Dominoes Rules: How to Play, Who Goes First and Tile Odds

Dominoes is a family of tile games, and the block game is the simplest one to learn: match the numbers, play your tiles, and be the first to empty your hand. Here are the rules for a standard double-six set, fair ways to decide who goes first, and a few numbers about the tiles that help you play better.

The Tiles

A standard set is double-six: every pair of numbers from blank (0) to six appears on exactly one tile. Bigger sets work the same way. A set that goes up to n has (n+1)(n+2)/2 tiles:

In a double-six set each number appears on 7 tiles, and the 28 tiles carry 168 pips in total.

Rules of the Block Game

1. Turn all tiles face down and shuffle them. This pile is called the boneyard.
2. Each player draws their hand. A common rule is 7 tiles each for two players and 5 each for three or four players. Leftover tiles stay face down and are not used in the block game.
3. The first player puts down one tile (see below for who starts).
4. Players take turns clockwise. On your turn, play one tile that matches an open end of the line: a 4 can go next to a 4. Doubles are usually placed crosswise.
5. If you cannot play, you pass.
6. The hand ends when a player plays their last tile (“domino!”) or when nobody can play, which is called a blocked game.
7. The winner scores the total pips left in the other players’ hands. In a blocked game, the player with the lowest pip total wins. Play on to an agreed score, often 100 or 150.

Who Goes First?

There are two common methods, and both rely on chance:

• Highest double: after the hands are drawn, the player holding the highest double plays it as the first tile. With two players holding 7 tiles each, half the tiles are in hands, so there is a 50% chance the double-six is out and a 99.7% chance at least one double is.
• Draw a tile: before the deal, each player draws one tile, and the highest pip total goes first. Two players tie about 5.8% of the time; just draw again. Return the tiles and reshuffle before dealing.

After the first hand, many groups let the winner of the previous hand start. If you only need to settle who leads once, a coin flip works too.

What Is in Your Hand?

Doubles are harder to get rid of, because they only match one number. Worked out from the number of possible hands in a double-six set:

With 7 tiles, most hands hold at least two doubles, so plan to play them early, before the numbers they need are used up.

How Often Does a Game Block?

We simulated 100,000 two-player block games with 7 tiles each, both players choosing a random legal tile every turn. About 66% ended blocked and 34% ended with a player going out. With 14 tiles out of play, blocks are common, which is why the pip count of your hand matters as much as getting rid of tiles.

Simple Strategy

• Play heavy tiles early: if the game blocks, high pips left in your hand count against you.
• Get rid of doubles: they are the tiles most likely to get stuck.
• Keep variety: hold tiles with many different numbers so you can follow whatever end is open.
• Count the numbers: each number appears on 7 tiles. If you hold or have seen most of them, you can block an opponent who needs that number.
• Watch passes: when a player passes, they have no tile matching either open end. Use that to play to those numbers again.

Popular Variations

• Draw game: instead of passing, you draw from the boneyard until you can play.
• All Fives (Muggins): you score whenever the open ends add up to a multiple of five.
• Mexican Train: a game for larger groups, usually played with a double-twelve set, where each player builds their own line from a central double.

A Short History

Numbered tile games were played in China long before they reached Europe. European dominoes appear in Italy and France in the 18th century, according to most histories, and spread from there. Like backgammon, it mixes the luck of the draw with real decisions.

For more classic two-player games, try checkers or Mancala.

FAQ

How many dominoes do you start with?

In the block game with a double-six set, a common rule is 7 tiles each for two players and 5 each for three or four players.

Who goes first in dominoes?

Either the player with the highest double plays it first, or each player draws one tile before the deal and the highest pip total starts.

How many tiles are in a set of dominoes?

A standard double-six set has 28 tiles. A double-nine set has 55 and a double-twelve set has 91.

What happens when nobody can play in dominoes?

The game is blocked. Players count the pips left in their hands, and the lowest total wins the hand.

How do you score in dominoes?

In the block game, the winner scores the total pips left in the other players’ hands. Play continues to an agreed score, often 100 or 150.