How to Play Dominoes with 2 Players: 3 Fun Games

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Learn to play Mexican Train, Double Sixes or Double Nines, and Fives
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There are loads of different games to play with a set of dominoes, and while many of them are for a group of people to enjoy, plenty of dominoes games can be played with just 2 people. If you’re looking to rattle some bones in an intense 1v1 duel, or even just a more laid-back match, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll show you how to play 3 classic dominoes games for 2 players.

Basic 2-Player Dominoes Rules

  • Play basic dominoes with 2 players by shuffling the dominoes and dealing 7 to each player. The player with the highest double domino plays it onto the table.
  • Take turns playing dominoes from your hand that match the last-played dominoes on the table. If you can’t play any dominoes, draw a new domino, instead.
  • The player who plays all their dominoes first wins, and their score is the number of dots on the other player’s remaining dominoes.
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Playing Basic Dominoes with 2 Players

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  1. Before you play a game of dominoes , place all the dominoes face-down on the table, and use your hands to shuffle them around until they’re thoroughly mixed up. Then each player draws 7 dominoes into their hand. Place your own dominoes in front of you, so that only you can see their pips, or dots. [1]
    • Shuffling this way is sometimes called “washing the dishes.”
    • Push the rest of the dominoes off to the side, and keep them face-down. This is the “boneyard,” and you’ll draw new dominoes from here.
    • This game uses either “double six” or “double nine” dominoes, which are dominoes where the highest number of pips is a pair of sixes, or nines, on 1 domino.
  2. The player who has the highest double in their hand places it face-up on the table. This is known as the “spinner,” and you’ll play other dominoes onto it. If someone has the double-six domino, that player goes first, since it’s the highest double. Otherwise, the next highest double is played. [2]
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  3. The second player looks at their hand and places a domino on the table. This domino must match the first domino on at least 1 side. For example, if the first domino was a double-six, this next domino must have a set of 6 pips on one end. [3]
    • Place the domino perpendicularly so that the matching number is touching the middle of the first domino.
    • You can play a matching domino onto either side of the spinner.
  4. End dominoes are the dominoes at the “end” of the line of dominoes. At the start, there will be 2 ends, and you can play a domino on either side of the first domino. As the game goes on, the train of dominoes may split when you play a double, making new ends. Players take turns playing dominoes onto the table that match one of the ends. [4]
    • For example, you may place a 2-6 domino onto the 2 side of another, as long as the 2 side is on the end.
    • Doubles are placed perpendicular to the end domino, so that the end domino touches their middle. This creates 2 new ends, and also 3 new locations for another domino—on either side of the double, or in its middle.
  5. If none of your dominoes match one of the end dominoes, draw a domino from the boneyard. Keep drawing until you have a domino that you can play. Be careful, though, since the more dominoes you draw, the harder it’ll be for you to win! [5]
  6. If you’re the first player to play every domino in your hand, with none left over, you win! If you’re playing multiple rounds, the winning player counts the number of pips on the dominoes left in their opponent’s hand, and adds that to their own score. Play 4 more rounds (or however many you like), and the player with the higher score at the end of the fifth round wins the game. [6]
    • Sometimes, neither player will be able to play from their hand, and there’ll be no dominoes left to take from the boneyard. In this case, the player with the lower number of pips in their hand wins, and their score is the number of pips in their opponent’s hand.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Playing “Fives” with 2 Players

