Buki-Domino

Buki-Domino is mentioned in the literature by Joseph Roth (Zipper und sein Vater), Egon Erwin Kisch ("Lederbranche" in Nachlese) and in the 15th chapter of the novel Zwischen neun und neun by Leo Perutz, which is entirely devoted to the precise description of a Buki partie.

The game was banned in early September 1916 by the Austrian government in § 522 öStGB.

By contrast, according to Beck[2] Buki-Spiel with seven tiles per player is not considered a game of chance and is tolerated by the authorities.

The first hand of a partie begins with the player who has the heaviest tile, i.e. number [8–7], if it is not in the Stamm.

The name is derived from police photo files that were known as the gallery; the criminals portrayed within it were called gallerists.

With these calculations, the – very unrealistic – requirement applies that a player risks the same stake in every single game – regardless of whether they are allowed to place the first tile or not.

If the players do not have to place all of their bets before picking up the tiles, this improves their chances considerably.