The sebastopol game

Block is one of the easy basic games with dominoes. It is describes here in a standard format.

Number of players
The game is for 4 players only. The game should not be played with more or less players.

Time
about 10 minutes

Materials
One domino game with values 0-6.

Object of the game
The first player to score 100 or more points wins the game. For a short game play to a total of 50 points, to be agreed in advance.

The deal
All bones are shuffled face down. Each player receives 7 bones. Thus there are no bones left. To start the player with the double 6 puts it in the middle. The turn then rotates to his left. The first four plays must be to the double 6. Thus no branch may be extended untill all four sides of the double 6 have been played to.

The rules

1. All bones played must be played to a free end and must match numbers.
2. The layout always has four open ends, each sprouting from one of the four sides of the double 6.
3. If a player can not legally play a bone, he must pass his turn. No bones are drawn from the boneyard.
4. Doublets are placed crosswise as usual.

The end
The game ends when one player goes domino (plays his last bone) or when all players have consecutively passed. The player who dominoes or, if everyone passed, The player with the least number of spots, scores points equal to the number of spots on the stones in the hands of all other players.

Small variations
none known to me.

Strategy
Rough basic guidelines are:

• Play your doubles whenever you can.
• Keep your own hand as varied as possible.
• Try to deduce what stones other players have in hand. As all stones are distributed among the players this is easier than in most domino games.
• Try to block other players with a series you've got lots of.

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