Board Games guide
How to play Dominoes: rules, scoring and beginner strategy
In the basic game of dominoes two players take seven tiles each from a double-six set and take turns to add a tile to either end of a line, matching the numbers. A player who cannot play draws from the spare tiles, the boneyard. The first to play their last tile scores the pips left in the other player's hand, and rounds are played until someone reaches 100.
What you need
Two players and a double-six set of dominoes. The set has 28 tiles: one for every pair of numbers from 0 (a blank) to 6, including the seven doubles, from double-blank to double-six. Each number appears on seven tiles.
A tile is "heavier" the more pips it has. The heaviest is the double-six, with 12. All 28 tiles together carry 168 pips.
The two simplest domino games are the Draw game and the Block game. They are played the same way except for what happens when you cannot play. This guide describes the Draw game and notes where the Block game differs.
Setting up
- Shuffle the tiles face down on the table.
- Each player takes seven and stands them up so that only they can see the faces.
- The fourteen left over stay face down. They are the boneyard.
- Find who starts. In the first round it is the player holding the highest double. If neither has a double, the player with the heaviest tile starts.
The starter may lead any tile from their hand. In later rounds the winner of the round before starts.
A turn
The tiles on the table form one line with two open ends. On your turn you add one tile to either end, with the matching number touching: a 6-3 can join an end showing 6, leaving a 3 as the new end, or an end showing 3, leaving a 6.
Doubles are traditionally laid crosswise, but in this game they are an ordinary link in the line: the line still has two ends.
- If you can play, you play one tile and the turn passes.
- If you cannot play, draw tiles from the boneyard one at a time until you draw one that fits, then play it.
- If the boneyard is empty and you still cannot play, you pass.
In the Block game nobody draws. A player who cannot play passes straight away, and the boneyard stays untouched for the whole round.
How a round ends
A round ends in one of two ways.
- Someone goes out. A player lays their last tile. Around a table they say "domino".
- The game is blocked. Neither player can add to either end, and there is nothing left to draw. This happens when all seven tiles of a number have been played and that number is at both ends.
Scoring
| Round ended by | Who scores | Points |
|---|---|---|
| A player going out | That player | All the pips in the other hand |
| A block | The player with fewer pips in hand | The difference between the two hands |
| A block with equal hands | Nobody | 0 |
Worked example
You lay your last tile. The other player is left with the 6-4, the 3-3 and the 2-blank: 10 + 6 + 2 = 18 points to you.
In the next round the line is blocked. You hold the 5-1 and the 2-2, which is 10 pips. The other player holds the 6-5 and the 4-3, which is 18. Your hand is lighter, so you score 18 − 10 = 8.
Rounds are played until one player's total reaches 100.
Strategy for beginners
- Shed pips. When you have a choice, play the heavier tile. If the other player goes out, a hand of low tiles costs you little.
- Play doubles early. A double can only be played on one number, so it has half the chances of an ordinary tile.
- Keep variety. A hand that holds several different numbers can nearly always play. A hand of one number can be shut out.
- Lead from strength. If you hold four or five tiles of one number, bring that number to the ends. The other player has few tiles that fit it.
- Count to seven. There are seven tiles of each number. When you can see five threes on the table and hold the other two, you know the other player has none.
- Remember what they could not play. Each time the other player draws, they have told you which two numbers they do not hold.
- Think before you block. Closing the line wins only if your hand is the lighter one. Add up what you hold first.
- Holding on to the double-six and being caught with 12 points.
- Opening up a number the other player has been collecting.
- Drawing half the boneyard to keep a round going that you could have blocked and won.
Common variations
| Variation | What changes | On Yuzool |
|---|---|---|
| The Block game | No drawing. If you cannot play, you pass. | A Pro rule option |
| Leave two in the boneyard | The last two tiles are never drawn, so nobody can be sure what is out of play. | A Pro rule option |
| Shorter or longer game | Play to 50 or to 150 instead of 100. | A Pro rule option |
| Fives games | You also score during play whenever the open ends add up to a multiple of five. | Not offered |
| Bigger sets | Double-nine and double-twelve sets for more players. | Not offered |
Questions
How many dominoes are in a set?
A standard double-six set has 28 tiles, including seven doubles.
How many dominoes does each player start with?
Seven each in the two-player game. The remaining fourteen form the boneyard.
Who goes first in dominoes?
In the first round, the player with the highest double, or with the heaviest tile if nobody holds a double. In later rounds, the winner of the round before.
What happens if nobody can play?
The round is blocked. Each player adds up the pips in their hand, and the player with fewer scores the difference. If the hands are equal nobody scores.
What is the difference between the Draw game and the Block game?
In the Draw game a player who cannot play draws from the boneyard until they can. In the Block game there is no drawing: a player who cannot play passes.