Chicken Foot Domino Game Rules

Chickenfoot is a domino game invented in the early 1990s by Betty and Louis Howsley in a cabin in west Texas. It has grown into a game popular all over America.

Setup

The game is played with a double-nine domino set (other size sets can be used, with adjustments). Each player begins with seven tiles. The remaining pieces make up the chickenyard. There are 10 rounds: round one begins with the double-nine tile laid on the table, round two with double-eight, etc. The goal is to have the fewest points remaining in your hand at the end of a round.

Double Chickenfoot

Six tiles with one end matching the starting tile must be laid, end-on, around it. Each player lays one tile in turn, until all six are in place, forming the double chickenfoot. If a player has no matching tile, he must draw from the chickenyard. If he still cannot play, it is the next player's turn.

Continuing Play

Once the double chickenfoot is in place, each player lays a matching piece at the end of any of the six toes, on her turn. Long chains of tiles matching end-to-end will form through the course of the game. If a player has no playable tile in her hand, she must draw from the chickenyard, and lay the drawn tile if possible.

Chickenfeet

If a player lays a double, it is placed sideways at the end of a chain. Three matching toes must be attached to the new foot, one at a time, by the players before any further plays can be made.

Ending a Round

The round ends when a player "dominoes" (plays all his tiles), or when both the chickenyard is empty and no legal moves can be made (such as when unable to finish a chickenfoot).

Scoring

Each pip on the tiles left in a player's hand counts as one point. A player left with the double-zero piece at the end of a round is given 50 penalty points.

References

• Great Book of Domino Games; Jennifer A. Kelly; 1999; page 37
• History of Chickenfoot