Omggain

First, I can tell you, DJ, that on doubles, you only roll once. I grew up playing backgammon, and one of the first questions I asked the lady was how come you didn't get 4 moves on a double. Naturally, that would make the game too easy. I think the compromise of adding a third roll on a double is what suffices.
The bets on the handout I was given at O'Sheas are the only bets. There are additional bets on the casino backgammon website that were not available at the casino itself.
One problem I noticed, but not until after I had left O'Sheas, was that there was no location for the 'doubles' bet. There were two big bars running around the field on which to place your Jump and Out bets, but no location for a doubles bet. The information for the doubles bet was posted on the handout, and a payout table was listed on the felt. There was even a place where the dealer could place a mark to indicate that a double had been rolled (ie, to track it for when it should be paid). However, there was no indication anywhere of where to put your bet for a doubles bet. Again, I didn't even think of it (because it was not a bet I would make) until after I had left the casino, but I do think it's a big flaw in the game.
I honestly do not think the game will last. It takes up quite a bit of space. It's a bit bigger than a blackjack table, but not as big as a craps table. it's probably about as big of half a craps table, or a tub, somewhere in that range. Thus, it's taking up a lot of space on the floor. Further, the game just isn't exciting. I suppose if you come from a place where backgammon is considered a national sport or at least is very popular, then I could see how this game might drag you in. But for everybody else, it's just not an exciting game. Further, while the game itself, in theory, is fairly simple, I think people were having a hard time understanding what was going on.

Sorry, just looked at the website. Most of it looks good. On the rolling of doubles, I do not honestly know if the player is given a 3rd roll if the first two rolls are sufficient to move the pieces off the board. IE, if starting from Point 1, the player rolls double 6 and double 6 again, the pieces would be off the board. Naturally, the only way the person could then hit the 3rd double bonus bet would be to roll again, but I do not know if they allow that or not.
Second, in the rules of play, I can only say that rules 10-13 are optional. Also, that the player has to lose both bets for the option to roll from higher points. If the player wins either the Jump OR the Out bet, he can choose to roll from the next higher point. However, he has the option of not rolling, and passing the dice to the next player. That related to the only strategy I developed. While the Point 4 has the lowest house edge, the Point 1 has the second lowest house edge. If you are the only player at the table, then after making your Point 1 rolls, you can opt to pass the dice, which means passing it back to yourself, for another Point 1 roll.

It's not whether you win or lose; it's whether or not you had a good bet.

I used to play a lot of backgammon. Over the holidays my cousins and brothers would play for hours by the pool or at the beach. I still keep a backgammon program in my PC and play it on occasion.
I don't think I'd play the casino version, though. It isn't backgammon, but rather a random chance game based on some rules of backgammon.
So how about straight backgammon tournaments? They don't even need dealers!

Sorry if I couldn't find this posted elsewhere. I'm interested in how the dice are rolled. Is it on a board with a cup? Along a craps style table by hand? If someone could let me know I'd appreciate thanks.
-BW

When I played at O'Sheas, the table was about the size of a half-sized craps table, with similar look and feel to it. The dice were rolled by hand.

Is there a pyramid wall at the end you have to hit?
Thanks.
BW

Yes. Again, it's basically the same as a craps table. I only rolled the dice 6 times, and always hit the back wall, so I didn't run into any situations where I was asked to hit the back wall, but I'm sure they would require you to do so.