Dominoes - Domino Loo

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.

DOMINO LOO

The hand consists of five pieces. The dealer (or opponent of the leader) turns up a piece for trumps. Unless a Double is turned, the end having the greatest number of pips makes the trump suit.

The players do not pose; they play as at Loo. The leader plays n piece from his hand; his opponent plays to it. The two dominoes so played constitute a trick. The winner of the trick leads to the next. The highest piece of the suit led wins the trick. The pieces rank in order as follows :�Trump suit (which wins other suits); Six suit; Five suit; etc. ; down to Blank suit. The Double is the highest piece of each suit; the piece with the largest number of pips at its non-suit end wins pieces of the same suit with a smaller number. The leader to each trick announces the suit when he leads. Thus: If he leads Six-Five, and announces Six-Five, Six is the suit led; if he announces Five-Six, Five is the suit led. If a trump is led, the trump suit must be announced.

The rules of play are: Two trumps in hand lead one, otherwise any piece; lead a trump if able after winning a trick; follow suit to the piece led if able. A player is not obliged to win (or head) the trick, if he holds a losing piece that he can legitimately play.

If a player is not satisfied with his hand, he may take miss��'. e., he may reject his pieces and take six others, and having looked at them may discard one, making his hand consist of five pieces. The dealer may exchange one of his pieces for the turn-up, or may take miss, rejecting his hand and the turn-up, but he cannot do both.

Each trick scores one. The game is fifteen up. A player who does not take any of the five tricks is looed�that is, he is set back five points; if he has no score, he owes five.

Domino Loo is often played by three or four players. When three play, there are two misses of six pieces each; when four play, there is only one miss of seven pieces (two being discarded). The deal goes to the players in succession to the left, and the players play to the trick in order to the left of the leader.

The score may be regulated as for two players ; but a better plan is to form &pool. When played with a pool, each hand is a complete game in itself: each player contributes a stake divisible by five without a remainder; the dealer puts in twice the amount contributed by any one of the others, and each trick entitles the winner to a fifth of the amount in the pool. If any player wins no trick, he is looed, and has to contribute to the next pool as much as there was in the previous pool. When there is a loo the other players do not stake, with the exception of the dealer, who only stakes a single. In order to prevent the accumulation of large amounts in the pool, no one can be looed more than twenty with three players, nor more than twenty-five with four players.

When Domino Loo is played with a pool, each player has the option of passing�i.e., he may throw up his hand without taking miss, when he only loses what he has contributed to the pool, and cannot be looed. Any one taking miss must play. If all pass but one, and the dealer wants to pass, he must play miss for the pool, or if no miss remains, he must play his hand for the pool��'. e., any tricks he may win remain in the pool, and he cannot be looed. He must declare before playing his hand or before looking at miss, whether he will play for himself or for the pool. In default of a declaration, he is deemed to be playing for himself. If all pass up to the dealer, the dealer takes the pool.