Muggins and Sniff are among the more widely played domino games. The two games are nearly identical in play, the key difference being the number of open arms on the layout. In addition to scoring for going domino, players score for making the ends of the layout sum to certain scoring combinations. There are a large number of variations of these two games, based on the legal scoring combinations, and these games are often known by other names based on the scoring combinations.
Also Known As:
All Fibs
All Fives
All Threes
All Threes & Fives
All Primes
East Coast Dominoes (Sniff only)
Partnership Dominoes (Sniff only)
Players
two to four
Boneyard
A double six set is used.
The Deal
If there are two players, each player receives seven dominoes at the beginning of a round. If there are three or four players, each player receives five dominoes at the beginning of a round.
The Play
In Muggins, the player holding the highest double sets it; from this first domino only the east and west sides are open. In Sniff the lead player is chosen at random, and sets any domino. In Sniff, the player on set rotates around the table from round to round.
After the set, each player in turn must play a domino on one of the open ends by matching a number on the domino to a number on the open end. A player who is unable to play must draw a domino from the boneyard until a playable domino is drawn. If the boneyard is empty the player must pass. A round ends when a player goes domino, when all players have passed in succession, or when one player makes the game point.
A player who holds a playable domino may choose to draw instead, holding
the playable domino for a better scoring opportunity (for example, a
player holding a double 6 may choose to draw instead of playing to
2-5 5-5 5-6
in the hope of eventually playing it when the open ends are 3 and 6,
thereby scoring 15 points).
In Sniff, the first double played is called the sniff. All four sides of the sniff are open for play. In Muggins, there is nothing special about the first domino played, and there are only ever two sides of a domino from which a play may be made.
Scoring
A player who goes domino scores the points remaining in all opponents' hands.
If a round ends because all players are blocked, each player scores the difference between the count in hand and the points remaining in higher count opponents' hands.
During a round, players try to make the ends of the layout sum to a scoring combination. A player who does so adds that sum to their score. The scoring combinations differ depending upon the variant being played (these same variants are valid for both Muggins and Sniff):
All Fives (the default in Digital Dominoes) - players score by making the ends of the layout sum to a multple of 5;
All Threes - players score by making the ends of the layout sum to a multple of 3;
All Threes & Fives - players score by making the ends of the layout sum to a multple of 3 or 5;
All Primes - players score by making the ends of the layout sum to a prime number (in a double 12 set this will include the following numbers: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83);
All Fibs - players score by making the ends of the layout sum to a number from the Fibonacci sequence (in a double 12 set this will include the following numbers: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55).
Victory
The game ends when one player reaches 200 points. A game may end in the middle of a round if a player scores points for making the ends sum to a scoring combination.
Variations for At-Home Play
When playing at-home, players should make use of the muggins rule. Under this rule, each player is responsible for claiming points when making the ends of the layout sum to a scoring combination. If a player fails to claim their points, any other player may call "muggins" and claim the points.