Domino - The bergen game


The bergen game is a draw game. The similarity of the name to a town in Norway suggests a relationship but I have been unable to find confirmation.

Number of players
The game is for 2 to 4 players.

Time
about 5 to 10 minutes

Materials
One domino game with stones 0-6. However, it is can also be played with larger sets.

Object of the game
The first player to score 15 or more points wins the game.

The deal
All bones are shuffled face down. Each player receives 8 bones minus the number of players. Thus, with 2 players, each player receives 8-2=6 bones. The remaining bones are left in the middle and are the stock, usually called boneyard. To start the player with the highest double puts it in the middle. The turn then rotates to his left.

The rules

  1. All bones played must be played to a free end and must match numbers.
  2. The layout always has two open ends, each sprouting from one of the long side of the starting double.
  3. If a player can not legally play a bone, he must draw from the boneyard untill he can play. If the boneyard is exhausted, he must pass.
  4. Doublets are placed crosswise as usual.
  5. It is allowed to draw from the boneyard while a player can play a bone.
  6. No bone may be played untill both (in larger sets: all sides) of the initial double have been played to.
  7. A player scores two points if he makes both ends equal.
  8. A player scores three points if both ends are equal and one of the ends is a double.



The end
The game ends when one player goes domino (plays his last bone) or when all players have consecutively passed. There are no points to be scored for going domino.

Small variations

  1. The number of bones dealt at start varies in different parts of the world.
  2. The game can also be played with larger sets, such as the double 9 game or even the double twelve set. With the double 9 set, play starts with bones added to both long sides and both short sides of the first middle, thus giving four branches and four free ends to add a bone to at all times. With the double 12 set, bones are added to all four sides and all four corners, thus giving eight free ends to play to.
  3. In some variants, the player going domino scores five points.



Strategy
Strategies are basically the same as in The Block game:

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