The person with the highest single or double tile starts the game by placing that tile on the table with its value facing up.
If none of the players have a double, the highest single tile determines who goes first. If Player 1 has a double 3 but player 2 doesn’t have any doubles at all, then Player 1 goes first. So, for example, if Player 1 has a double 3 and Player 2 has a double 5, Player 2 goes first.
The player with the highest double tile goes first. To begin, all dominoes are placed face-down on the table and shuffled thoroughly.Įach player then picks 6 dominoes each without letting the other players see the value of their tiles.Īll of the remaining tiles are placed in a pile which is commonly referred to as a ‘boneyard.’Īlso Read: Chicken Foot game rules Deciding Who Goes First in Dominoes Most of the dominoes sets you can buy contain 28 tiles which go up to double 6, though you can buy a 55-tile set which goes to double 9. All you need to play is a flat surface and a good quality dominoes set. Here’s something else we love about dominoes.
#Play dominoes how to#
Plus, once you know how to play the standard version of the game, you can mix things up and experiment with different versions. If you love old-school games like horseshoes but find it won’t stop raining outside, breaking out the dominoes set will provide the same kind of fun. Why We Love It: It’s a great traditional game you play indoors. The player with the lowest number of remaining pips wins the game. Main Objective: Finish the game with the least amount of pips on your remaining tiles. Who Can Play It: All ages, though younger children might struggle to count the pips on their tiles. Groups of 4 can pair up to play a game of doubles. An easy-to-learn tile game, dominoes can be played anywhere at any time by just about anyone. Of course, you don’t need to head to your local watering hole to enjoy this one. In modern times, the game has become a staple of pubs and bar rooms the world over, with many pubs in England combining the game with the standard darts game to create competitive “Darts & Doms” leagues up and down the country. Sometimes referred to as “standard” or “block” dominoes, the variation of the game as we know it today dates back all the way to 18th century Italy, though the earliest mentions of dominoes can be traced back to Song Dynasty China in the 11th century. At the end of the game, whoever has the smallest combined total of spots on all their remaining dominoes wins the game. Strategically place your tiles end-to-end in an attempt to get rid of the most dominoes possible. Today, however, we’re going to focus on learning the official domino rules for the classic version of the game.īecause once you’ve mastered the basics of straight dominoes, you’ll find it much easier and more enjoyable to learn games like chicken foot dominoes or even modern twists such as Tri-Ominos.īesides, of all the variations out there, straight dominoes is just about the easiest one to play: (In a draw game, the player could draw tiles from the boneyard or pass.) The person who plays all his tiles first - and shouts, "Domino!" of course -wins.If there’s one thing we love most about dominoes, it’s there’s a seemingly never-ending list of variations on this classic tile game, making it suitable for all ages, occasions, and abilities. If a player doesn't have a tile with an end to hook against an open pip, then the player must pass on that round. Players in a block game continue on, hooking corresponding pips to unconnected pips. So if a double six spinner has been laid, a tile with a six-pip end must be connected to it. In any case, the players must lay their tiles down and hook them so that the pips match the pips already played.
#Play dominoes plus#
The tiles played on the spinner are also laid perpendicular to the center of the spinner this creates a shape resembling a plus sign when two successive tiles are played against it. The spinner is a special piece it's the only tile where all four directions around it can be played (other tiles only have one or three directions after they're played, depending on whether L-shaped configurations are allowed). Once the downer lays down the spinner, the person to the left of the downer goes next. The player with the heaviest piece, or the piece with the highest number of pips, goes first. Another way to choose who goes first is to draw stones. If the double six hasn't been drawn, the player with the next highest double plays that piece as the spinner. In a 28-piece set, the highest double is the six. The simplest way to determine the spinner and the downer is to lay down the highest double among the players' hands. There are a few ways to determine the player who goes first, called the downer and the first piece laid down, called the spinner.