How to play Dominoes

Dominoes is a tile game for two to four players, played here with a double-six set, in which you match your tiles to the open ends of a line and try to be the first to play them all.

Match the ends; draw from the boneyard when you cannot.

About Dominoes

The Draw game deals seven tiles to each player, or six when four play, and leaves the rest in the boneyard.

A player who cannot play draws until they can, so a hand can only block once the boneyard is empty, and a player who is short of a number may pick up several tiles in one turn.

The winner of each hand scores the pips left in the other players' hands minus their own. The game is played to 100 points with two players and to 61 with three or four.

The goal of Dominoes

Dominoes is played with a double-six set of 28 tiles by two to four players, each playing for themselves. You play against one, two or three computer players. Take turns adding tiles to the ends of the line, and try to be the first to play every tile in your hand.

How to set up Dominoes

The 28 tiles are shuffled and dealt. In the Draw game each player takes seven tiles, or six when four play; in the Block game and All Fives each player takes seven with two players and five with three or four. The tiles nobody is dealt are the boneyard.

The player who leads the first hand is chosen by lot and may lead any tile. In each later hand the winner of the previous hand leads.

Dominoes rules

Play passes clockwise. On your turn you place one tile at an open end of the line, with the matching number touching that end, and a double is laid crosswise. If you have a tile that can be played, you must play one.

In the Draw game and All Fives, a player who cannot play draws from the boneyard one tile at a time until they can, and passes only when the boneyard is empty. In the Block game nobody draws, so a player who cannot play passes. Drawing and passing happen by themselves, since there is never a choice to make.

A hand ends when a player plays their last tile, which is called dominoing, or when the table is blocked because nobody can play or draw. After a blocked hand with no single winner, the lead passes to the player on the left of the one who led it.

Dominoes scoring

The winner of a hand is the player who dominoed, or in a blocked hand the player with the lowest total of pips left in their hand. If two or more players share the lowest total, nobody scores that hand.

In the Draw and Block games, the winner scores the pips left in the other players' hands, minus the pips left in their own. In All Fives, the winner scores the pips left in the other players' hands, rounded to the nearest five.

All Fives also scores during play. After each tile is placed the open ends are added up, and if the total is a multiple of five, the player who placed the tile scores that many points at once. A double at an end counts both of its halves.

How to win at Dominoes

The game ends after a hand in which a player reaches the target score, and the highest score wins. The Draw and Block games are played to 100 points with two players and to 61 with three or four; All Fives is played to 150. If first place is exactly tied, another hand is played, so a game never ends in a draw.

Dominoes strategy tips

Play your heaviest tiles early. If someone else dominoes or the table blocks, the pips still in your hand go to the winner.

Keep a mix of numbers in your hand, so that whatever ends the other players leave you, you are more likely to hold a tile that fits.

Watch who draws or passes. A player who could not play on a number holds none of it, so leaving that number at the ends can force them to draw or pass again.

In All Fives, look for the play that makes the open ends a multiple of five, and avoid leaving the next player a total they can easily turn into one.

Dominoes questions and answers

Can you play Dominoes online with friends?

Yes. Sign in, follow the Play Dominoes online link and open a table for two, three or four players, then send your friends its code or list the table in the lobby. You choose the Draw game, the Block game or All Fives when you open it. With Fill empty seats with bots ticked, you can start as soon as a second person sits down, and bots take the other seats.

How many dominoes does each player start with?

It depends on the game and the number of players. In the Draw game each player takes seven tiles, or six when four play. In the Block game and All Fives each player takes seven with two players and five with three or four. The tiles nobody is dealt are the boneyard.

What happens when you cannot play in dominoes?

In the Draw game and All Fives you draw from the boneyard one tile at a time until you can play, and pass only when the boneyard is empty. In the Block game there is no drawing, so you pass. A player who can play must play.

What happens when a game of dominoes is blocked?

A hand is blocked when nobody can play and nobody can draw. The player with the lowest total of pips left in their hand wins it and scores for it. If two or more players share the lowest total, nobody scores that hand, and the lead passes to the player on the left of the one who led it.

What is a spinner in dominoes?

In All Fives the first double played is the spinner. Once tiles have been played against both of its long sides, its other two sides open as well, so the line can grow in four directions. Only the first double is a spinner; later doubles are laid crosswise but open no new ends. The Draw and Block games have no spinner.

How do you score All Fives dominoes?

After every tile is played, add up the open ends. A double at an end counts both of its halves, and so does the spinner while it is an end of the line; a side of the spinner nobody has played on counts nothing. If the total is a multiple of five, the player who placed the tile scores that many points. When the hand ends, the winner also scores the pips left in the other players' hands, rounded to the nearest five.

Can you play dominoes against the computer?

Yes, each Dominoes page is you against one, two or three computer players, and you do not need to sign in. The settings choose how many players sit at the table. The computer players decide only from their own tiles, the tiles on the table and what each player has drawn or passed on. There is no undo, since taking a tile back after seeing their replies would reveal hidden tiles.