Frequently Asked Questions

In Block Dominoes, when a player cannot play, they simply pass their turn. In Draw Dominoes, players must continue drawing from the boneyard until they can play or until the boneyard is empty. Block Dominoes tends to be faster-paced and more strategic since players can't always get the tiles they need.

Every player starts with 7 dominoes, whatever the player count. With four players that uses all 28 tiles. With two or three players the leftover tiles are set aside and stay out of play, because Block Dominoes has no drawing.

The player with the highest double domino (6-6, 5-5, etc.) goes first. If no one has a double, the player with the highest value domino starts. The first domino is placed in the center of the playing area.

No, you can only play one domino per turn, and it must be placed on one end of the domino line. The domino you play must have a matching number of pips on the end where you place it.

When the game is blocked (no player can make a legal play), the player with the lowest total pip count in their remaining dominoes wins the round. This is why it's important to play high-value tiles early when possible.

The winner of each hand scores the total pip count of all tiles left in the other players' hands. A game usually runs to a point target agreed before play, commonly 100 points or more. Our game keeps the running total across hands until you start a new game.

Yes, doubles are typically placed perpendicular (crosswise) to the line of play, but they still only provide one number for matching. For example, a 6-6 double can only be matched with another 6.

No, dominoes should be kept hidden from other players. Part of the strategy is working out what opponents might hold from the tiles they play and, above all, the numbers they pass on.

The boneyard is the collection of dominoes that remain after each player has drawn their starting hand. In Draw Dominoes, players draw from the boneyard when they cannot play. In Block Dominoes, the boneyard is not used during play.

Track which numbers have been played, shed doubles and heavy tiles while you can, keep a hand that still matches the open ends, and remember every number an opponent passes on - in Block Dominoes a pass proves they hold neither open end, and that stays true for the rest of the hand. Our beginner strategy article walks through each of these with examples.

In a blocked game, if multiple players have the same lowest pip count, the round is typically considered a tie with no points awarded. However, house rules may vary on how ties are handled.

A spinner is a double domino that can be played on all four sides, creating a cross pattern. This rule is used in some variations but not in standard Block Dominoes, where doubles are played perpendicular but only provide one matching end.

A single hand is short: with four players and seven tiles each there are at most 28 plays, so a hand against the computer here usually takes a few minutes. A game to a point target takes several hands.

Both. The deal is luck, but what you do with it is not: counting the tiles still out, choosing which end to play to, and remembering what opponents have passed on all change the result. One concrete measure: our three computer opponents differ only in how much of that reasoning they do, and over 6,000 simulated hands the Hard level beats the Easy level about 63% of the time.

In casual games, address concerns directly with the group. In tournament play, notify the organizer immediately. Common forms of cheating include looking at others' tiles, manipulating the boneyard, or signaling between partners.