Cut-throat domino is a variant of Block and Draw dominoes. The objective is to empty one's hand whilst blocking the opponents. In the end, a score may be determined by counting the pips in the losing players' hands. In scoring games the scoring is different and happens mostly during gameplay, making it the principal objective.

The World Series of Dominoes plays Cut-Throat "Block" dominoes in our Dragon Stout World Championship Cut-Throat Domino Tournaments.

Dealing

When playing Cut-Throat the size of the hand varies with the number of players:

• 2 players get 14 tiles each
• 3 players get 9 tiles each (double blank is taken out.)
• 4 players get 7 tiles each

In the cases of 2 and 3 players games, it may be stipulated before the start of the game that 7 tiles are used and the rest stay in the boneyard. Players should also stipulate whether the boneyard will be drawn from when needed (as in Draw dominoes) or not to be drawn from (as in Block dominoes) and if the games are to be played as Straight 6 or Six Love.

Playing and Scoring

The first hand begins with the individual who has in his hand the double six tile. In tournament play, this player must begin by playing the [6-6]. In informal games the holder of the [6-6] is allowed announce that he is "sporting" and begin with a different tile.

In the second and subsequent hands, the player that won the previous hand plays first.

Play continues anti-clockwise. As usual, a turn consists of playing one tile to extend one of the two ends of the layout, and the touching ends of adjacent dominoes must match. Doubles are traditionally played at right angles across the line. If a player cannot play then he passes his turn.

The hand ends when an individual first finishes playing all tiles from his hand, or when the game becomes blocked, so that no one is able to play a tile.

• If a player manages to play all his tiles, that player wins the hand.
• If the game is blocked, the hand is won by the player whose remaining tiles have the least spots.
  
  • Example: the game is blocked and North has [5-5], South [1-1], East [2-2], West [5-1], North-South win because of South's [1-1].
• If the game is blocked and two opponents tie for least spots, then the hand is a tie, no matter what the other two players have.

Scoring

At the end of the hand, the winningteam scores one point.

Straight Six
The players keeps a score of games won and the first player to achieve 6 wins is the overall winner.

Six Love
The play is the same as in the Straight Six game. Each player keeps a score of games won and the first player to achieve 6 wins is the overall winner, provided that another player has zero. If everyone wins a hand before anyone reaches 6, the score returns to zero points each.

Exception: Many play the variation in which, when the game reaches 1 - 1 - 1 - 1, instead of starting over, there is a play-off hand. The player that wins the play-off hand then has a score of 2 - 0 - 0 - 0 and starts the next hand.

In the case of a tie, the hand is replayed. If the score was 0 - 0 - 0 - 0, the holder of the [6-6] starts the replay, but the replay is worth 2 points, taking the winning player to a 2 - 0 - 0 - 0 score. If one player already has a score, that player starts, and if he/she wins the replay he/she add two points. If the leading player loses the replay, the score is reset to 0 - 0 - 0 - 0.

If the first replay is also a tie, there will be a second replay for 3 points, and if that is also a tie, the third replay is for 4 points, and so on. That is to say, if the score was 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 or the leading player wins, the winner add the appropriate number of points (one for the current deal and one for each tied deal that preceded it), but if the leading player loses the score is simply reset to 0 - 0 - 0 - 0.