How to Play Dominos

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Use these tips to organize a game of draw dominoes, the most popular domino game played today.

To complete this How-To you will need:

A standard set of 28 dominos
A large flat surface or table to play on
Two to four players
A pencil and paper

Step 1: Mix up the dominos

Place all the dominos facedown on the table and shuffle them around. Have each player select their dominos, keeping them hidden. If two people are playing, each person gets seven. If three or four people are playing, each takes five dominos.

Tip: There are 28 tiles in a standard set, from blank at both ends to sixes at both ends. Dominos are also known as bones.

Step 2: Decide who goes first

To decide which player starts, each player reveals their highest double -- a piece that has the same number of dots on both ends. Whoever has the highest double goes first. If none of the players drew a double, then whoever has the heaviest tile -- the domino with most dots on it -- goes first.

Step 3: Make the first move

The player begins by placing their heaviest domino faceup anywhere on the board. After the first move, players must match the number of dots on one end of one of their dominos with an open end of a domino already on the board. Take turns clockwise around the table, with each player adding a domino to the board.

Tip: Any side of the domino is considered an "open end." The game's layout can flow in any direction, turning as necessary.

Step 4: Match

When laying a domino down, the numbers of the piece on the board and the one being added to the board must match exactly. For example, if the only open domino end on the board shows five dots, only a domino with one end that also has five dots can be played beside it.

Step 5: Play a double

If you have a double, play it as soon as you can. Doubles create more opportunities for play on the board. These pieces are typically placed so they connect to the middle of a piece on the board, rather than one end, which means future dominos can be added to either end of the double piece.

Step 6: Draw if you can't play

When players do not have a domino that matches one of the open dominos on the board, they draw from the pile of extra dominos until they draw a playable piece. If there are no dominos left, players lose their turn.

Tip: The pile of leftover dominos is also known as the boneyard.

Step 7: End the game

The game continues until one player runs out of dominos, becoming the automatic winner, or when all the players have no playable pieces left.

Step 8: Add the points

When a game has ended, the players add up the total number of dots in their hands. That number is how many points the winner has earned. A typical match ends once one player has accumulated 100 points.

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