and Split: To split your back runners while simultaneously hitting elsewhere on the board. A hit and split is effective as long as you can't be hit twice by return shots.

Hit Loose: To hit an opponent's blot in your inner board without making the point and leaving it there vulnerable to a return shot. It is often correct to hit loose when you are attempting a blitz.

Holding Game: A type of game where you hold a point or points in your opponent's inner board or outer board in order to prevent them from safely coming home. A holding game tend to come down to the opponent rolling a 6 on one die and having to run with one man while leaving a blot.

Holland Rule: In match play, after one player has reached match point, and after the Crawford game has been played, for the next two games neither player may double until two full rolls on each side have been completed. Named after Tim Holland. The Holland rule gives the player with the free drop a greater advantage as it allows them a better look at how the game is going before making the cube decision.

Home Board (Home): The quadrant of the board to which a player needs to move checkers for the bearoff. Also known as the Inner Board. You can only bear off checkers once you have all of your checkers in the home board.

Hypergammon: A variant of Backgammon where each side starts with only 3 checkers. 1 each on the 1, 2, and 3 pts. of the opponents inner board. The winner of a game of hypergammon is usually the person who rolls high doubles first