Q&A for How to Play Dominoes

Picture dominoes is very similar to a game of straight dominoes with standard tiles. Instead of matching numbers, the players match pictures together. Just like in straight dominoes, you play until one person runs out of dominoes or nobody can make any more matches.

In all fives, the goal is to make the open ends of the layout add up to either 5 or a multiple of 5. The players typically play to 100 or 200 points.

A double 9 set is a domino set that comes with 55 dominoes, with the suits ranging from 0 (blank) to 9. A double 9 set allows you to play a larger variety of games than a double 6 set, which only contains 28 dominoes with suits ranging from 0 to 6. Dominoes also come in double 12 sets.

You draw a new tile if you cannot make a play

To get rid of all your dominoes before your opponent(s).

You can use them when you can't put a domino with the rest.

Yes. If you have no tiles that you can play, you will need to "pass" your turn, and let your opponant play a tile. After his turn, see if you can play a tile. If you can, then play a tile; if you can't, then pass again. If neither of you can, the game is over.

Yes, you can play with up to four players, with each player drawing seven tiles to start.

You're thinking of a variation called "All Fives." In that game, you score points by placing a tile that causes both ends of the chain to add up to a multiple of five (5, 10, 15, or 20). You score that amount of points. For example, if the two ends of the chain are a 4 and a 3, you could place a 3:1 tile to score 5 points (4 + 1 = 5) or a perpendicular 3:3 tile to score 10 points (3 + 3 + 4 = 10).

Blank tiles are worth 0 points and can only be played next to other blanks. Many households change the rules and make the blank tiles "wild" instead.

There is no die or dice in dominoes, so you won't need to count them.

You can play with up to four people. Any more would result in a higher number of dominoes in each hand, which is incorrect.

Turns move clockwise, so the next player to the left would go.

For block dominoes, each player can only draw seven tiles. For draw dominoes, each player starts with seven tiles and you draw a new tile if you cannot make a play.

There are different ways to play Dominoes, but the most common way is you draw once and if you can't go, it's the next person's turn. Others play where you can draw as much as you want until you get what you need.

Unless you don't have a tile to play, you must play the tile that you can play. If not, you can draw a tile.

Yes, once you run out of Boneyard dominoes, you are allowed to pass. If you don't have anything to play, it is the next player's turn.

The boneyard can be used if a player does not have a piece to put down with the others.

Only when you can not place a domino with the rest.

You connect the short side (width) to the width of another tile, vertically or horizontally. If you want to put down a double, then you connect the middle of the tile to the width of another.

It just takes longer to win since there are more tiles to play with. If you want to play with those tiles, be prepared to have a longer game!

The same way you play all the other tiles. You must have a matching blank in order to place or add to the blank tile.

Yes. Start with 5 tiles each.

The same as you would with any other number.

No. You have to wait for your turn to come again.

Normally, you would play with house rules. A blank domino could be wild or it could be a zero.

One player gets rid of 7 tiles. The other will still have one or more remaining.

A double-9 set of dominoes has 55 tiles. A double-12 set of dominoes has 91 tiles.

You can draw a tile from the pile until you find one that matches, or you could forfeit your turn.

Have them add the total number of pips left on the tiles remaining in their hand.