A

Accept a Double (Take): To agree to play for two times the present stakes when your opponent offers to double them. Typically, it is correct to accept a double when you have at least a 25% chance of winning the game.

Ace Point (Guff): A players 1 pt. It may be unwise to make your ace point early in the game as these checkers are out of action for the rest of the game.

Ace Point Club: A popular backgammon club in New York City. I have never been to the Ace Point Club but I hear there are some strong players eager for money matches there.

Ace Point Game (One Point Game): A game when the only chance of winning is if a shot is hit from the ace point while the opponent is bearing off. When well behind in the race it is often a last ditch shot from an ace point game that will win it for you.

Acey Deucey: A variant of Backgammon popularized in the Navy, also a roll of 1 and 2 on the dice. In Acey Deucey, a roll of 1-2 allows you to move the 1-2, any set of doubles you wish and then you get to roll again.

Across: See Movement of Checkers.

Action: The term used by players describing the opportunity to play money games. When a player goes to a backgammon club they may ask if there is any 'action'.

Action Play: A specific type of play in backgammon to provoke contact used when opponent has escaped the back checkers. An action play is called for when there is little development on your opponents side of the board but they have managed to escape their back checkers and might consist of slotting your opponents bar point.

Active Builder: See builder. A checker that is completely free to help make another point. If you have several active builders aimed at a specific point the odds of making that point on a subsequent roll are good.

Advanced Anchor: An anchor on the opponents 4pt or 5pt (Golden Point).
To avoid being primed, it is important to get an advanced anchor.

Air Ball: A term from Basketball meaning a complete miss (of a shot). You have thrown an air ball if you have blots 2, 3, and 5 points in front of you and you manage to roll double 4's.

Anchor: Having two or more checkers on a point in your opponent's inner board.
Everyone starts the game with an anchor on their opponent's 1pt.

Around the Corner: See movement of checkers.

Attacking Game (Blitz, Wipeout): A position where you hit and attempt to close out your opponent, usually hitting in your inner board. An attacking game is usually called for when your opponent splits a back man to your 3 pt. and you proceed to roll double 5's pointing on both your opponents blots. 

Auction: Prior to the start of a tournament, participants or spectators can often bid on who will win the event. The auction could be based on a bid for one player or sometimes a packaged group of players. The money goes into a fund or pool that is later handed out to those that bid successfully. An Auctioneer goes through the players or groups one by one asking for bids on those players. The person who bids highest for the player then 'owns' that player in the auction and puts the amount bid into the prize pool. The person who 'owns' the player who wins, wins the money in the prize pool. There is usually a 'buyback' option where the player being bought can purchase a share of themselves in the Calcutta Auction. The entire auctioning and bidding process is usually a fun event. Even if you don't win the tournament you may still win money by buying a player in the Calcutta Auction.

Automatic Doubles: An optional rule in backgammon whereby the cube is automatically turned to 2 if both players throw the same number while contesting for the opening move. Players usually limit these to one per game. You will have to turn the cube to 2 before the game even begins if you and your opponent rolls the same number at the start and you are using the automatic double rule.