Dominoes
Dominoes Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object
Be the first player to play all the tiles from your hand, or—if the game blocks—to be left holding the lowest total pip count. The first player to reach an agreed target score (commonly 100 or 250 points) over several rounds wins the game.
Equipment
A double-six domino set of 28 tiles. Each tile is divided into two square ends, each showing from zero (blank) to six pips. The set contains every possible pairing of two numbers from 0–6, including doubles (two ends the same). A tile with matching numbers, such as 5-5, is a double.
Setup
- Turn all tiles facedown and shuffle them thoroughly by mixing them around on the table. This pool of facedown tiles is called the boneyard.
- Each player draws a hand of tiles, keeping them hidden from opponents:
- 2 players: 7 tiles each.
- 3–4 players: 5 tiles each (some play 7 with 3 players).
- Leave the remaining tiles facedown in the boneyard.
Starting a Round
The player holding the highest double places it in the center to open the round. If no player holds a double, players reshuffle and redraw (or, by agreement, the player with the highest tile leads). In later rounds, the winner of the previous round leads with any tile.
Play then proceeds clockwise.
How to Play a Turn
On your turn, add one tile to an open end of the layout so that its matching number touches the tile already there. For example, if an open end shows a 4, you may play any tile that has a 4 on one end; the 4s are placed touching, and the tile's other number becomes the new open end.
- Doubles are traditionally laid crosswise (perpendicular). In the basic game a double still has just the two matching ends open like any other tile.
- The layout branches at the first double or grows in a line depending on house style, but the only rule that matters is: a tile may be added at any open end whose number it matches.
If you cannot play (no tile in your hand matches an open end):
- Draw game: draw tiles from the boneyard one at a time until you can play, then play. If the boneyard is empty, you must pass.
- Block game (no drawing): you simply pass your turn.
Ending a Round
A round ends in one of two ways:
- Domino! A player plays the last tile from their hand. They call "Domino!" and win the round.
- Blocked game. No player can make a legal play (all are forced to pass in succession, and the boneyard is empty or unused). The round ends where it stands.
Scoring
When a round ends, every losing player counts the total pips remaining on the tiles in their hand.
- If a player went out ("Domino!"), that player scores the sum of all pips held by all opponents.
- If the game was blocked, the player with the lowest pip total in hand wins the round and scores the difference between their total and the sum of the opponents' totals (house rules vary; some award the winner the combined opponents' pip totals). A tie for lowest may be broken by the tile with the fewest pips, or the round is a wash.
Record each round's score. Deal and play new rounds until a player reaches the agreed target score (e.g. 100 or 250). That player wins the game.
Common Variations
- Draw vs. Block: whether players draw from the boneyard when unable to play (Draw) or must pass (Block).
- Muggins / All Fives: a scoring variant in which players earn points during play whenever the open ends of the layout add up to a multiple of five.
- Mexican Train, Chicken Foot, and others use larger sets (double-nine, double-twelve) and their own layout rules.