Acey-deucey is a tables game, a family of board games that includes backgammon. Since World War I, it has been a favorite game of the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Merchant Marine. Some evidence shows that it was played in the early 1900s aboard U.S. Navy ships. The game is believed to be rooted in the Middle East, Greece, or Turkey, where there were variants in which the game started with pieces off the board. Compared to standard backgammon, acey-deucey is more like a race than a strategy game. It features a differing starting position, opening play, and rules for the endgame. There is no doubling cube. Because pieces may be retained in one's opponent's home board, the game offers substantial opportunities for backgame play. Other meanings Gambling Acey Deucey is a gambling game using playing cards in the same family as poker. Horse racing Acey-deucey is deliberately riding a horse with one stirrup shorter than the other. It is most often seen in racing in the United States, where a jockey will slightly lengthen the inside stirrup to gain better balance on turns, all of which are left-handed in America. Some riders believe this helps them. Initial setup The equipment needed for Acey-Deucey comprises a tables board, 15 pieces per player, called men or stones, and two dice. All of both players' men are off the board when the game begins. Opening play Men are entered onto the opponent's inner board – the 'entering table' or 'starting quarter' as if they were on the bar (known as the 'fence'). Once a man has been entered, it can be moved even though other men have not yet been entered. One strategy in the game is to keep one man, called "Oscar", off the board until it is needed for defensive purposes. Play Play passes back and forth, with each player rolling both dice. Players use each die roll to move one man the corresponding number of points in the direction of march. A player may use both rolls for one man, as long as both the intermediate point and destination point are not occupied by two or more enemy men. A man may move to a vacant point or one with men of the same colour. They may also move to a point occupied by one enemy man and 'kick' the man off the board. The kicked man must