Chicken Foot is a fun, social domino game that can be enjoyed by a group of players.

Dominos are played into the middle on matching numbers with an emphasis on the doubles! Keep your score low to win the game.

Find the video tutorial and written explanation for how to play chicken foot below.

Chicken Foot Tutorial

Needed

Domino set; two to six players; pen and paper for scorekeeping

Setup

The first round starts with the double 9. The second round starts with the double 8 and so on down to the double zero starting the last round.

The beginning double domino is set to the side while players are drawing dominos. Players draw the following amount of dominos based on how many players are playing.

  • 2 players: 20 dominos each

  • 3 players: 14 dominos each

  • 4 players: 10 dominos each

  • 5 players: 8 dominos each

  • 6 players: 7 dominos each

The extra dominos are pushed to the side to create the chicken yard.

Objective

The objective of the game is to have the lowest score at the end of the game. Each round ends when a player has played all his/her dominos into the middle. Players score the total value on their unplayed dominos at the end of each round.

Game Play

Dominos are played into the middle by matching dominos together with the same number. Play begins by matching one of your dominos with the middle double domino number. Play moves clockwise with each player playing one domino.

If a player cannot play a domino, one is drawn from the chicken yard. If the drawn domino can be played, it is played. Six matches are needed on the middle double domino to form a double chicken foot.

Once the double chicken foot is complete, the next player can play a matching domino on any open domino in the middle. When a double domino is played, the next three dominos have to be matched to the double to form a chicken foot.

Once the chicken foot is complete, players can again play a matching domino on any open domino in the middle. Once a player is has played all his/her dominos or no player can make another move, the round is over.

Scoring

At the end of a round, each player scores the sum of the points on his/her unplayed dominos. The player with the lowest score after all the rounds have been played wins the game.

Rules

  • If the chicken yard is empty and a player cannot play, that player’s turn is skipped.

  • ​It can be played that if the double zero is left in your hand at the end of the game, it is worth 50 points.

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