How to Play Dominoes: Rules, Scoring and Strategy

Dominoes is a game of matching numbers, and of counting tiles. Here are the classic rules for the two most popular versions: the draw game and the block game.

The set

A double-six set has 28 tiles, each with two ends showing 0 to 6 dots.
Doubles are tiles with the same number on both ends (the 6|6, the 3|3 …).

Dealing

Two players: 7 tiles each. The rest are shuffled face down: the boneyard.
Four players (in teams): all 28 tiles are dealt, 7 each. Partners sit across from each other.

How to play dominoes with 2 players

The draw game is the classic two-player version:

Shuffle all 28 tiles face down. Each player takes 7 tiles, kept hidden from the other.
The other 14 tiles stay face down as the boneyard.
The player with the highest double plays it to start. If nobody has a double, the heaviest tile starts.
Take turns matching tiles to either end of the line. Can’t play? Draw from the boneyard until you can; when it’s empty, pass.
The first player out of tiles wins the round and scores the dots left in the other player’s hand.

With two players, half the tiles stay in the boneyard, so you know less about your opponent’s hand. Watching which numbers they can’t play on matters even more.

Playing

The player with the highest double starts by playing it (in later rounds, the last round’s winner starts with any tile).
Players take turns clockwise, adding one tile to either end of the line. The touching ends must show the same number: a 6|2 can go next to an open 6.
Can’t play?
- Draw game: draw from the boneyard, one tile at a time, until you can play. When it’s empty, pass.
- Block game: pass.

How a round ends

Domino! A player plays their last tile and wins the round.
Blocked: nobody can play. Everyone counts the dots left in their hand, and the lowest total wins (partners add their totals together).

Scoring

The winner (or winning team) scores all the dots left in the other side’s hands. The first to 100 points wins the game.

Tips to win at dominoes

Play your heavy tiles early. If the round blocks, high tiles left in your hand count against you.
Keep variety. Hold tiles with different numbers so you can play on whatever ends come up.
Count what’s out. There are only seven tiles of each number. If five 4s are on the table, the 4s are almost gone, and an open 4 might block your opponent.
Watch what your opponent passes on. When they can’t play on a 3, they have no 3s: try to leave 3s open.
In teams, help your partner. Play to numbers your partner has shown they have.

Play dominoes online

Kepo Dominoes is free in your browser with no ads. Play the draw game one-on-one against Kepo, or the block game in teams: you and Mochi against Pip and Puff. The first to 100 points wins.

Questions

How many dominoes are in a set?

A standard double-six set has 28 tiles. Bigger sets exist for more players: a double-nine set has 55 tiles and a double-twelve set has 91.

How do you play dominoes with 2 players?

Each player takes 7 tiles, and the other 14 stay face down as the boneyard. Match tiles to the ends of the line, draw from the boneyard when you can't play, and the first player out of tiles wins the round.

How many dominoes do you get?

With two players, usually 7 tiles each, and the rest stays face down as the boneyard. With four players, all 28 tiles are dealt, 7 each.

Who goes first in dominoes?

The player with the highest double (usually the double six) starts by playing it. In later rounds, the winner of the last round starts.

What is the difference between the draw game and the block game?

In the draw game, a player who can't play draws tiles from the boneyard until they can. In the block game there's no boneyard (or you can't draw), so you simply pass.

What happens when dominoes is blocked?

When nobody can play, the round is blocked. Players count the dots in their hands, and the lowest total wins the round.

How to play dominoes: rules and scoring