- The computer and the player are dealt 6 tiles each.
- Taking turns, the computer and the player select a tile of their choosing to play. Once a tile has been played, a replacement tile will be automatically dealt.Play continues in this manner until each participant has gone, at which point a new round begins. Note: Once you have placed your tile in play, you may not take it back.
- Rounds of play continue until each the computer and the player have played six tiles each.
HOW TO WIN
To win, a player must have the best hand after six rounds of play. Winning hands are created by playing matched pairs of tiles. Three of a kind beats two pairs, and a full house beats three of a kind. Because each hand contains six tiles, there are eight possible combinations of matches. They are ranked in the following order:
- (AAAABB) - 4 of kind plus a pair
- (AAAABC) - 4 of a kind
- (AAABBB) - 3 of a kind X 2
- (AAABBC) - 3 of kind plus pair (full house)
- (AABBCC) - 3 pairs
- (AAABCD) - 3 of a kind
- (AABBCD) - 2 pairs
- (AABCDE) - 1 pair
If at the end of the game, both participants have the same combination of matches (e.g. two full houses) the highest ranked tile of the largest matched set wins. For example when comparing two full houses, the player with the highest ranked three-of-a-kind wins.
The user who wins four or more hands out of seven wins the game overall.
Sting Bonus: When Sting matches are played in combination with other matched tiles, they confer a bonus to the hand’s ranking. This bonus is applied to the highest ranked tile of the largest matched set. Using the example above, If both players have a full house, the bonus would be added to the three-of-a-kind. Below is a list of the bonuses.
- 1 sting match with no other match (no bonus)
- 1 sting match with at least one other match (+2)
- 2 sting matches (+4)
- 3 sting pairs (+6)
Ties: In the event of a tie, the participant with the highest tile wins.