Section 1: Introduction
Dominoes is a family of tile games played with rectangular tiles divided into two ends, each marked with a number of pips. Players take turns extending a line of play, matching the number on an open end.
This page describes the two standard games of the double-six set: the Block game and the Draw game. Dominoes is traditional and in the public domain; regional forms vary enormously.
Section 2: Components
- Double-six set: 28 tiles, covering every combination from 0-0 (blank) to 6-6.
- A double is a tile with the same number on both ends.
Larger sets exist — double-nine (55 tiles) and double-twelve (91) — and are preferred for more players.
Section 3: Setup
- Shuffle the tiles face down. This pool is the boneyard.
- Two players draw seven tiles each; three or four draw five each.
- Remaining tiles stay face down in the boneyard.
- The player holding the highest double opens by playing it. If nobody holds a double, the highest tile opens, or players redraw.
Section 4: Gameplay
Playing a Tile
- On your turn, place a tile so one of its ends matches an open end of the layout.
- The line grows from both ends; doubles are traditionally laid crosswise but this is presentation, not rule.
- Play passes clockwise.
If You Cannot Play
- Block game: you pass. The boneyard is not touched.
- Draw game: you draw from the boneyard until you can play, or until it is empty — then you pass.
Ending a Hand
A hand ends when one player plays their last tile ("domino"), or when the game blocks — nobody can play and the boneyard is empty or untouched.
Section 5: Scoring & Winning
- The player who goes out scores the total pips remaining in every opponent's hand.
- If the game blocks, the player with the lowest pip count wins and scores the difference between their count and each opponent's — conventions vary, so agree first.
Play continues hand by hand to a target, commonly 100 or 250 points.
Section 6: Variants & House Rules
- Mexican Train: each player builds a personal train from a central double, plus a communal train anyone may extend.
- All Fives (Muggins): score whenever the open ends total a multiple of five.
- Chicken Foot: a played double must be surrounded by three tiles before normal play resumes.
- Matador: ends must sum to seven rather than match.