Chickenfoot Dominoes Game

Chickenfoot is a domino game where the basic object of each hand is to get rid of all of your dominoes before your opponents can do the same.  Although it is a game for 2 or more players, there are no teams; each person acts independently.  The game typically is played with Double-9 dominoes (meaning there are up to 9 spots on the ends of each domino), while other variations include Double-12 and Double-15.

Score is kept on a cumulative basis, as each game consists of a number of hands.  The number of hands in a game is equal to the number of domino suits (numbers).  In other words, Double-9 dominoes have 10 suits (0-9), Double-12 dominoes have 13 suits (0-12), and Double-15 dominoes have 16 suits (0-15).  While low hand scores are important, only the cumulative score matters:  Lowest final score wins.

All the dominoes are turned face-down on a smooth tabletop and mixed thoroughly.  This becomes the “bone pile.”  The number of dominoes or tiles initially drawn by each player from the bone pile depends on the number of players.  This is the guideline to follow to calculate the amount of tiles drawn: 42 ÷ [# of players], rounded to the nearest whole number, is the number of tiles with which each player begins the game.

First and foremost, the person with the lowest score wins.

For all dominoes except for the double-blank (), the score associated with that domino is the number of spots on the domino.  For the double-blank domino, the score is 50 points.  For example, observe the sample hand below:

The score for this hand is (5+5) + (1+0) + 50 + (3+1) = 65.  Without the double-blank tile, the score would have been only 15.

8-Player Scoresheets:		Double Twelves.html Double Twelves.doc		Double Nines.html Double Nines.doc		Double Sixes.html Double Sixes.doc
10-Player Scoresheets:		Double Twelves.html Double Twelves.doc		Double Nines.html Double Nines.doc		Double Sixes.html Double Sixes.doc

The object of the game is to get rid of (play) as many dominoes as possible during each hand, keeping in mind that the lowest overall score wins.

Dominoes only can be played on dominoes of like suit (number).  On any turn, a player does not have to play a domino; the player is permitted to draw a domino and pass without playing, if he/she so desires.  Ignore the doubles for now, but observe the picture at the top of this page, and notice that all adjacent dominoes share a common suit.

If no play can be made with the dominoes in one’s hand, that player must draw a single domino from the bone pile (remaining dominoes not initially selected by players).  If the tile drawn is playable, it can (but does not have to) be played.  Otherwise, that player’s turn is over and the next player’s turn begins.  If there are no dominoes left in the bone pile, then that player will be forced to pass, in the event the player cannot play.

As previously mentioned, each game consists of a set of hands (equal to the number of domino suits or numbers).  The first hand will begin with the highest double being played first.  The second hand will begin with the second-highest double, and so on.  In the case of Double-9 dominoes, the hand sequence would begin by playing the double-9.  The second hand would begin with the double-8, the third hand with the double-7, etc.

Playing a double does not enable a player to play another domino immediately.  Like any other domino, playing a double ends that player’s turn, and then it is the next player’s turn to play a domino.

If no player has the necessary double to start the hand, then each player must draw one domino.  This process repeats until a player eventually draws the double required to begin.  (Players must pay close attention to the tiles in their hands to make sure they are not overlooking the double which needs to be played.)  The player who has the double necessary to begin the next hand simply plays the domino to begin play for that hand.  The next six dominoes played must be played off of the initial double as shown in the picture below (which could be the first hand in a Double-9 game):

Once these six dominoes have been played, play can continue off of any domino, provided the domino to be played matches the suit (number) of the destination domino.

An alternate way to begin each hand is for the player with the highest double to play it.  That is, in the case of Double-9 dominoes, if the double-9 () tile initially has not been drawn by any player, then the double-8 () tile may be played.  If no player has the double-8 tile, then the double-7 () tile is played, etc.  In the slight chance that no player has any double tile, then all players must draw one domino at a time until a double tile is drawn, which then is played.

One advantage of starting each hand with the highest available double domino is that players will not need to fill their hands with extra dominoes at the beginning of each hand trying to draw the required double.  However, if this is the chosen way to play, one thing must be kept in mind.  If, for instance, the double-8 or double-7 or any other double (rather than the double-9) domino is used to start the very first hand, the second hand still should be started with the double-8 tile (if any player has it), not with the next double tile which is one less than the first double played the previous hand.

The only other rule deals with the subsequent play of other doubles.  Similar to the play of the initial double, any other double forces the next three moves off of that double.  Incidentally, this is where the name of the game comes from, as the resulting configuration resembles a chicken’s foot.  The picture below shows the double-6 tile added to the previous arrangement shown above:

As the picture indicates, the next three dominoes were played off of the double-6.  Only after the three dominoes have been played can plays again be made anywhere on the board.

A few additional moves for this same hand are shown in the picture at the top of this page.

In a normal game of Chickenfoot, when a player is down to his/her final domino, that player must announce this fact to the remaining players by saying “Chickenlittle.”  This is very similar to the card game Uno, where players must announce that they only have one card left by calling out “Uno.”

During a hand, if the next player manages to play before “Chickenlittle” is called by a player, and if the lapse is noticed by another player, then the resulting penalty for the player who forgot to call “Chickenlittle” is to draw a domino (without playing it).  If the bone pile is empty, then that player is not allowed to play his/her domino on the subsequent round, where he/she again must say “Chickenlittle,” thereby beginning the whole process once again.

There are two possible outcomes for each of the hands played during the game:

If a player manages to play all of his/her dominoes, then that player wins the hand outright.  Since he/she has no remaining dominoes, a score of 0 (zero) will be recorded for that player.  All other players will score their respective hands (remaining dominoes) according to the scoring rules laid out above.

If insufficient dominoes remain to complete play off of a double, then the hand will have reached a stalemate situation.  This can happen late in the hand when almost all the dominoes of a particular suit have been played, other than that suit’s double, and then the double of that suit is played.  If there are not three dominoes remaining of that suit, then play will continue until the bone pile has been exhausted and all remaining dominoes of that suit have been played.  Once the stalemate is final, all players will score their respective hands (remaining dominoes) according to the scoring rules laid out above.

Note:  It is possible for the hand to enter a state of “Stalemate Pending” and a player still win the hand.  For example, assume there are only two dominoes remaining that contain sixes after the double-6 has been played.  This is the pre-condition for stalemate.  However, if any player manages to play a 6 as his/her last domino, then that player will win outright because he/she managed to get rid of all his/her dominoes.

The most basic element of strategy, of course, is for a player to get rid of the double-blank if he/she has it, or block a player from playing it if it is felt that a specific player has it.  Other strategies can be picked up quickly by playing a few hands and observing what it takes to win.