home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Shareware Overload
/
ShartewareOverload.cdr
/
games
/
dominos.zip
/
APPENDIX.DOC
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1987-04-08
|
7KB
|
132 lines
APPENDIX
The following description of the "Draw Game" of dominoes
incorporates a complete set of rules for the two-person game; there
may be minor variations from other sets of rules, but the game
described is a very common version.
Everyone knows that a domino is a small tile, about 1 inch by 2
inches by one-quarter inch thick, with a plain back and a face
divided into two halves, each marked with some number of dots from 0
to 6. (The two halves of the face are sometimes called "ends" of the
domino.) A set of dominoes consists of 28 such tiles, with each
possible combination from 0-0 to 6-6 occurring exactly once. A
domino is referred to as the 2-3, the 4-6, etc., according to the
numbers of dots on the two halves of its face. A domino having the
same number of dots on each end is called a "double".
In the two person draw game, each player selects a "hand"
consisting of 11 dominoes (sometimes 9 or 7); the usual process is
to place all the dominoes face down on the table, shuffle them
around a bit, and then draw the hands at random. The dominoes left
over are placed to one side and are designated as the "boneyard",
which may come into play later. Customarily, each player will set
his dominoes upright on the table before him, with their faces
visible to him but not to his opponent; this arrangement is not
mandatory, but each player is entitled to know at any stage of the
game exactly how many dominoes are left in his opponent's hand.
Before play begins it must be decided which contestant plays
first. This is done by lot, usually by each player drawing a single
domino from the shuffled set, with the player drawing the largest
total number of spots being the designated lead off man for the
first hand. This player is said to "have the down". The dominoes
are then reshuffled, and hands are drawn as described above.
At the beginning of play, the player having the down places any
one of the dominoes from his hand face up on the table. If the sum
of the spots on this domino is a multiple of 5 , the player is
awarded that many points,or "count"; if the sum is not a multiple of
5, no score is given. Thus the 0-5, 1-4 and 2-3 each score 5 points,
while the 4-6 and 5-5 score 10 points. No other dominoes make any
points on the the down.
After the initial play, the next player places one of his
dominoes on the table adjacent to the first one, in such a way that
the numbers on the abutting ends match. For example, if the 4-3 is
downed, then the 2-4 could be played, with the two 4's adjacent to
each other, 2-4:4-3 . The exposed ends of the "board", the 2 from
the 2-4 and the 3 from the 4-3, now total 5 , and the second player
is awarded 5 points. Only multiples of 5 count, so a play of the
3-2, for example, would score nothing in this situation.
Scoring after each play is similar - the sum of the exposed
ends of the board is calculated and if this sum is a multiple of 5,
the player receives that number of points, but otherwise he scores
nothing.
Doubles must be played crosswise, and if a double forms an
exposed end of the board, both halves of the double count toward the
sum used in scoring. For example, if the 3-4 is downed and the next
player places the 3-3 (crosswise, since that is required) against
the 3 of the 3-4 , then his score is 10, counting 6 for the double 3
on one end and 4 for the exposed 4 on the other end of the board.
The FIRST double played is designated as the "spinner". After
(but not before) both of the long sides of the spinner have been
played on, the other two ends become available for play. For
example, if the 3-3 is downed, followed by the 3-4 and the 6-3, then
(since both long sides of the spinner are now covered) the 3-5 could
be played against either of the 3's of the spinner (for a count of
15). Subsequent plays could be made on the 5 or on the other end of
the spinner, as well as on the 6 or the 4. Since the spinner is the
only double that can be played on in this manner, the board will
never have more than four ends. Note that the short ends of the
spinner are not counted until they have "sprouted" (unless the
spinner still has at least one long side uncovered, in which case
both ends are included in the count).
On his turn, a player is required to play a domino from his
hand if he has any legal play. Otherwise, he must draw from the
boneyard (repeatedly, if necessary) until either he obtains a domino
that will play or the boneyard has been exhausted. In the latter
case, he must pass.
A player who succeeds in playing all the dominoes from his hand
is said to have "dominoed"; the hand is then over, and the one who
dominoed scores (to the nearest multiple of 5) the sum of all the
spots in his opponent's hand (in addition to any score made on the
last play).
If it should happen that neither player has a legal play (and
the boneyard is empty), the hand is "blocked". In this case, the
players compare the sums of the spots in their respective hands, and
the player with the lowest total receives (to the nearest multiple
of 5) ALL the points in his opponent's hand.
A game normally consists of 250 points, although this may be
changed by agreement. Several hands are required to complete a
game, so the dominoes must be reshuffled and redrawn at the end of
each hand. During a game, the Down alternates, so that if Player 1
downed the first hand, then Player 2 would down the second, Player 1
the third, and so on.
One final rule: Since it is generally difficult to play a hand
containing a large number of doubles, either player may, if he
chooses, demand a redeal in case his initial hand contains five or
more doubles (four if the initial draw is 7 or 9). The request must,
of course, be made before the player has made any play.
The rules of dominoes are simple enough that anyone can easily
remember them after playing only a few hands. Learning to play well
is another matter, though, and the game is surprisingly challenging.