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Step 1
Begin a normal game of backgammon, placing the doubling cube on the center bar with the 1 showing. The 1 indicates how many points the current game is worth.
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Step 2
Ignore the doubling cube until you have a significant advantage in your current game. There's no point doubling the value of the game if you aren't convinced that you are going to win.
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Step 3
Offer a double to your opponent at the beginning of your turn if you believe you have a strong advantage. You must do this instead of rolling any dice or moving any pieces. Your opponent then has two options: She can accept the double or decline the double.
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Step 4
Decline an offered double if you think you have no chance to win the current game and do not wish to have it count against you twice. In this case, you immediately forfeit the game, and your opponent scores the number of points currently showing on the cube (still 1, if no doubles have been accepted).
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Step 5
Accept an offered double if you feel you can win the current game. Take the doubling cube and place it in front of you, turning it to the next highest number (e.g., 2 from 1). The game is now worth the new number of points showing on the doubling cube. Once you have accepted a double, it becomes your turn.
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Step 6
Continue playing the game as normal. The player with the cube in front of him may double the game again by following Steps 3 to 5, but you may never double when the cube is in front of your opponent.
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Step 7
Score the game at the end based on the number showing on the cube. For example, if you win a game that was doubled twice, it would be worth 4 points. This means even if the previous three (undoubled) games were all won by your opponent, you'd be winning 4 to 3.
