How to Play Dominoes: The Draw Game
When someone says "let's play dominoes," this is usually the game they mean. Two players take turns laying tiles end to end, matching numbers, until somebody runs out of tiles or nobody can move. It is quick to learn, a hand takes five or ten minutes, and there is more thinking in it than first meets the eye. These are the rules our free online game uses. Where families commonly play a little differently, we say so.
What You Need
- A double-six domino set: 28 tiles, from the 0–0 (double blank) up to the 6–6.
- Two players. (Three or four can play too; see more players below.)
- Paper and pencil for the score, or let the online game keep the score pad for you.
Each tile has two ends, and each end shows a number from 0 (blank) to 6. A tile with the same number on both ends is a double. Every number appears on exactly seven tiles: for example, the sixes are 6–0, 6–1, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4, 6–5 and 6–6. Remembering that "seven of each" is the start of good play.
Setting Up
- Turn all the tiles face down and shuffle them around on the table.
- Each player takes seven tiles and stands them on edge so the other player can't see them.
- The 14 tiles left over stay face down to one side. This is the boneyard.
Who Goes First
The player holding the highest double lays it down to start the line. If you have the 6–6, it goes down first. If nobody has the 6–6, the 5–5 starts, and so on. With 14 of the 28 tiles in the players' hands, there is almost always a double between you. If neither player has any double at all, the highest tile starts instead: the one with the most dots, such as the 6–5.
The player who did not open takes the next turn. In our game the opening tile is placed for you.
House rule note: some families let the winner of the last hand lead any tile they like in the next hand. We use the highest double every hand, which keeps things simple and fair.
Taking a Turn
The tiles form one line with two open ends. On your turn, lay one tile so that one of its numbers matches the number at one of the open ends, touching end to end. The other number on your tile becomes the new open end.
Example
The 5–5 was played to open. Both open ends are 5. You lay the 5–2 against it: now the open ends are 5 and 2. Your opponent lays the 2–6 on the 2 end: now the ends are 5 and 6. You could play any tile with a 5 or a 6.
Doubles
A double is laid crosswise, across the line, as is traditional. It does not open new branches: the line still has exactly two ends, and the open number on that side is still the double's number. If you lay the 6–6 on a 6 end, the end is still 6.
You must play if you can
If any of your tiles fits, you have to play one. You can't hold back and draw instead. If a tile fits both ends, you choose which end to put it on.
When You Can't Play: Drawing
If none of your tiles match either open end, draw one tile from the boneyard. If it fits, play it. If not, draw again, and keep drawing until you get a tile that fits. Every tile you draw stays in your hand, which makes drawing costly: those dots count against you when the hand ends.
If the boneyard is empty and you still can't play, you pass and your opponent goes again.
Example
The open ends are 3 and 5. Your hand is 0–1, 2–4 and 6–6: no 3 and no 5. You draw the 1–2 (no good), then the 4–4 (no good), then the 3–6, which fits on the 3 end. You play it. You now hold five tiles instead of three.
The End of a Hand
A hand ends in one of two ways.
1. Domino!
When a player lays their last tile, they have "dominoed." They score the total number of dots left in the other player's hand.
2. A blocked game
Sometimes neither player can play, and the boneyard is empty. That happens when every tile carrying either open number is already on the table, or hiding in the hands of players who can't use it. Once both players have passed in a row, the game is blocked. Each player counts the dots in their own hand. The player with fewer dots scores the difference between the two counts. If the counts are equal, nobody scores.
Scoring
| How the hand ended | Who scores | Points |
|---|---|---|
| A player plays their last tile | That player | All the dots left in the other hand |
| Blocked, one player has fewer dots | The player with fewer dots | The difference between the two hands |
| Blocked, both hands equal | Nobody | 0 |
Worked examples
- You play your last tile. The computer is left holding 6–4 and 2–1. You score 6 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 13 points.
- The game blocks. You hold 0–2 and 1–1 (4 dots). The computer holds 5–3 and 6–2 (16 dots). You have fewer, so you score 16 − 4 = 12 points.
- The game blocks with 9 dots in each hand. Nobody scores, and the next hand is dealt.
A double blank (0–0) left in your hand counts as zero dots. It is the one tile that costs nothing to be caught with.
Winning the Game
Keep playing hands, adding each score to the running total, until someone reaches 100 points. That player wins. Only one player scores in any hand, so there are no ties. Many families play to 150 or 250 for a longer evening; our game lets you choose.
A Short Sample Hand
- You hold 6–6, 6–3, 3–1, 1–0, 4–2, 5–5 and 0–2. The computer has no higher double, so your 6–6 goes down first.
- The computer plays 6–4. Ends: 6 and 4.
- You play 6–3 on the 6. Ends: 3 and 4.
- The computer has no 3 or 4. It draws three tiles before finding the 4–5, and plays it. Ends: 3 and 5.
- You play 5–5 crosswise on the 5. Ends: still 3 and 5.
- The computer plays 5–1 on the 5. Ends: 3 and 1. You play 3–1 on the 3. Ends: 1 and 1. And so on, until someone goes out or the game blocks.
Notice what you learned in step 4: when the computer drew, it showed it had no 3 and no 4. Keeping a 3 open afterward might make it draw again. Tricks like this are in our strategy guide.
The Block Game
The Block game is the same in every way except one: nobody draws. If you can't play, you pass straight away. Hands are shorter, more of them end blocked, and more dots stay in the hands, so scores climb faster. Choose it in Settings in our game.
Three or Four Players
With three or four players, each player takes five tiles instead of seven. Play goes around the table in turn. A player who goes out scores the dots in all the other hands. If the game blocks, the player with the fewest dots scores the difference to each other hand, added together. Our game offers three and four players in Settings, with the other seats played by the computer.
Common Questions
Can I draw even if I have a tile that fits?
No. You may only draw when nothing in your hand matches either end.
Can a double branch off in four directions?
Not in this game. A double that opens new branches is called a spinner, and it belongs to other games such as Chicken Foot. Here the line always has two ends.
What if I draw the whole boneyard?
Then you keep all those tiles and pass if none fit. It happens now and then, and it is usually the moment the other player wins the hand.
Do the last two tiles get drawn?
In our standard game, yes, every tile may be drawn. Some families leave the last two in the boneyard; you can turn that on in Settings. See rule variations.
Once you know the Draw game, you know the heart of most domino games. For a longer game with more players, try Mexican Train.