WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF CHICKEN FOOT DOMINO

Hey there! Let’s dive into the exciting game of Chicken Foot Domino. It’s a bit like Mexican Train, but with an extra kick. The twist is that you need to play three dominoes on any double before you can play anywhere else. And guess what? When you place those three dominoes, they form a cool pattern that looks like an old hen’s hock.

LET’S GET STARTED

Okay, here’s how we set up the game. First, we’ll take all the double-nine dominoes and mix them up. Then, we’ll put them face down on the table. We’re gonna take turns drawing one domino at a time, going around the table. The person who finds the double-nine domino gets to go first. Exciting, right?

After we find the double nine, we’ll set it aside and shuffle the rest of the dominoes in the middle. Now, it’s time for each player to draw their starting dominoes. Here’s a handy guide to help you out:

First things first, let’s make sure everyone is set up with the right number of dominoes. Here’s a handy table to guide you:

Players	Dominoes
2	Draw 21
3	Draw 14
4	Draw 11
5	Draw 8
6	Draw 7
7	Draw 6
8	Draw 5

Once everyone has their dominoes, we can put the extras aside. We call this pile the chicken yard because we’ll use it for drawing during the game.

Now, let’s get started with the play. Place the double nine tile right in the center. Each round begins with the next double in line. So, the first round starts with the double nine. The second round will start with the double eight, then the double seven, and so on. The first player to find the corresponding double starts the round.

Remember, the fun part is just about to begin!

When you play the game for the first time, you need to make sure you have a domino that matches the starting double. If you don’t have a match, you have to draw a domino from the chicken yard. If the domino you draw matches, you have to play it. If it doesn’t match, you pass and the next player has a turn. This process continues until there is at least one train per player on the table.

For example, let’s say there are four players. Player one starts by placing a domino on the double nine, which starts the first train. Player two doesn’t have a matching domino, so they draw one. Unfortunately, the domino they draw doesn’t match the double nine, so player two passes. Player three, on the other hand, has a domino that matches the double nine and starts the second train. Then player four draws a matching domino and begins the third train. Finally, player one has a matching domino and starts the fourth train. Now, all players can play on any of the trains they choose.

Depending on what you like, you may need to start with up to eight trains before you can move on. For example, if there are four players, you can start with 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 trains. Starting with more trains on the board gives you more options for future moves, which can make the game easier.

Once all the trains have been started, it’s your turn to play. You can play one domino at a time on any train you want. The domino you play must have a matching end to connect with another domino.

If you can’t play a domino, you have to draw one from the chicken yard. If the domino you draw can be played, you have to place it. But if you can’t play the domino you drew, you have to pass your turn.

When playing the game of dominoes, there is a specific way to arrange the tiles. Doubles, which are tiles with the same number on both ends, are always placed perpendicularly. For example, if you have a double six, you would place it vertically, and the next tile must be played horizontally, forming an L-shape. To create a “chicken foot,” three more tiles must be added to the double. Until the chicken foot is complete, no tiles can be played elsewhere.

This pattern of play continues until the round ends. There are two ways to end a round. The first is if a player plays all of their tiles, signaling that they have no more moves. The second is if no one at the table can play a tile, which can happen when the chicken yard, where extra tiles are kept, is empty.

In a game with two players, the last two tiles are left untouched in the chicken yard. In games with three or more players, the last single tile is left there instead.

The next round begins with the subsequent double tile. The final round of the game is played with the double zero tile. At the end of this final round, the player with the lowest total score is declared the winner.

Scoring

When I’m able to play all of my dominoes, I’ll earn zero points. You, on the other hand, will earn points equal to the total value of all your dominoes.

If the game becomes blocked and neither of us can play all our dominoes, we’ll add up the total value of our dominoes. The player with the lowest score wins the round.

I’ll keep adding each round’s total to my score. The player with the lowest score at the end of the final round takes home the victory.

By the way, we can make the double zero worth 50 points if we decide to use the optional rule.

Oh, and did I mention we can make the double zero worth 50 points?