In most games, the double six is the mandatory first pose. After that, the winner of the previous game gets free pose choice. Posing well is important since it gives the posing player or team the opportunity to control the initial game by developing dominoes/suites that are advantageous. There are three main objectives when you pose.
Play to your strengthsAttack with your strongest suit. I.e play the suit where you have most representation. In a partner game, your partner should try to support you in this suit by a) also attacking with it b) avoid closing it c) encourage its development. When in doubt, a good fallback is to lead with the heaviest supported double in your hand.
Get rid of weaknessesDoubles are generally considered liabilities due to a) their limited playing options and b) their ability to get killed. The pose is an opportunity to discard a double to remove weaknesses from the hand.
Communicate with your partnerThe pose and how you pose can tell your partner how you want to proceed. A confident, aggressive pose may indicate that you are very strong in this suit. A non-double pose may indicate that you either have no doubles or are able to support all your doubles on your own.
Try it out!
Examples are playable wherever you see this badge. Try it!
Scenarios
Here are some posing scenarios you might encounter.
All suits are represented in this hand. It has no doubles or other weakness. Strong suits are 6 and 4.
Posing the plays to both your strengths. Try it!
A supported double is often a good pose candidate. The stronger the support, the better the candidate.
Posing here serves the dual purpose of getting rid of a weakness and playing to your strengths. Also gets rid of a heavy domino (10 count) in case the game gets blocked. Try it!
You have strength in sixes and fours, but the unsupported is a clear weakness.
You could pose the to get ride of the weakness, but in a partner game it may mislead your partner into also attacking with ones. Playing the also leaves you vulnerable if you are attacked with ones. In this case, posing the might be the best option.
You have strengths in twos and blanks and the is a major weakness. The lack of fives is also a major weakness. Unlikely the previous scenario, playing the double six does not leave you unprotected against sixes since you have the .
In this scenario the two pose candidates are the and the with the winning because it gets rid of one of your two weaknesses.
This is a strong hand overall with a very well supported double.
The is an strong play-to-your-strengths pose.
Two supported doubles and . The has more support and is part of your strong suit.
Both and are good pose choices. The plays into your strengths and the eliminates a weakness.
Sometimes hands are weak. This hand has four doubles and few strengths.
In cutthroat games, a good choice would be to pose the to eliminate your greatest weakness. In partner games, consider giving the pose to your partner where rules allow. If you must pose, then consider transitioning to a supporting role as needed - i.e. let your partner attack and you support.
An unprotected double
Practice
You have learned how to pose. Do not use your new powers for evil.
