Rules for beginners

How to play dominoes

Never played? You can learn dominoes in about five minutes. Here's everything you need for your first game, with or without a partner.

1. 1What you need: meet the tiles

   You need a double-six set and two to four players. A double-six set has 28 tiles (see how many dominoes are in a set). Each tile has two ends, and each end shows 0 to 6 dots, called pips. An end with no dots is a blank and counts as zero.

   1045

   A tile with the same number on both ends is a double, like the 5-5. There are seven, from double-blank to double-six.

2. 2Set up

   1. 1Turn all 28 tiles face down and mix them.
   2. 2Each player takes seven and stands them on edge so only they can see them. The tiles you hold are your hand. (How many dominoes does each player get?)
   3. 3Leftover tiles stay face down on the side. That's the boneyard; with four players there is none.
   4. 4Whoever has the double-six plays it first. With two or three players no one may be holding it; then the highest double starts, and if no one has a double, the tile with the most pips.
   5. 5Latin tables usually play to the right: the turn passes to the player on your right (counterclockwise). Many U.S. tables go left. Just pick one.

3. 3Your turn

   The tiles on the table make one line, and only its two ends are open. On your turn, play one tile that matches either open end, with the matching numbers touching.

   23

   5 touches 5

   Your hand

   • If you can play, you must.
   • Doubles go crosswise, but they still leave one number open on that end.
   • Can't play? In the block game, say “paso” (I pass) and the next player goes. In the draw game, take tiles from the boneyard one at a time until one fits, then play it. (More in section 5.)

4. 4Winning a hand: scoring

   A hand ends one of two ways.

   Someone plays their last tile. They win the hand. Most players slap it down and call “¡Dominó!” (you don't have to). Everyone else turns their leftover tiles face up, and the winner scores every pip on them.

   Example: four players, each for themselves. Lucía plays her last tile.

   • LucíaWent out
   • Abuela8
   • You5
   • Rafa13

   Blanks count zero, so your 0-5 is worth just 5.

   Nobody can play. Sometimes every tile that matches the open ends is already on the table. The game is blocked, a tranque. Everyone turns their tiles up and counts their own pips. The lowest count wins the hand and scores the pips in the other hands.

   5···5

   • Abuela14
   • You3
   • Lucía12
   • Rafa14

   If the lowest counts tie, nobody scores that hand.

5. 5Draw game vs. block game

   The only difference is what you do when you can't play.

   Block game

   Can't play?

   Say “paso” and pass

   Boneyard empty?

   You never draw anyway

   Usually played by

   4 players, partners, most Latin American tables

   Draw game

   Can't play?

   Draw from the boneyard until a tile fits, then play it

   Boneyard empty?

   Now you pass

   Usually played by

   2 or 3 players

   	Block game	Draw game
   Can't play?	Say “paso” and pass	Draw from the boneyard until a tile fits, then play it
   Boneyard empty?	You never draw anyway	Now you pass
   Usually played by	4 players, partners, most Latin American tables	2 or 3 players

   With four players all 28 tiles are dealt, so there's nothing to draw: it's a block game. With two or three, pick either one; the draw game makes longer hands. Scoring is the same in both, and a draw game can only block once the boneyard is empty.

6. 6Playing with partners

   AbuelaYouRafaLucía

   • Four players make two teams. Partners sit across from each other.
   • No table talk: you can't tell your partner what you're holding.
   • When either partner plays their last tile, the whole team wins the hand.
   • If it blocks, each team adds up both partners' pips. The lower team wins, and at many tables it takes every pip on the table, its own included. If the teams tie, nobody scores.

   Same hand as before, with Abuela and Lucía against you and Rafa:

   • LucíaWent out
   • Abuelapartner, doesn't count8
   • You5
   • Rafa13

   And the blocked hand? Abuela and Lucía have 14 + 12 = 26, you and Rafa 3 + 14 = 17. Your team is lower, so you score all 43 (some tables count only the other team's 26).

7. 7Ending the game

   Write down each hand's points, or let Pipside keep them. Keep playing hands until a player or team reaches the target:

   • 500Puerto Rico
   • 200Dominican
   • 100elsewhere

   Only one side scores each hand, so the first to reach the target wins. There are no tied games.

   For the next hand, mix the tiles and everyone takes seven again. After the first hand, the salida (the first tile) moves one seat: the player after last hand's starter leads, with any tile (some tables let the last winner lead). Finish a game with zero points and it's a pollona: expect some teasing.

8. 8House rules: every table is different

   Families change a few things. Agree on these before the first hand:

   • Capicú: going out when your last tile could have gone on either end, and the two ends show different numbers. Many tables add 25 to 100 points; some count it even when both ends match.
   • Who starts each hand: the next player, or the last winner. At some tables, the winning pair picks which of them leads.
   • Blocked games: the low hand might take every pip, its own too, or nobody scores. Some tables say el que tranca paga: on a tie, whoever blocked it (made the last play, the one that closed the game) loses. Others give the tie to the blocker, or to whoever led the hand.
   • Partners: many tables count your partner's tiles too (26 instead of 18 in the example). Same choice for a blocked team hand: 43 counting all four hands, or 26 counting only the other team's.
   • Who wins a blocked partner hand: many tables compare team totals, as above. Some give it to the team of the one player with the fewest pips, and some Dominican tables compare only the player who blocked it and the next player.
   • Puerto Rican 500: premios, chuchazo and pass bonuses. See Puerto Rican dominoes.

   Pipside has a setting for each of these in House rules. Counting your partner's tiles too? Turn on Count partner's tiles too, and Pipside asks for the tiles left in all three other hands.

   Playing Puerto Rican 500? Watch a game scored in under 5 minutes