Dominoes - Muggins Game

Dominoes are pieces of ivory or bone, usually with ebony backs. On the face of each piece there are two compartments, in each of which there is found either a blank, or black pips or spots from one to six.

The dominoes are thus named: Double-Six; Six-Five; Six-Four; Six-Three; Six-Two; Six-One; Six-Blank; Double-Five; Five- Four; Five-Three; Five-Two; Five-One; Five-Blank; Double- Four ; Four-Three; Four-Two; Four-One; Four-Blank; Double- Three; Three-Two; Three-One; Three-Blank; Double-Two; Two- One; Two-Blank; Double-One; One-Blank; Double-Blank.

To Shuffle And Determine The First Pose.

Shuffling the dominoes (also called making) is done by turning them face downwards on the table, and mixing them about with the fingers in such manner as to prevent the position of any given domino being known. Each player has a right to perform this operation.

The right to the first pose, or turn to play (also known as the "down"), has next to be decided, and this is usually done by each player drawing and turning up one domino, and the holder of the lowest number of points having the preference. The dominoes thus used are returned to the pack, and again shuffled with the rest. Each player then takes randomly from the dominoes nearest to him the number appropriate to the game to be played, and these constitute his "hand". The remaining dominoes are called the stock.

MUGGINS

Each player draws five pieces. The highest Double leads, after that they lead alternately. The count is made by fives. If the one who leads can pose any domino containing spots that amount to five

or ten, as the Double-Five, Six-Four, Five-Blank, Three-Deuce, etc., he counts that number to his score in the game.

In matching, if a piece can be posed so as to make five, ten, fifteen, or twenty, by adding the pips contained on both ends of the row, it counts to the score of the one who poses it. Thus, a Three

being at one end, and a Four being at the other, the next player posing a Deuce-Four would score five; or if Double-Three was at one end, and a player was successful in playing so as to get Double- Deuce at the other end, it would score ten for him. A Double-Six being at one end, and a Four at the other, if the next player pose a Double-Four, he counts twenty - Double-Six, i.e., 12, + Double. Four, i.e., 8, = 20.

The player who makes a count must instantly announce it when he plays his piece, and if he fail to do so, or if he announce the count wrongly, and any of his opponents call "Muggins ", he is debarred from scoring the count. If a player cannot match, he draws from the stock the same as in the Draw game, until he gets the piece required to match either end, or exhausts the stock.

As in the Draw or Block game, the first one who plays his last piece adds to his score the spots his opponents have; and the same if he gains them when the game is blocked, by having the lowest count. But the sum thus added to the score is some multiple of five nearest the actual amount. Thus, if his opponents have twenty spots, and he has nineteen, he adds twenty to his score. If they have twenty-two he adds twenty, because that is the nearest multiple of five; but if they have twenty-three he would add twenty-five, twenty-three being nearer that than to twenty. The number of the game is two hundred, if two play; but one hundred and fifty, if

there be three or more players.