Moon

Equipment

The game uses a double six domino set, with all but the double zero of the zero suit removed. This gives a set of 22 tiles.

The Deal

Each player gets a hand of seven tiles and the left over tile is left face down as the widow in the middle of the table.

The Play

Players bid in rotation on the number of tricks they are contracting to take. The bid must be a "pass" (no bid) or a number between 4 and 7. The bid must increase as the auction goes around the table. If 7 is bid, the next bid has to be 21, which is called "shooting the moon"; this is a bid to take all the tricks. Since no bid can be higher than shooting the moon, the auction stops when a player makes this bid. The winner of the auction takes the widow tile and then discards one tile from his hand. He does not show this discard. The highest bidder then leads the first trick announcing the suit of the trick.

There are seven suits: zeros, ones, twos, threes, fours, fives and sixes. The highest domino of each suit is the double. The remaining dominoes, apart from the doubles, belong to the two suits corresponding to the two numbers on them; which suit is effective is determined by play. Within each suit they rank in order of the other number on the domino.

If a player is able to follow suit, he must do so. If he is not able, then he may discard any tile in his hand. The highest tile played in the suit lead wins the trick. The winner of this trick stacks the three tiles of the trick face down in front of himself. He then gets to lead the next trick and announce the suit for it.

Play continues until all tiles are played.

Scoring

Each trick counts one point. The game is 21 points. If two or more players go over 21 points in the same round, the highest scoring player wins. Scores are counted at the end of a hand.

Each of the non-bidding players gets one point for each tricks he takes. The bidder gets only the amount of his bid, even if he takes more tricks. If the bidder does not make his bid, then he receives minus the amount of his bid. It is possible to have a negative score.

Comments & Strategy

The two players who lost the bid should form a partnership against the player who got the bid.

The only reasons for bidding are to get the widow and the lead. Do not depend on the window to save your hand if it is not strong enough to support your bid as dealt.

The double zero will win any trick when it is led, since is the only tile in the zero suit. The double zero will also lose any trick where it is not led for the same reason.

It is very important to control the lead, since a hand that is good in one suit can be a disaster in another. For example, consider this hand:

[0-0] [2-2] [2-6] [2-5] [2-4] [2-3] [2-1]

A lead of the [0-0] will win one trick, then simply lead any other tile with two as the suit to shoot the moon. However, if the first trick lead uses three as the lead suit for the rest of the tricks, this hand takes no tricks at all.

Variations

The game can also be played as a four handed game, with two pairs of partners. The full double six set is used. The low bid is three tricks. If the partnership which won the bid makes its bid, they win the hand and scores all the tricks they made. If partnership which won the bid fails to take the required number of tricks, they score minus the amount of their bid; there is no lower limit on a negative score. The first team to reach 21 points wins the game. Winning two out of three games win the match.