User:Jayon/Shoot the Moon (dominoes)



Shoot the Moon, also known as Moon, is a three person (with a four person variant below) trick-taking game played with a standard set of double six dominoes with all blanks except the double-blank removed. Moon is a variant of 42 and has many variations as well which will be listed below. Each round is to 21 points and is worth at least a "mark" (game point) from each losing player (see scoring and variations), and unlike 42 in which you win a mark in one hand, the hands continue until one player reaches 21.

Object
The game is played by three people as individuals who sit facing each other across a table. The object of the game is to be the first person to reach a set number of "marks" (game points) or to have the highest number of marks in a set time limit. The game consists of a number of hands in which each player is trying to reach 21 which is worth two marks, one from each of the losing players, and a number of marks depending on opponent “hickeys” (negative marks against a player, see scoring). Dealing Using a standard set of double six dominoes with all blanks except the double-blank removed, there should be 22 dominoes. At the beginning of the game, there is a draw for the dealer. The dominoes are shuffled around the table. Each player draws a domino at random. All of the dots on each domino are added up (blank is 0 points) to determine who has the highest point domino. If there is a tie, then those that tie will repeat this step with the remaining dominoes until there is one person left with the highest domino who becomes the first dealer. The dealer then shuffles the dominoes and shoves them to the center of the table when finished. Without letting other players see their dominoes, the two other players draw seven dominoes, and the dealer draws seven leaving one in the middle which is called the “widow”. At the end of the hand, the players left of the current dealers become the next dealer until the end of the round. The winner of the round is the starting dealer for the next round.

The Bid
Bidding in Moon is more simple than 42. Each trick is worth one point. Before commencing play, each player will bid the number of tricks they are going to try to win with the dominoes they have. The bid starts to the left of the dealer and goes to each player once around the table clockwise with the dealer being last. The minimum point bid is 4. A player may also pass (make no bid). If all players pass, the dominoes are passed to the player clockwise to the dealer, and that player reshuffles and becomes the dealer. The consequences of losing a hand is that your points for the round are reduced by the bid value and you get an extra mark against you, or a “hickey”, which can end up being points for the other players if they win the round (see scoring). Each bid must be successively higher (4-7) than the last bid or must be a pass. The highest bid in Moon is “shoot-the-moon” which can be indicated with two thumbs in the air (usually which snapping), and can be called at any time. In this variation it can be topped with a “double-shoot-the-moon” (called only to top a shoot-the-moon bid) and “triple-shoot-the-moon”(called only to top a double-shoot-the-moon) all of which are 21 points and indicate that you will take all 7 of the tricks. The consequences of losing losing a shoot-the-moon is the round points being reduced by 21 and two hickeys, a double-shoot is four hickeys, and a triple-shoot is eight hickeys. You want to bid accurately, because you can not get more points than you bid.

The Hand
The highest bidder, or “lead”, may look at the widow and determine if the widow will replace another domino. The lead lays to the side the widow or another domino from the lead's own hand. The lead then indicates the trump out loud and plays the first domino. The trump will be indicated by calling a particular suit (0 through 6) trumps or doubles as trumps. "Follow me" (also known as "no trump") is the same as blanks trump (since there is only one) and has to be led with the double-zero. Play continues, clockwise from the lead, each player playing one domino which should end with three dominoes in the trick. Only the first trick is lead with the trump. Subsequent tricks can be led with any domino in the players hand. The suit of the first domino played in the trick is determined by the highest number on the domino (blank-6) unless it is a trump which is considered higher which will be considered the trump suit. The other players must play a domino of the given suit which will be a domino with that suit and another number (not including trumps). If none of the suit is available, the player is free to play any other domino. Trumps are not considered to be a part of any suit except trumps regardless of the other suit on the domino. The trick is won by the highest domino in the trick suit unless there are trumps played. In that case, the highest trump played wins the trick. Doubles are highest in a suit, followed by the suit with the highest non-suit number.

