The sniff game

Sniff is one of the best domino games. Especially when played by two. It is more a game of skill than the standard draw-game. It has great similarity to Muggins, and many regard them as the same game.

Number of players
The game is for 2, 3 or 4 players. It is best played with two players, but adapts well to three or four players.

Time
about 10 minutes

Materials
One domino game with stones 0-6.

Object of the game
The first player to score 200 or more points wins the game. For three or four players play to a total of 100 points, to be agreed in advance.

The deal
All bones are shuffled face down. Both players receives 7 bones if there are two players. With three or four players, each gets five bones. The starting player is decided by lot. To start one player lays down one stone in the middle. This may but needs not be a doublet. 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 has two open ends at the start.
3. As soon as the first double is played, this becomes the sniff. Play is continued from all four sides of the sniff.
4. If a player can not legally play a bone, he must draw from the boneyard untill he can.
5. Doublets are placed crosswise as usual.
6. A player scores points if the open ends are a multiple of five. For example, if player A starts with: 3-5 and player B continues with 5-2, the result is:
   3-5 5-2
   and player B scores 3+2=5 points.
   If player A adds 3-3 and player B adds 2-2, the result is: 3-3 3-5 5-2 2-2
   and player B scores 3+3+2+2=10 points.

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, rounded to the nearest multiple of five.

Small variations
Muggins, all-five and all fives and threes are variants.

Strategy
Rough basic guidelines are:

• score whenever you can.
• Note that , , , , and have intrinsic value, because they can be used to score as the first stone.
• The , , and score when the previous hand scored.
  The often has the same effect.
• The bone that matches sniff at one end and has 5 at the other scores if played off a side of sniff after the previous hand has scored.
• Play your doubles whenever you can.
• Keep your own hand as varied as possible.
• It is often whorthwhile to draw a few extra bones so that you do not have to play your valuable stones mentioned above without scoring.

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