There are many ways to learn how to play backgammon. The cautious learner may choose to start off by reading books or online materials. Books have been written by backgammon champions such as Paul Magriel's Backgammon and Backgammon for Winners by Bill Robertie.
Keep a backgammon board set up in front of you if you are learning from a book. As you read, move the men as described in the book. This will give you a feel for the direction of play and the progression of the game.

You can watch games and play backgammon on the Internet using online backgammon software. The advantage to playing online against the computer is that you can learn without worrying that your opponent might lose patience with you. On the other hand, the interface of most of the programs may be difficult for a newbie - a new player - to follow. The computer plays a fast game; in most programs the backgammon checkers disappear from their points of origin and then pop up on their new points. It can be hard to follow. Most backgammon portals offer online games against players logged in all over the world. You can usually find other newbie's to play with.

• Snowie
  Is a backgammon software program that is not free. You can order it at http://www.bgsnowie.com.



• Yahoo Backgammon
  offers free online backgammon for fun at http://www.yahoo.com.



• David’s Backgammon
  offers several differently designed backgammon boards, and supports both Windows and Mac. It can be downloaded at http://www.bestbackgammon.com. The fee for a password is $20 and this password provides full functionality of the software.



• Jellyfish
  Backgammon is a backgammon program that has learned to play backgammon by playing thousands of games. It is a neural-net based game that exhibits a high level of proficiency. You can download this free backgammon software at: http://www.jellyfish-backgammon.com.



• Motif Backgammon
  provides a free, no-frills online game at http://www.bkgm.com/motif/go.html.



• Pogo Backgammon
  offers a very simple java backgammon game with basic graphics. You can watch games or find a partner at http://www.pogo.com.