Strategies For DOM
New players may find the play a little slow, as they think through the various options. With practice, games proceed more quickly.
It is obvious that the Aces play a key role, particularly when combined with court cards and either nines or fours. It is important to watch your opponent's play and note his cards. The odds are, for instance, that each player will be dealt at least two court cards and that there will be at least one Ace between the two hands.
If a line has two Aces it must be summed four times, so that:
A A K 8
scores 4+16+16+8 (44 total) for pip-counts of 20, 30, 30 and 40. With 2 for the pair, the total is 46 points.
Likewise:
A A K 3
scores 8+5+5+12 (30 total) for pip-counts of 15, 25, 25 and 35. 2 for the pair makes 32 in all.
A line with three Aces needs to be scored eight times, so that:
A A A 7
scores 2+4+4+4+16+16+16+8 (70 total) for pip-counts of 10, 20, 20, 20, 30, 30, 30 and 40. There is also a further 6 for three of a kind.
Likewise:
A A A 2
scores 1+8+8+8+5+5+5+12 (52 total) for pip-counts of 5, 15, 15, 15, 25, 25, 25 and 35. The total is 58, including the 6 for the three Aces.
The unlikely line of four Aces must be scored 16 times but the only pip-counts of value are 14 (four scores of 2) and 24 (six scores of 8), giving a total of 68 points (including 12 for having four of a kind).