1. Automatic doubles. If identical numbers are thrown on the first roll, the stakes are doubled. The doubling cube is turned to 2 and remains in the middle. Players usually agree to limit the number of automatic doubles to one per game.

2. Beavers. When a player is doubled, he may immediately redouble (beaver) while retaining possession of the cube. The original doubler has the option of accepting or refusing as with a normal double.

3. The Jacoby Rule. Gammons and backgammons count only as a single game if neither player has offered a double during the course of the game. This rule speeds up play by eliminating situations where a player avoids doubling so he can play on for a gammon.

these rules are optional and in widespread use. are you guys using these rules? and what are your thoughts about these rules?

I use only some of the optional rules. But mostly i use them when i feel like am bored to play this. But when ever i want to save the losing points, i may do that. That does not matter to me and i do it only with my friends. Not in a serious way.

yeah, and i think that is why we call it as optional rules because we only follow and use these rules whenever needed or necessary.

So then there are advantages of playing with the optional rules? Or what reasoning would someone choose to not use these rules. I am not sure that I really understand about using these rules.

I have found that over the years depending on the person you are playing against these rules can be a very good thing. For example when you are playing against the expert level players you may want to consider rules like this to make the game for exciting.