Free Games How to play dominoes
A double-six set has 28 tiles, each split into two halves showing anything from a blank to a six. You take seven, the computer takes seven, and the remaining fourteen wait in the boneyard. Whoever holds the highest double opens the round.
After that, one rule carries the whole game: a tile you lay must match one of the two open ends. If the ends show a three and a five, you can play any tile with a three on it, or any tile with a five. The tile turns so the matching halves touch, and the end becomes whatever the other half of your tile shows.
When nothing fits
You take one from the boneyard, and keep taking until something fits. That is the ordinary rule rather than a setback — everybody does it several times a round. Only when the boneyard has run dry can a turn pass, and if neither side can move the round is blocked: the hand with the lower total number of pips takes it.
Gentle tips
- Lay your doubles early. A double can only ever go against one number, so it is the tile most likely to be stranded in your hand at the end.
- Shed the heavy tiles. If a round ends up blocked, the pips left in your hand decide it. A six-five in hand costs eleven; a blank-one costs one.
- Watch what the ends become. The best tile is often not the biggest but the one that leaves ends your other tiles can still reach.
- Undo is unlimited. Take a move back with the computer’s reply and try another line entirely — that is the fastest way to get a feel for the game.
Why our line is straight
On a kitchen table the line bends around corners because the table runs out. On a screen that snaking shape is the single hardest part of the game to read, particularly on a tablet. Since the rules never depend on the shape, we lay the tiles in one straight run that scrolls sideways, and outline the two open ends so you can always see what you are matching.
More gentle games
If you enjoy dominoes you may also like Bingo, Mahjong Solitaire and our Checkers, or browse all our board games and every free game on the site.
