What Is Chickenfoot?
Mexican Train's loud cousin. The layout sprawls like a barnyard, and every double stops the table until its foot is finished.
Chickenfoot is a dump game: the pips left in your hand at the end of a round count against you. What makes it its own game is the foot. Whenever a double is played, the next three tiles must be played on that double, fanning out like a chicken's toes, before anyone may play anywhere else.
The round opens with a double chickenfoot on the centre double, six tiles in all, and a sprawling layout grows from there. When you cannot play, you draw from the chicken yard.
Players
2-8 players, everyone for themselves. The more players, the wilder the layout.
Equipment
A double-nine set (55 tiles). A double-twelve set works for big groups, with twelve rounds instead of ten.
Time
About 10 minutes a round. All ten rounds run an evening; many tables play five.
Skill Level
Easy to learn. Managing doubles and timing the feet is where the game is won.
Setup & Deal
What You Need
- A double-nine domino set (55 tiles)
- 2-8 players
- A big table: the layout spreads in every direction
- Pencil and paper for the running total
Tiles Per Player
| Players | Tiles Each | Chicken Yard | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Players | 21 tiles | The rest | 10 (9-9 down to 0-0) |
| 3-4 Players | 18 / 13 tiles | The rest | 10 (9-9 down to 0-0) |
| 5-6 Players | 11 / 9 tiles | The rest | 10 (9-9 down to 0-0) |
| 7-8 Players | 7 / 6 tiles | The rest | 10 (9-9 down to 0-0) |
Round one needs the [9-9] in the middle. If nobody drew it, players take turns drawing one tile from the chicken yard until it turns up. Later rounds start with [8-8], then [7-7], down to [0-0].
Growing The Foot
The Double Chickenfoot
The round's double sits in the centre. Before anything else happens, six tiles matching it must be played against it, three on each side. The player who laid the double goes first; play continues clockwise, and a player who cannot add a toe draws from the chicken yard, then passes if the draw does not fit.
Normal Play
- Play one tile on any open end of any arm
- If you cannot play, draw one tile from the chicken yard; play it if it fits, otherwise pass
- Play passes clockwise
A Chickenfoot
Any double played on an arm is laid crosswise and calls “Chickenfoot!” The next three tiles played anywhere on the table must go on that double, fanning out from it. Until the foot has its three toes, no other play is allowed. A player with no matching tile draws, and passes if the draw does not fit.
Ending The Round
- A player plays their last tile, or
- The chicken yard is empty and nobody can play
Scoring
Counting Pips
When the round ends, every player adds the pips left in hand. That is their score for the round, and low is good. Going out scores zero.
| Left In Hand | Round Score | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing | 0 | You went out |
| [4-2] and [8-1] | 15 | 4+2+8+1 |
| [9-9] | 18 | The heaviest bone |
| [0-0] | 50 | The double-blank penalty: play it early |
The Game
Ten rounds, one for each double from [9-9] down to [0-0]. Keep a running total; the lowest total after the last round wins. Shorter games are fine when everyone agrees up front.
The double-blank is a 50-point grenade. Play it the first moment a blank end appears, even if it means passing up a better move.
Strategy Tips
Dump Doubles Early
A double in your hand is a foot you will have to build. Play doubles while the table still has the matching tiles to finish them.
Count The Toes
Three tiles finish a foot. If you hold two of the matching number, playing the double lets you fill two toes yourself and starve everyone else.
Feet Are Blocks
A foot nobody can finish freezes the table while the chicken yard empties. Use it when you are light and the others are heavy.
Keep Blanks Moving
The [0-0] costs 50; the other blanks cost nothing but are hard to place late. Play blanks on blank ends the moment you see them.
Mind The Yard
When the chicken yard runs low, drawing stops saving you. Play to go out before it is empty.
FAQ
2 to 8 with a double-nine set. Deal by the table: two players take 21 tiles each, eight players take 6, and the rest form the chicken yard.
A double played on an arm. The next three tiles on the whole table must be played on it, fanning out like toes, before any other play.
The opening of each round: six tiles matching the centre double, three on each side, before the arms can grow.
Low wins. Each round you score the pips left in your hand, and the double-blank counts 50. Lowest total after ten rounds wins.
Not yet. Today you can play Cutthroat head-up against the CPU on Dominologist; the other games are on the way.