What is a flatline game in Backgammon?

Answer 1

I am not sure about this answer, because I have never come across this term applied to a backgammon game.

I think it would apply to a game that finishes with the winning player bearing off for a single game, when the doubling cube is in play and has been touched by neither player during the course of the game.

This is a situation that should almost never arise in a game between good players.

If there is a typical moderately large winning margin after the middle game, the leading player should double for insurance as soon as it becomes clear that a gammon is not on.

If the margin is small, there is always (nearly always?) a profitable double in the last few moves.

Fore example, if my last four men are on my 1,2,3, & 4-points, and my opponent has 3 men on his 1-point (one of the closest end-game situations I could think of), I should double. I can lose only if

(i) I roll a 1- x (not doubles) on both of my last two rolls (7.7% chance)

(ii) my opponent rolls doubles on his next roll (16.7% chance)

(iii) I fail to roll 4 or better on either of my last two rolls (1.5% chance)

It is borderline, but I think that that double is profitable to me whether or not my opponent accepts.