How the house plays
The house rules.
Four modes, one rules engine. Here is how a game is played at every table.
Jump to: Citizen · Citizen Gym · Inmate · Inmate Gym
Every table
Players and bones
Two to four players. Play one on one, Cut Throat (three or four, everyone for themselves), or two on two. Partners sit across from each other and share one score. Everyone gets seven bones. With two or three players, a table can deal nine.
The lead
The first hand is led by the house double: double six at Citizen tables, double blank at Inmate tables. If nobody has it, the next double in line leads. If nobody has a double, the bones are reshuffled and dealt again.
After that, whoever dominoes has the rock and leads the next hand with any bone. After a locked board, the lead goes back to the house double.
The spinner
The first double on the board is the spinner. Once both of its sides are covered, it opens up and down too. Then there are four ends.
Scoring on the ends
After each play, add up the open ends. A double on an end counts both halves. If the total is a multiple of 5, you score it. At Inmate tables, the total has to be 10 or more.
Getting on the board
Your first score has to reach the table's get-on number. Smaller scores don't count until you're on. At a table that gets on with 0, everyone is on the board from the deal.
Drawing and passing
Draw only when you can't play. Pick any bone from the yard. If the yard is empty and you can't play, pass. If everyone passes in a row, the board is locked and the hand ends with no count.
Dominoing
Play your last bone and you domino. You score the pips left in the other hands, rounded to the table's count (halves round up). With partners, only the opponents' hands count. If you aren't on the board yet, the count only scores if it reaches the get-on number.
The doubles bonus
Dealt four doubles? Play all four without drawing for +50. Dealt five or more? Choose to reshuffle, or play them for +100. You have to be on the board to collect.
Winning and skunks
First to 150 wins (some tables play to 250). A loser under 80 (under 130 in a game to 250) is skunked and owes double.
The wash
Before every deal the bones are washed. After a domino, everyone but the rock washes. On the first hand and after a locked board, everyone washes.
The four modes
| Setting | Citizen | Citizen Gym | Inmate | Inmate Gym |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First lead | Double six | Double six | Double blank | Double blank |
| Smallest score | 5 | 5 | 10 | 10 |
| Get on with | 10 | 10 | 15 | 0 |
| Count rounds to | 10 | 5 | 10 | 10 |
| Turn clock | None | 10 s | None | 20 s |
These are the house settings. Each mode's table settings can change the get-on number and the count. The Gym clocks are Community Service (Citizen Gym) and Hard Time (Inmate Gym).
Citizen
- Double six leads the first hand.
- Score multiples of 5 on the ends.
- Your first score must be 10 or more to get on the board.
- The domino count rounds to the nearest 10.
- Table settings: get on with 0, 10, 15 or 20. Count by 5 or 10.
Citizen Gym
- Citizen rules, on the clock. The domino count rounds to the nearest 5.
- Community Service: 10 seconds a turn. A table can set 3 to 60 seconds, or turn it off.
- Table settings: get on with 0, 10, 15 or 20. Count by 5 or 10.
Inmate
- Double blank leads the first hand.
- Score multiples of 5 on the ends, 10 or more.
- Your first score must be 15 or more to get on the board.
- The domino count rounds to the nearest 10.
- Table settings: get on with 10, 15 or 20. Count by 5 or 10.
Inmate Gym
- Inmate rules, on the clock. No minimum to get on the board: everyone's on from the deal.
- Hard Time: 20 seconds a turn. A table can set 3 to 60 seconds, or turn it off.
- Table settings: get on with 0, 10, 15 or 20. Count by 5 or 10.
The Gym clock
Every turn starts with a full clock. Run out and you take a dumbbell, and the clock starts over. Your turn isn't skipped. Dumbbells cost no points. Each one adds 5 reps to your workout if you lose (30 seconds on a timed one, half a mile on a run or walk). Five dumbbells in one turn forfeits the game.
Play money only
Cash bets at Citizen tables use Dominologist Dollars. Inside, a canteen bet uses Commissary goods from your locker, and the Gym modes are played for a workout. Dollars, money on your books and every item in the game are play money with no cash value. They can't be cashed out, transferred or exchanged for anything of real value, and no real money can be won. The game will be rated 18+.
Tournaments have their own official rules.