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Lesson 6 of 6

Beginner strategy

You don't need to count every tile to play well. A few simple habits will win you more hands right away.

  1. 1Keep a mix of numbers. The more different numbers you hold, the less often you'll have to pass.
  2. 2Drop heavy tiles early. If someone else goes out, the 6-6 and 6-5 still in your hand are points for them.
  3. 3Get doubles out of your hand. A double only matches one number, so it's easy to get stuck with it.
  4. 4Watch what opponents pass on. If a player passes when fours are open, they have no fours. Open fours again to make them pass.
  5. 5Count what's gone. Each number appears on seven tiles. Once most of the sixes are on the table, you know who could still be holding the rest.
Heavy tiles: 12, 11 and 10 pips. Try not to be caught holding them.

Most of all, have fun. Dominoes is loud and social. Slam that last tile, celebrate the capicú, and let Pipside do the math.