How to play Dominoes

What dominoes is

Dominoes is a family of games played with flat rectangular tiles, each split into two ends marked with pips. The usual set is the double-six: 28 tiles that cover every pair of numbers from blank-blank to six-six, seven of them doubles. In most games players take turns laying tiles in a line, each new tile matching the number at an open end, and the first to empty their hand wins the round.

Playing dominoes on AllFun

AllFun Dominoes uses a full double-six set and three games: Draw, Block and All Fives. Play one, two or three computer players at Easy, Medium or Hard, in a match to 50, 100 or 150 points. With two players each hand has seven tiles; with three or four, five. Settings can add a turn timer of 20 or 40 seconds.

Tap a glowing tile to play it, or drag it to the end you want. One free hint per match suggests a good play. To play a person, invite a friend with a link or room code, or tap Play Online for a game of Draw: online matches are for two, to 100 points, with 30 seconds a move.

The rules

The deal and the lead

The tiles are shuffled face down; what is left after the deal is the boneyard. Whoever holds the highest double lays it to open the round. If nobody has a double, AllFun deals again.

Laying tiles

• On your turn, play one tile that matches an open end: a 5-3 goes against an open 5 and leaves a 3 open.
• A double is laid crosswise and leaves the same number open.

Draw, Block and All Fives

• Draw: if no tile fits, take tiles from the boneyard until one does. Once the boneyard is empty, you pass.
• Block: there is no drawing. If nothing fits, you pass, and the spare tiles stay out of play all round.
• All Fives: played like Draw, but the first double is a spinner that takes tiles on all four sides. After each play, add up the open ends; a total of 5, 10, 15 or any other multiple of five scores at once. A double at an end counts both halves.

Scoring a round

The first player to lay their last tile calls Domino! and scores the pips left in every other hand. If nobody can play, the round is blocked: the lowest pip count wins and scores the other hands, and a tie for lowest scores nothing. In All Fives the hand count is rounded to the nearest five. The first player to reach the match target wins.

Six tips for dominoes

1. Shed heavy tiles early. Every pip still in your hand at the end scores for someone else. Lose the 6-6 and the 6-5 early, unless they are your only link to a number.
2. Keep a mix of numbers. Hold tiles of as many different numbers as you can, so one closed end never leaves you stuck.
3. Read the passes. When an opponent draws or passes on a 4, they hold no 4s. Keep a 4 showing and they stay stuck.
4. Count each number. Every number appears on seven tiles. If five 2s are on the table and you hold the other two, nobody else can play on a 2.
5. Place doubles while you can. A double matches only one number, so it is the hardest tile to get rid of late in a round.
6. In All Fives, score and deny. Before each play, check the total of the ends, and avoid leaving a count your opponent can turn into a multiple of five.

A short history

Tile games with dots were played in Asia long before the double-six set appeared in Europe in the eighteenth century. The name is often linked to the domino, a hooded cloak, black outside and white within, that the tiles were said to resemble.

Dominoes FAQ