Dominoes Rules: How to Play Block and Draw Dominoes
A standard set of dominoes has 28 tiles, each showing two numbers from 0 to 6. Those few tiles support dozens of different games. The two you will meet most often are block and draw. Learn these and you can sit down at nearly any table.
The set
Each tile, also called a bone, has two ends marked with pips. A tile with the same number on both ends is a double. The double-six set has one tile for every pairing of the numbers 0 to 6, so each number appears on exactly seven tiles. That fact matters more than any other once you start counting.
Block dominoes
- Shuffle the tiles face down. With two players, each draws 7. With three or four, each draws 5 to 7 depending on local custom.
- The player with the highest double usually goes first, or the first player is chosen at random.
- Players take turns placing a tile that matches an open end of the line.
- If you cannot play, you pass. You do not draw.
- The round ends when someone plays their last tile, or when no one can move.
Draw dominoes
This version works the same way, except that when you cannot play you must draw tiles from the boneyard until you can. Only when the boneyard is empty can you pass. Rounds tend to last longer and blocks are less common.
Scoring
When a player goes out, they score the total pips left in their opponents' hands. If the game is blocked, players count their remaining pips and the lowest total takes the difference. Games usually run to 100 or 150 points. Some players round scores to the nearest five.
How to play well
Count every number
Because each number appears on seven tiles, you can work out what is left. Suppose you see five 3s on the table and you hold the sixth. Only one 3 remains unseen. If an end of the line shows a 3, your opponent is very unlikely to be able to play on it.
Watch what your opponent passes on
When someone passes, they have just told you they hold none of the numbers showing at the open ends. Make a note of it. If you can keep those numbers open, they may keep passing while you empty your hand.
Play heavy tiles early
The double-six and other high tiles are expensive if you get caught with them. Unless you need them to control the game, play them first.
Keep your options open
Try to hold tiles with a variety of numbers. A hand full of 5s is strong only as long as 5s stay open. If your opponent closes them off, you can get stuck with all of them.
Use blocks deliberately
If you hold a low hand and you can see that a blocked game would favour you, try to close the line. A blocked game is decided by pip count, so a low hand wins it even with several tiles left.
Common questions
Are doubles placed sideways? Traditionally yes, across the line. This is a visual habit in most games, though in some versions a double opens up new directions of play.
How many players can play? Two to four is standard. Four often play as partners, sitting opposite each other.
Is dominoes luck or skill? A bit of both. The tiles you draw are luck, but over several rounds a player who counts tiles will beat one who does not.
