Official Muggins (All Fives) Rules
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Muggins, also known as "All Fives," is a classic domino game that involves both strategic play and the ability to quickly add up numbers. Here's a detailed guide to the rules of Muggins:
Objective: The goal of Muggins is to score points by making the open ends of the domino layout add up to a multiple of five.
Equipment:
A standard double-six domino set (28 tiles)
Setup:
Players:
Muggins is typically played by 2-4 players.
Shuffling and Drawing:
Shuffle the dominoes face down.
Each player draws tiles as follows:
For 2 players: 7 tiles each
For 3 or 4 players: 5 tiles each
The remaining tiles form the boneyard.
Gameplay:
Starting the Game:
The player with the highest double (if any) plays it to start the layout.
If no player has a double, players draw tiles from the boneyard until a double is drawn to start the game.
Playing Dominoes:
Players take turns in a clockwise direction.
On their turn, a player must place a tile matching one of the open ends of the layout (end-to-end matching).
After placing a tile, the player checks the sum of the pips on all open ends of the layout.
If the sum of the open ends is a multiple of five (5, 10, 15, 20, etc.), the player scores that number of points.
Scoring Points:
Points are scored immediately after a tile is played if the sum of the open ends is a multiple of five.
Players must call out their points immediately to claim them.
Example: If the layout has open ends showing 3 and 2, the sum is 5, and the player scores 5 points.
Blocking and Drawing:
If a player cannot make a valid play, they must draw tiles from the boneyard until they can play or the boneyard is empty.
If the boneyard is empty and a player cannot play, they pass their turn.
Ending a Round:
A round ends when a player plays all their tiles or when no player can make a legal play.
If a player plays all their tiles, they score the total number of pips on the remaining tiles of all other players.
If the round ends with blocked play, the player with the lowest pip count scores the total number of pips on all remaining tiles.
Winning the Game:
The game is played to a predetermined number of points, commonly 100 or 200.
The player who reaches or exceeds the target score first wins the game.
Additional Rules:
Muggins Rule: If a player fails to call out their score when the open ends sum to a multiple of five, any opponent can call "Muggins" and claim the points instead.
Muggins is a dynamic and engaging domino game that combines skillful play with quick mental arithmetic. It's a great way to enjoy dominoes with a competitive edge.
