How to Play Dominoes: Rules, Scoring and Tips
Updated
In the basic game of dominoes, players take turns adding one tile to either end of a line, and the touching ends must show the same number of pips. The first player to play all their tiles wins the hand. If nobody can play, the game is blocked, and the player with the fewest pips left in hand wins.
The two most common versions differ mainly in one rule. In the draw game you take tiles from the boneyard when you cannot play; in the block game you simply pass.
The domino set
A standard set is called double-six: 28 tiles, each with two ends showing from zero to six pips. Every pair of numbers appears exactly once, and the seven tiles with the same number on both ends are called doubles. Larger groups sometimes use a double-nine set of 55 tiles.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Tile, bone or stone | One domino |
| Pips | The dots on each end |
| Double | A tile with the same number on both ends, such as 5-5 |
| Boneyard | The face-down tiles left over after the deal |
| Line or train | The chain of tiles on the table |
| Going out | Playing your last tile, also called dominoing |
How to deal and start
Shuffle the tiles face down. Each player takes a hand, and the rest stay face down as the boneyard. Hand sizes depend on the game and the number of players:
| Players | Draw game | Block game |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 7 tiles each | 7 tiles each |
| 3 | 7 tiles each | 5 tiles each |
| 4 | 6 tiles each | 5 tiles each |
Who starts varies too. Common ways are drawing for the highest tile, or letting the player with the highest double, often the double six, set the first tile.
How to play a turn
- The first player sets one tile in the middle of the table.
- The next player adds a tile to either open end, so that the touching halves show the same number: a 4 against a 4.
- Doubles are usually placed crosswise, and the next tile on that end must match the double's number.
- If you cannot play, draw from the boneyard in the draw game, or pass in the block game.
- The hand ends when one player goes out, or when no one can play and the game is blocked.
Draw game vs block game
| Situation | Draw game | Block game |
|---|---|---|
| When you cannot play | Draw from the boneyard until you can | Pass your turn |
| Tiles in the boneyard | Come into play as players draw | Stay out of the hand |
| When a stuck hand ends | Only after the boneyard is drawn down | As soon as nobody can play |
Rules for drawing differ from table to table. In some games you draw until you can play, in others you may draw only one or two tiles a turn, and in the draw game on pagat.com the last two tiles always stay in the boneyard.
Domino Legend lets you play both the block and the draw versions. Its round ends when one player places all of their tiles or the game is blocked.
How scoring works
When a hand ends, each player counts the pips on the tiles still in their hand. The player who went out wins the hand; in a blocked game, the player with the fewest pips wins.
- A common way to score: the winner gets the total pips left in the other players' hands.
- Some groups subtract the winner's own pips from that total.
- If a blocked game ends in a tie for the fewest pips, many rules give no score at all.
- A game is often played to 100 points with two players, or to 61 points with three or four.
For example, you go out first and your opponent still holds 6-4 and 2-1. That is 13 pips, so you score 13 points.
Scoring in fives games
In Muggins and the other fives games, you also score during play. After you set a tile, add up the pips on both open ends of the line. If the total is a multiple of five, you score it at once. A double at an end counts both of its halves, so 6-6 at one end and a 3 at the other make 15.
At the end of a hand, the Muggins rules round the pips left in each hand to the nearest five and subtract them from that player's score. Muggins is played to 200 points with three or four players and to 250 with two.
Tips for beginners
- Play heavy tiles early. If someone goes out or the game blocks, every pip left in your hand counts against you.
- Play doubles early as well. A double matches only one number, so it is the hardest tile to get rid of later.
- Keep a mix of numbers in your hand, so you can answer whatever the ends show.
- Lead with the number you hold most of, ideally with its double, so you have more chances to play next turn.
- Watch what your opponent cannot play. If they draw or pass while a 5 is showing, they probably hold no 5s, so try to keep a 5 at one end.
- Count tiles. Each number appears on seven tiles of a double-six set, so once all seven are on the table, an end showing that number is dead.
Play dominoes in your browser
Dominoes classic duel follows the classic two-player rules: 28 tiles, seven each, the rest kept aside, and the holder of the double six starts. You can play the computer or an opponent online. Domino Multiplayer offers a multiplayer mode, the computer or a friend on the same device.
In Dominos Pirates, the first player to place all their dominoes ends the round, and the others score the points shown on the dominoes they still hold.
For more games to play against a friend, open the 2-player category or the multiplayer category. Ludo is another family game full of house rules, sorted out in how to play ludo, and pool players will find the same habit of local rules in 8 ball pool rules.
Common questions about dominoes
How many dominoes do you start with?
With two players, usually seven each. With more players, hands often shrink to five or six tiles; the table above shows common numbers.
What happens when dominoes are blocked?
When nobody can play, the hand ends. Every player counts the pips in their hand, and the lowest total wins.
Can you draw from the boneyard if you can play?
It depends on the rules you agree on. Some groups let you draw anyway, hoping for a better tile, while others make you play whenever you can.
Match the ends, count the pips, and agree on draw or block before the first tile goes down.
