In dominoes, a skunk is a specific term describing a highly dominant victory where one team completely shuts out the opposing team. A team is considered skunked when they lose a game 7-0, meaning they fail to win any of the individual hands played throughout that game.
This outcome signifies a total shutout, indicating that the winning team successfully claimed all seven hands required to conclude the game, while the losing team scored no points or won no hands. It's a definitive and often memorable result in a domino match, showcasing one team's complete mastery over the other during that particular game.
Understanding the "Skunk" Outcome
- Defining Score: The core element of a skunk is the final score of 7-0. This means one team wins seven hands, and the other team wins zero hands.
- Complete Domination: Being skunked highlights a scenario where one team achieves absolute superiority, winning every single hand played in the game.
- Game Conclusion: Domino games are typically played to a set number of hands or points (e.g., first to 7 hands won or 100 points accumulated). A skunk happens when the winning team reaches the game's objective (e.g., 7 hands) while the opponent remains at zero.
- No Points for Opponent: Regardless of how points are tallied (whether by counting pips or simply winning hands), the skunked team registers no points or hand victories throughout the entire game.
For instance, in a game where teams play to win hands, if Team Alpha consistently wins hands, and Team Beta never manages to secure a hand victory, Team Alpha would reach their target of 7 hands won while Team Beta remains at 0. In this scenario, Team Beta would have been skunked.
