Pai Gow and More: Games You Can Play with Chinese Dominoes
Pai Gow and More
Games You Can Play with Chinese Dominoes
Did you know that dominoes were invented in China? Learn to play some of the oldest games that use the domino set in its original form. No blanks, and eleven duplicated tiles. It’s okay if you don’t have any Pai Gow dominoes – this book shows you how to mix two regular double-six sets to reproduce the 32-tile Chinese set.
Tired of just connecting matching ends and counting multiples of five? Domino games cover a wide variety of mechanics, from rummy-style draw-and-discard games, to trick-taking, and even solitaire. Each entry is laid out in a modern style, with the overall goal, a breakdown of how your turn works, and clear illustrations showing examples of a game in play.
So mix those tiles, build a woodpile, and explore domino play from all across Asia!
- 45 domino games: Choose from 7 broad categories, each with a brief overview of the games from least to most complex. I’ve also included 8 original games of my own design that add a new twist while retaining the traditional feel.
- Detailed rules and diagrams: Clearly see what’s in your hand, what’s in play, what’s been discarded, etc. Each entry also includes regional variations. Games with more complicated scoring systems walk you through step-by-step.
- Appropriate options for all skill levels: From beginner games with simple matching to brain-burning trick-taking games where you must collect specific sets to score well, there’s something here for every player.
- Explore culture and symbolism: Why are some spots red? Why are eleven dominoes duplicated? What do you mean by Civil and Military suits? Learn the details of how the structure of this first domino set came to be.
Below are some images of different games you can find in the book, showcasing some of what you will learn.
If you’d like to buy a Chinese Domino set, they’re available for purchase online. For example, here’s one set on offer through Amazon.
Alternatively, I created a card deck that can be used to play any game in my book. A Fifteen Lakes card deck has 4 copies of each of the 21 domino combinations. I have several games in the last section that use all 84 of these cards.
I designed the faces of the cards with different color borders so it can easily be divided up for different purposes. Use only faces with RED or GREEN borders to simulate a single domino set, or use both to simulate two, discarding those with BLACK borders.
The card faces have a distinct top and bottom, so you can still use them to play connection games, by treating the top of the picture as the smaller number, and the bottom as the larger one.
