Moon, also known as Double-12 or Three-Handed Domino, is an exciting and social domino game that combines strategy and luck. Originating from Texas, Moon has become increasingly popular among domino enthusiasts. This article explores four different ways to play the Moon domino game, allowing players to explore various strategies, complexities, and levels of enjoyment.

1. Classic Moon

The Classic Moon variant is the standard version of the game played with a double-12 domino set. Three players compete in this version, each receiving 16 dominoes from a shuffled boneyard.

The gameplay goes as follows:

a. The player holding the highest double places it in the middle of the playing area.

b. Each player then takes turns placing a domino that has a matching end, going clockwise.

c. If a player cannot match a domino, they must draw one from the boneyard until they can play or until the boneyard is empty.

d. The first player to play all their dominoes wins the round and scores points based on their opponents’ remaining tiles.

2. Partnership Moon

This variation consists of four players split into two teams, where teammates sit opposite each other—each player still draws 16 tiles at the start.

In Partnership Moon:

a. The highest double tile holder begins similarly as in Classic Moon.

b. Each turn consists of one partner laying down as many tiles as possible before passing on to the next player.

c. The round continues until one team plays all their tiles or no one can make further moves.

d. The winning team scores points based on their opponents’ remaining tiles.

3. Straight Dominoes Moon

In this simpler version suitable for beginners, players still use a double-12 set but receive only 5-7 dominoes each instead of 16.

Straight Dominoes Moon gameplay:

a. The highest double tile holder starts the game.

b. Players again take turns placing dominoes with matching ends, going clockwise.

c. When a player cannot play a tile, they pass their turn to the next player instead of drawing from the boneyard.

d. The first player to run out of tiles wins the round, and other players score points according to their remaining tiles.

4. Moon Solitaire

For those who enjoy playing on their own, Moon Solitaire is an excellent single-player option. This version uses all 91 tiles from the double-12 set.

To play Moon Solitaire:

a. Lay out all 91 tiles randomly in a 7×13 grid, then search for the tile pairs that can be removed by matching one open end (either horizontal or vertical).

b. Successfully removing a pair unlocks more tiles to be matched and removed subsequently.

c. The goal is to clear the entire grid by removing all matched pairs.

Whether you’re new to playing dominoes or looking to try different variants, these four ways to play Moon offer strategic fun and enjoyment for everyone. Give them a try and see which version of Moon brings out the true domino master in you!