Play Chicken Foot dominoes online for free
Chicken Foot is a domino game where the layout grows like a tree. The first double goes in the middle, and it has to be covered by three tiles fanned out like the toes of a chicken’s foot. Every double played after that needs its own foot. Here you can play it against one to three computer players on Easy, Medium or Hard, with a double-nine set of 55 tiles, in your browser, with no download and no account.
Each open end of the layout shows a numbered dot, and the red dots are the ends of a double that still has to be covered: those are the only places you can play. The tile tracker counts the tiles you haven’t seen, number by number, and the Hint button asks the Hard computer for the best play. Choose a full game of 10 rounds, a short game of 7 or a quick game of 4 in New game.
Chicken Foot rules
These are the rules this game uses. They follow the usual home rules for Chicken Foot dominoes; groups differ on the size of the set and the number of tiles each player draws.
| Players | Tiles each (this game) | Boneyard (double-nine set) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 10 | 34 (54 tiles after the engine is set aside) |
| 3 | 10 | 24 |
| 4 | 10 | 14 |
How to play Chicken Foot
- Set up the engine. Use a double-nine set (55 tiles). The first round starts from the double 9-9, the "engine", in the middle of the table. Each later round uses the next double down: 8-8, 7-7 and so on to 0-0.
- Draw your hand. Shuffle the other tiles face down. With 2, 3 or 4 players each player takes 10 tiles here. The rest are the boneyard.
- Make the first chicken foot. The engine must be covered by three tiles that match its number, fanned out like the toes of a chicken's foot. Players take turns adding one tile each until all three toes are down. Nobody may play anywhere else until then.
- Match an open end. Once the foot is complete, play one tile per turn on any open end of the layout. The half you play against the end must show the same number.
- A double makes a new foot. When you play a double, it too must be covered by three tiles, one on each of its three open sides, before any other end can be played. The next player and the players after them must play on the double.
- Can't play? Draw. If no tile fits, draw from the boneyard until you get one that does, then play it. With the boneyard empty you pass.
- Go out. The first player to play their last tile ends the round and scores 0. Everyone else scores the pips left in their hand. If nobody can play and the boneyard is empty, the round is blocked and everyone scores their pips.
- Play every round. After the round with 0-0 as the engine, the player with the lowest total score wins. This page also has a short game (7 rounds) and a quick game (4 rounds).
To play a tile here, drag it to a glowing end, or just tap it: if it only fits one end it goes there, and if it fits several, they all light up and you choose. Tap the boneyard when you need to draw. The player who starts rotates from round to round.
The chicken foot and doubles
The chicken foot is what makes the game. A double has three open sides, and all three must be covered, one tile each, before play can continue anywhere else. Players take turns, so the player after you can add the second toe and the one after that the third, or you may be the one who finishes it.
That has two effects. A double is a way to dump a heavy tile, but it also hands your opponents three new places to play, so it is best when you hold tiles of that number yourself. And while a foot is open, a player with no matching tile must draw, which can be a big swing in the pips they end up holding.
Chicken Foot scoring
| Situation | Score |
|---|---|
| You play your last tile | 0 points for you; every other player scores the pips left in their hand |
| Blocked round (boneyard empty, nobody can play) | Everyone scores their pips; the lightest hand wins the round |
| Double-blank (0-0) | 0 points (some house rules count it as 50) |
| Winner of the game | Lowest total after the last round |
Example: you go out and the computers are left with 9-4 + 2-2 and 8-6. That is 17 and 14 pips, so you score 0 and the computers add 17 and 14. The engine counts down from 9-9 to 0-0, so a full game is 10 rounds. Keeping score on paper? Print the score sheet above.
Chicken Foot strategy
- Play heavy tiles early. Pips left in your hand count against you if someone else goes out first.
- Play a double only if you can help cover it. Hold one or two more tiles of the same number, so the foot you start gets filled and you shed several tiles.
- Keep your hand varied. Tiles that fit many different numbers are easy to place; five tiles of one number are stuck once that number is gone.
- Leave ends the others are missing. When someone draws, they have none of the numbers at the open ends. Put those numbers on the ends and they draw again. The tracker marks them in red.
- Count the numbers. Ten tiles carry each number. If you hold four 7s and five are already down, only one is left to find.
- Watch the open feet. While a foot is open, only that number can be played. If you hold it, you control the next turns.
The three computer levels show the difference. Easy plays any tile that fits. Medium follows the strategy above. Hard also plays each of its best candidates out to the end of the round dozens of times against possible hands. In 120 test games with four players, one Hard player among three Medium players took the lowest score about 54% of the time, against 25% for an equal player.
Chicken Foot and other domino games
Chicken Foot is a matching game like the classic domino game for two, but with more players, a bigger set and a layout that branches. Its cousin Mexican Train uses a double-twelve set, a personal train for every player and a shared train anyone can use.
FAQ
How many dominoes do you start with in Chicken Foot?
It depends on the group and the set. This game uses a double-nine set (55 tiles) and gives each of 2, 3 or 4 players 10 tiles; the tiles left over are the boneyard. With a double-twelve set and more players, groups usually take fewer tiles each.
What is a chicken foot in dominoes?
It is three tiles laid on one double, fanned out like the toes of a chicken's foot. The first double in the middle of the table, the engine, must have a foot, and so must every double played afterwards.
Do you have to cover a double in Chicken Foot?
Yes. Until all three tiles are on a double, every player may only play on that double. A player who can't play draws from the boneyard, and if the boneyard is empty they pass.
How is Chicken Foot different from Mexican Train?
In Mexican Train every player builds a personal train and a double is covered by a single tile. In Chicken Foot there is one shared layout that grows like a tree, and every double needs three tiles. There are no markers and no private trains.
How do you win Chicken Foot?
The player with the lowest total after the last round wins. In each round the player who goes out scores 0 and everyone else scores the pips left in their hand.
How many dominoes are in a double-nine set?
A double-nine set has 55 tiles, one for every pair of numbers from 0 to 9, with 495 pips in all. A double-twelve set, which is also used for Chicken Foot, has 91 tiles.
Can you play Chicken Foot dominoes online against the computer?
Yes. Choose 2, 3 or 4 players in New game: you play against one to three computer players on Easy, Medium or Hard. There is no online multiplayer, but it works on a phone, tablet or computer for free.
What is a good Chicken Foot strategy?
Play heavy tiles early, only play a double when you hold tiles to help cover it, keep tiles of several different numbers in your hand and leave ends the other players are missing. The tile tracker lists the unseen tiles by number. See the strategy section below.
More board games: Domino Game, Mexican Train, Backgammon, Dots and Boxes, and the dice games Yatzy and Farkle.