The winner of the trick takes the dominoes into their possession and leads on the next trick. Play continues until all the dominoes are played, or the lead is "set" (denied the possibility of winning the hand) by the other players. If the lead wins the bid, the points of the bid are added. Then, counting clockwise, the other players get points for extra tricks that they have taken (the lead does not get points for extra tricks). If the lead is set, the points are taken from that player and a hickey (or mark against the player), usually indicated by an asterisk, is added. Play stops once the player is set, and counting clockwise, the other players get points for tricks that they have taken.

Scoring
Each trick is worth only one point; however, the lead (or winning bidder) only gets the points for the bid and loses any extra.

For each hand, the points are added at the end of the round from the lead first and clockwise around the table. The first person to reach 21 ends the round. If no one reaches 21, then hands are played until someone reaches that score for the round. If the lead is set, the bid points are subtracted from lead's score for the round and they are assigned their hickeys (before the other players get their points for extra tricks). The number of hickeys is determined by the bid. Bids of 4 through 7 that fail only get one hickey, shoot-the-moon is 2 hickeys, double-shoot-the-moon is 4 hickeys, triple-shoot-the-moon is 8 hickeys. The round score can be negative, or "in the hole", and can be designated by putting a circle around the number.

When a player has reached 21, they have won the round. All the hickeys against the round winner are ignored. Each round loser automatically relinquishes 1 mark (or game points) to the round winner and 1 extra mark for each hickey in the round. The round winner add to their marks all the negative marks from the other players. If nobody had a hickey in the round, the round winner should receive +2 points and the other two players should each receive -1 points to their game total. When all the players game points are added up, they should equal 0. The negatives for the game points are indicated with a minus sign instead of a circle, because the game points usually have something around them to make them easier to see (see score card below)

The game ends when a player had reached the number of marks (determined before starting) or when the time (determined before starting) has run out. The winner is determined by the player with the most points. In case of a timed game, the person with the least hickeys (whether or not they were counted), more rounds won, or won the most recent round (in that order) wins.

This is an example score card for a part of a game.



Terminology

 * dominoes: rocks, bones
 * shuffle: shake, wash
 * single domino left in the middle after dealing in the 3 player game: widow
 * suit: number on one end of the domino
 * points: marks
 * 1s: aces
 * 2s: deuces (or "ducks")
 * 3s: treys
 * the one-blank: roach
 * the six-three: the devil
 * low: nello (also “nillo”, “nil”, or “low boy”)
 * to not follow suit when appropriate: renege
 * the verb meaning to play a trump on a non-trump: trump
 * the double of any trump suite: the "bull" or "big kahuna"
 * the trump immediately below the double: the "cow" or "moo-moo"

Dealing

 * Every round after the person shuffles, the other 2 people get their dominoes before the shuffler does.. OTHER WORDS THE SHUFFLER GOES LAST!!!!

The Bid

 * The minimum point bid is 5.
 * If every player passes, the dealer is forced to bid.
 * A Shoot-the-moon can only be called after a bid of 7 is called.
 * A Shoot-the-moon bid is the highest bid (no double or triple). Whoever bids it wins the bid.

The Hand

 * “Follow Me” (or “no trump”) is considered separate of blanks trump and does not require the double-blank to be lead or in the hand.
 * The hand is played to the end so that all extra tricks can be added up.

Scoring

 * The lead gets points for any extra tricks.
 * Hickeys aren’t counted.
 * One mark is given to the round winner without subtracting any from the other players. When played this way it's generally accepted that the goal is to get 7 marks to win.

42
All of the dominoes of a standard set of double-six dominoes are used (the blanks are not removed) so there is no widow. Minimum bid is 3 (or 4 as a variant). Double-Shoot-the-Moon, which can only be bid after shoot-the-moon, is the highest bid (unless the rule variation to end bidding at shoot-the-moon is used), so the bid is automatically won upon bidding it.

Video Games
There is an installable program though ccdominoes.com for windows that has Domino, Texas 42, and Moon included. You have various settings you can adjust, but to unlock some features, you have to get the paid version.