What you need
- A standard double-six domino set of 28 tiles
- Pencil and paper, or the free score keeper
Players and time
2 to 4 players. About 5 to 10 minutes a hand.
The goal
Be first to play every tile in your hand, by adding tiles to either end of a growing line so that the touching ends match.
When a player goes out, they score the total number of pips (spots) left in the other players' hands. The first player to reach the target score wins the game.
This page covers the two basic matching games, the draw game and the block game. They differ only in what you do when you cannot play. Mexican Train, All Fives (Muggins), Chickenfoot and other domino games have their own rules.
Setup
- Turn all 28 tiles face down and shuffle them. Every tile has two ends, each showing 0 to 6 pips. A double has the same number at both ends.
- Each player draws five tiles and stands them on edge so the others cannot see them. Other sources deal different numbers (see the variations below).
- In the draw game the tiles left over form the boneyard, a face-down pool to draw from. In the block game, the leftover tiles are not used.
- The player holding the highest double places it in the middle to start. If nobody was dealt a double, put the tiles back, reshuffle and deal again. Many groups draw lots for who starts instead, and the lead then passes to the left each hand.
A turn
- After the first tile, play goes to the left. On your turn, place one tile from your hand at either end of the line, with the touching ends showing the same number. A blank matches a blank.
- Place doubles crosswise at the end they match. In the basic game a double is not a spinner, so it does not open new directions: only the two ends of the line can be played on.
- Draw game: if you cannot play, draw tiles from the boneyard until you draw one you can play. If you draw the last tile and still cannot play, you pass.
- Block game: there is no boneyard. If you cannot play, you pass and the next player takes their turn.
- The hand ends when a player plays their last tile, which is called going out, or dominoing. It also ends when the game is blocked and nobody can play.
Special cards and combinations
- Going out (domino)
- A player who plays their last tile wins the hand. Everyone else counts the pips left in their hands, and the winner scores that total.
- A blocked game
- The game is blocked when neither end of the line can be played on by anyone, for example when all the tiles of the number at both ends have been played. In the draw game this only happens once the boneyard is empty. The player with the fewest pips left wins the hand.
- Doubles
- Doubles are played crosswise. In the basic game that is only a way of showing them. They do not create extra lines. Some groups play every double as a spinner, but that is a variation.
- Draw game versus block game
- The only difference is drawing. In the draw game you must keep drawing from the boneyard until you can play. In the block game you simply pass. Both games end by going out or by blocking.
Scoring
Count the pips on every tile left in a hand. A double-six counts 12, and a double-blank counts 0.
Going out: the winner scores the total pips in all the other hands. Their own hand is empty, so nothing is subtracted.
Blocked game: the player with the fewest pips wins. Pagat has the winner score the other players' total minus their own pips. With two players this is the difference between the two hands. Fundex's set sheet subtracts the winner's pips from each opponent's count separately, which gives a smaller total when three or four play. A tie for fewest pips scores nothing for anyone in Pagat's rules.
Basic block and draw dominoes do not round pip counts. Rounding to a multiple of five belongs to the All Fives and Muggins family, which also scores points during play and is a different game.
| Situation | Winner scores |
|---|---|
| A player goes out | Total pips left in all other hands |
| Blocked game (Pagat) | Total pips of the other hands minus the winner's own pips |
| Tie for fewest pips in a blocked game (Pagat) | Nobody scores |
Worked example
Three players. Ana goes out. Ben holds 6-4, 3-0 and 2-2: 10 + 3 + 4 = 17. Cy holds 5-5 and 1-0: 10 + 1 = 11. Ana scores 17 + 11 = 28 points.
Blocked game, two players. Ana holds 4-1 and 3-2, 5 + 5 = 10 pips. Ben holds 6-5 and 4-4, 11 + 8 = 19 pips. Ana has the fewest pips, so she wins the hand. Using Pagat's method she scores 19 - 10 = 9 points.
