Domino Games Around the World: Rules That Differ From Block Dominoes

Most domino games share one rule, that a tile must match the open end it touches, and differ in almost everything else: whether a stuck player draws, whether points are scored during play, how many lines are open at once, and which set is used. This article describes six games that are commonly played and says, for each, exactly where it parts company with Block Dominoes. It does not claim to survey the world; it covers the games whose rules can be stated precisely.

Each section below ends by setting the game beside Block Dominoes as it is played on this site: a 28-tile double-six set, seven tiles per player, one line of play, no drawing of any kind, and a hand won either by emptying your hand or by holding the lowest pip count when nobody can move. The winner scores the pips left in the other hands. The full statement of those rules is on the rules page.

Draw Dominoes: Block With a Stock

Draw Dominoes uses the same 28-tile set, the same single line and the same matching of open ends as Block. The difference is what happens when you cannot play. The tiles left over after the deal form a face-down stock, the boneyard, and a player with no legal move draws from it until they find a tile that fits or the stock runs out; only then do they pass. House rules vary on how many tiles each player is dealt at the start and on whether the last tile or two in the stock may be taken.

In Block Dominoes there is no stock at all: the tiles left after the deal stay face down and out of play for the whole hand, and a player with no legal move simply passes. That single change is why a pass in Block is reliable information, a point our article on reading opponents builds on.

All Fives (Muggins): Scoring on Multiples of Five

All Fives, also called Muggins, is played with the double-six set and the drawing rule above, and adds a score during play. Whenever the pips on the open ends total a multiple of five, the player who made that total scores it: ends of 6 and 4 make 10 for 10 points, and 5-5 at one end with a 5 at the other makes 15 for 15 points. Some groups score one point per five instead, which keeps the same ranking of plays with smaller numbers.

Doubles are laid across the line and count both halves, and in most versions the first double played is a "spinner" that can be built on all four sides, so the count may run over three or four ends rather than two. The name Muggins is also used for a rule borrowed from cribbage: a player who fails to claim a score can lose it to an opponent who calls "muggins".

Block Dominoes on this site scores nothing during play. The only points come when a hand ends, and they go to whoever emptied their hand or, in a blocked hand, held the lowest count.

British Pub Dominoes: Fives and Threes

British domino culture centres around pub games, with "Fives and Threes" being the most popular variation. Unlike blocking games where points come only at the end, Fives and Threes awards points during play when end totals equal multiples of five or three. This scoring system creates constant action and strategic calculation throughout each game.

The scoring in Fives and Threes rewards mathematical thinking. If the two ends of the chain total 15, the player scores 8 points (15 divides by 5 three times and by 3 five times). A total of 10 earns 2 points (divisible by 5 twice). A double at the end of the line counts both its halves, so 6-6 at one end and a 3 at the other total 12 + 3 = 15, the highest score available. This system means players must constantly calculate potential scores while also considering blocking and hand management.

Games in British pubs traditionally use a cribbage board for scoring, adding to the traditional atmosphere. The combination of pub culture and domino strategy creates a social gaming experience that has endured for generations. Local pub leagues and regional championships maintain competitive traditions while preserving the social character of the game.

Beside Block Dominoes the set and the matching rule are identical, but the object is different: a Fives and Threes player is choosing plays for the totals they leave on the ends, while a Block player is choosing them to keep a flexible hand and to be the first out.

Mexican Train: The American Innovation

Mexican Train dominoes, widely played in North America, introduces a hub-and-spoke playing pattern that transforms the traditional linear game. Players build personal trains extending from a central double tile, creating multiple playing options and accommodating larger groups than traditional Block Dominoes allows.

The game begins with a double tile (typically double-twelve in the most common version) placed in the centre as a hub. Each player starts their own train extending from this central hub, while a communal "Mexican Train" remains open to all players. The strategic complexity comes from managing your personal train while deciding when to play on the Mexican Train or opponents' open trains.

A unique feature of Mexican Train is the marker system. When a player cannot make a move, they draw one tile from the boneyard; if that tile cannot be played either, they place a marker on their train, opening it to other players. Keeping your own train closed while using other players' open trains is most of the strategy.

The scoring in Mexican Train accumulates across multiple rounds, with players totalling the pips on their remaining tiles when one player goes out. The game typically continues until the full set of doubles has been used as starting hubs, with final scores determining the overall winner. This extended format rewards consistent play over lucky individual hands.

Compared with Block Dominoes as played here, almost everything except the matching rule differs: Mexican Train uses a larger set, runs several lines at once from a central double, lets a stuck player draw, and gives the round to the lowest total, whereas Block has one line, no drawing, and awards the winner the pips left in the other hands.

Cuban Dominoes: Partnership Play

In Cuba, and across much of the Caribbean, dominoes is a partnership game: two teams of two, with partners sitting opposite each other, each team playing to get one of its members out or to leave the other side with the higher count when the hand blocks.

Because partners share a result, a play can be made for the partner's benefit: leaving open a number the partner has shown they hold, or closing one the opponents have shown they hold. Signalling by word, gesture or timing is cheating; the only legitimate information is the tiles played and the passes made, the same information a Block player works from.

Cuban scoring commonly includes a bonus for a "capicúa": going out with a final tile that would have fitted either open end. The bonus rewards a player who steers the ends towards one another rather than simply emptying their hand.

The game on this site has no partnership mode. Each of the four seats plays for itself, a hand ends the same way (someone goes out, or nobody can move), and there is no bonus for how the last tile is played.

Chinese Dominoes: Pai Gow and Tien Gow

Chinese tile games are a separate family from the European game, with a different set and a different way of playing. The Chinese set contains 32 tiles with no blanks, and tiles are classified into "civil" and "military" suits based on their pip combinations. Some tiles appear twice in the set, which has no counterpart in the European double-six.

Pai Gow is a gambling game still played in casinos. Each player receives four tiles and must arrange them into two pairs that beat the dealer's corresponding pairs. The strategic depth comes from understanding the intricate hierarchy of tile combinations and making optimal splitting decisions.

Chinese tiles often feature red pips alongside traditional black ones, with specific combinations carrying special significance. The visual distinction between pip colours adds complexity to reading the tiles and understanding combinations.

Tien Gow ("Heaven Nine") is another traditional Chinese domino game that uses trick-taking mechanics similar to card games. Players compete to win tricks containing valuable tiles, with complex rules governing which tiles can beat others. The game rewards both memory for tracking played tiles and strategic planning for trick optimisation.

None of this resembles Block Dominoes: there is no line of play, tiles are ranked against each other rather than matched end to end, and the set itself is different. Where the two families stand in relation to each other, and what is actually known about it, is the subject of our short history of dominoes.