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Set-Up
Game retailers sell domino sets specific to chickenfoot, but all you need to play is a set of dominoes and a pad and pencil for scoring. Double-nine and double-12 domino sets work best in most settings, but the game can adapt to any domino set depending on the number of players. Games with only two or three players could use double-six sets, for example, or very large groups could even use double-15 or double-18 sets. Before playing, determine the ideal hand size based on the number of players and set type. The hand size should give each player an equal number of dominoes while leaving 10 to 20 dominoes in the draw pile, or "chickenyard." Drawing seven or eight dominoes each, for example, is standard for a game with four or five players using a 55-domino double-nine set.
Gameplay
Shuffle the dominoes face-down on a table and allow each player to draw the determined number of dominoes. Leave the others aside as the chickenyard. The player who drew the highest double in the set, the double nine in a double-nine set for example, begins by placing that domino in the center of the table. If no one drew the highest double, keep moving to the next highest double until someone can play.
The next four plays, moving clockwise around the table, must be off that double, matching a domino containing that double's number. Place the matching dominoes in a cross formation off each end of the domino and perpendicular off each side of the domino. If a player cannot play off the double before four dominoes are played, that player must draw from the chickenyard until he is able to play. Once the initial four dominoes are played, players may match domino numbers with any domino's exposed end on the board until another double is played. When playing a double, the player will place the double perpendicular to the domino on the board, and the next three plays must angle off that domino, forming a "chickenfoot." When unable to play, a player draws from the chickenyard until receiving a number matching the double. When players have exhausted the chickenyard, they simply pass if unable to play.
Gameplay continues until one player runs out of dominoes or all players are unable to play with an empty chickenyard. After scoring, continue to the next round, in which the second-highest double begins play. Continue this pattern until a final round beginning with the double blank or after a predetermined number of rounds has been played.
Scoring
Like in golf or hearts, chickenfoot players strive for low scores. At the end of each round, players score the total number of dominoes left in their hand. Each domino is worth its face value: a blank-seven is worth seven points, for example, or a double six is worth 12 points. The one exception is the double-blank. That domino is worth a whopping 50 points, making it the most dangerous domino in the game. After completing all rounds, the player with the lowest score wins.