Keep score with the Dominoes score keeper
How to win
Keep playing hands until one player reaches the target score. The player who reaches it first wins the game. A target of 100 points is used by both Pagat (for two players or partnerships) and the Fundex set sheet.
Pagat plays only to 61 points when three or four people play as individuals. Both are options in the score keeper, which defaults to 100.
Common house rules
These are house rules. They are not part of the official rules, so agree on them before you start.
- Different tile counts (variation) House rule
- Pagat deals 7 tiles each to two players in both games. In the draw game it deals 7 to three players and 6 to four players, and in the block game it deals 5 to three or four players. The Fundex set sheet deals 5 tiles each for any number of players. Use whichever your group knows. The scoring works the same.
- Two tiles stay in the boneyard (variation) House rule
- Pagat has players draw until they can play or the boneyard is down to two tiles, and then pass. The two last tiles are never drawn. The Fundex set sheet lets players draw every tile.
- Drawing when you can play (variation) House rule
- Pagat allows a player to draw even when they hold a playable tile, for example to look for a blocking tile. The Fundex set sheet allows drawing only when you cannot play. This page uses the stricter rule.
- Spinners (variation) House rule
- Some groups treat every double, or the opening double, as a spinner that can be played on all four sides. The Fundex set sheet describes doubles as opening up two new directions to play.
- Doubled scores (variation) House rule
- British club scoring in Pagat doubles the opponents' points if the winner goes out with a double, or with a tile that could have gone on either end.
- Losers lose their pips (house rule) House rule
- Each player who did not win also loses the pips left in their own hand. It is a setting in the score keeper, and is off by default.
- No subtraction in a blocked game (variation) House rule
- The University Games Muggins sheet has the winner of a blocked game add the other hands' totals to their score without subtracting their own pips. The score keeper lets you choose whether the winner's own pips are subtracted.
Frequently asked questions
How many dominoes does each player get?
It depends on the source. The Fundex set sheet deals five tiles each for two to four players. Pagat deals seven each to two players, and fewer when three or four play. See the variations. Every version of the game plays the same after the deal.
What is the difference between the draw game and the block game?
In the draw game, a player who cannot play takes tiles from the boneyard until they can. In the block game there is no drawing, so the player simply passes. Everything else is the same.
Who goes first in dominoes?
The Fundex set sheet has the player with the highest double start, and reshuffles if nobody has a double. Other groups draw lots for the lead. After the first hand the lead usually passes to the left.
What happens when the game is blocked?
The hand ends. Everyone counts their pips, and the player with the fewest wins the hand. By Pagat's method, they score the other hands' total minus their own pips. If two players tie for the fewest pips, Pagat says nobody scores.
How many points do you play to?
The Fundex set sheet and Pagat both use 100 points. Pagat uses 61 points when three or four people play as individuals, which suits a cribbage board for scorekeeping.
Are pips rounded to a multiple of five?
Not in the basic draw and block games. Rounding to the nearest five is used in All Fives and Muggins, where you also score during play. Those are separate games.
Do you subtract the winner's pips when someone goes out?
Nothing is left to subtract, because the winner has no tiles. The subtraction only matters in a blocked game, where the winner still holds tiles.
Can I draw from the boneyard if I can play?
Under the Fundex set sheet, no. You draw only when you cannot play. Pagat allows it as a tactic. Agree on one rule before you start.
Sources
- Pagat: Block Dominoes (Block game: double-six set, deal, play, passing, scoring and the 100 and 61 point targets.)
- Pagat: Draw Dominoes (Draw game: deal, drawing, the last two tiles, blocked hands, scoring and variations.)
- Fundex Games: Dominoes game instructions (set sheet) (Set maker's sheet for "Block and Draw Dominoes": five tiles each, highest double starts, drawing, blocked hands, scoring and the 100-point target.)
- University Games: Domino Game Rules (set sheet) (Used to confirm that rounding to multiples of five belongs to Muggins. This sheet does not cover the block and draw games.)