Dominoes — Rules

Goat (Kozyol)

Dominoes for four in two pairs. Moving, adjusting the line, the end of a deal and the ways of scoring are shared by all variants and described in the basics. This page covers what makes Goat different.

Pairs

The first and third players against the second and fourth. Partners sit opposite each other and move in turn with the opponents between them. Partners' hands are counted together.

The deal

Each player gets 7 tiles — the whole set. There is no boneyard: a player with no move passes, and the pass is made automatically.

Special doubles

Two doubles are not worth their pips: 0–0 is worth 25, 6–6 is worth 50. Holding them at the end of a deal is expensive.

Scoring and the match

The default is Goat scoring: the pair that wins a deal scores nothing, and the losing pair scores what is left in both of its players' hands. Points are penalties: the first pair to reach 101 is the goat and loses the match.

Example: you play your last tile. Your partner still holds 1–1 — it does not count. The opponents hold 0–0 and 6–5: they score 25 + 11 = 36.

When offering a game

Tiles per hand — from 2 to 7: seven each for four players is already the whole set.