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  1. Set all the dominoes face-down on the table, then use your hands to shuffle and mix them. Each player then takes 7 face-down dominoes each and lines them up so that only they can see the dots, or pips, on the dominoes in their hand. [7]
    • Shove the rest of the dominoes off to the side, keeping them face-down. This is called the “boneyard."
    • This game is played with a set of double-six dominoes, which are dominoes that have a maximum of 12 pips on a single domino.
    • This game is a lot like Straight Dominoes (described above), but with a twist on the scoring system.
  2. The player who has the highest double domino in their hand goes first, and plays this domino face-up in the center of the table. This domino is known as the “spinner,” and will be the starting domino that the others are built on. [8]
    • The highest double domino is the domino with 2 sets of 6 pips. If a player has this in their hand, it’s always played first.
  3. Once the spinner is on the table, the second player plays their first domino, which must have a number that matches the first domino. For example, if the first player played a double five, the second player places a domino with 5 pips on one side onto the table. [9]
    • Position the domino so that the matching side is perpendicular to the first domino, touching it in the center.
  4. Now, players take turns playing dominoes onto any of the “end” dominoes on the table, which are any dominoes that have an exposed end—a side that doesn’t already touch another domino. For example, you could play a 2-3 domino onto a a 3-4 domino, so that the 3s touch. [10]
    • Double dominoes are played perpendicularly, so that their center line touches the domino on the end. Then players can play new dominoes onto any of the 3 exposed sides of the double domino.
  5. Once you play a domino, check to see if all the exposed ends of the domino train add up to a multiple of 5. If they do, you score! Count up the pips on the exposed ends, and add that number to your score. If the pips on the ends don’t add up to a multiple of 5, you don’t score any points. [11]
    • For example, say you played a domino with an exposed end of 3. Across the table, there’s an exposed end with 5 pips, and another exposed end with 2 pips. This adds up to 10, which is a multiple of 5, so you earn 10 points.
    • Both sides of a double domino on the end of the train count toward this number.
    • The first domino played does not score points.
  6. If none of the dominoes in your hand match any of the dominoes at the ends of the train, draw a domino from the boneyard. Keep drawing from the boneyard once per turn until you get a domino that can be played. Be warned, though: the more dominoes in your hand, the harder it’ll be for you to win. [12]
  7. Once any player has played the final domino in their hand, the round ends immediately. The player who ended the round also earns bonus points equal to the number of pips left in the other player’s hand, rounded to the nearest multiple of 5. Then, compare scores. The player with the most points wins! [13]
    • Sometimes, nobody will be able to play any tiles, and the boneyard will be empty. In this case, the last player to play a domino is considered the “finishing” player who earns bonus points.
    • Feel free to play multiple rounds, with the score rolling over to each new round. Keep playing until someone hits a score of 250, which means they win.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Playing Mexican Train with 2 Players

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  1. Find the domino that has 24 dots, or pips—12 on each side—and place it face-up in the center of the table. This is the starting domino, and you’ll build your trains off of it. [14]
    • Mexican Train is played with “double twelve” dominoes, which are dominoes where the highest value is 24, or 12 pips on both sides.
    • Technically, you could play with double six dominoes, but it may be a much shorter game.
  2. Lay the dominoes face-down on the table and use your hands to mix them all up. Then, both players each take 16 dominoes for themselves. Set your dominoes in front of you so only you can see the pips on their faces. Push the rest of the face-down dominoes to the side. These will be the “boneyard.” [15]
    • Before you draw, both players take a single domino from the center of the table. The player who has the domino with more pips will go first. Then, shuffle both dominoes back into the rest, and draw your 16 dominoes.
  3. The first player plays a domino that matches the starting domino—in this first round, your first domino must have 12 pips on one side. This starts your personal train. Then, take turns playing a single domino per turn. Every domino you play must match the end of the last domino of the train. [16]
    • For example, you may play a 12-4 domino onto the starting 12-12 domino. Then, you may play a 4-1 domino onto that, and so on.
    • On your turn, you may also start a new “public” train off of the starter domino. Both players can play dominoes onto public trains, and a total of 8 trains can extend from the starting domino this way.
  4. If none of the dominoes in your hand match the end domino of a train on the table, draw a new domino from the boneyard. If you can play it, do so. Otherwise, you forfeit your train, your turn ends, and the other player can play dominoes onto your train until you draw and play a domino onto it during your turn. [17]
    • Each turn, you draw a new domino until you draw one that can be played. Draw one domino per turn, and play a legal domino on the same turn you drew it.
  5. When you play a double domino, you must immediately play another domino onto it. Double dominoes are played perpendicularly, so that their center line touches the last domino. If you cannot play another domino—like when you don’t have one that matches—this starts an “open double.” Open doubles are played like this: [18]
    • Immediately draw a new domino. If you can play it onto the double, do so, and the open double closes and the game continues as normal.
    • If you cannot play it onto the open double, you forfeit your train, and the other player may play dominoes onto your train until you draw and play a domino onto it.
    • However, if you can’t immediately close your train, the other player must also attempt to do so. If they also can’t close it, either by playing from their hand or drawing, they also forfeit their own train.
    • In this case, both players continue to take turns drawing dominoes until someone can close the train. The game doesn’t continue until the open double is closed.
  6. Once somebody plays the last domino in their hand, the game ends immediately. Count the number of pips left on the dominoes in your hand (which will be zero if you played them all), and add that number to your score. In Mexican Train, you want as low a score as possible . [19]
  7. After the first round, swap the 12-12 domino for the 11-11 domino, then shuffle them again and play another round. Keep playing rounds with the next lowest double domino as your starter, until you finish the 1-1 round. Then, count up your scores. The player with the lower score wins the game! [20]
    • For a shorter game, start with the 6-6 domino, and work down to 1-1. Or, just stop playing from 12-12 once you reach 6-6.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://admissions.fiu.edu/iacac2023/special-events/dodgeball-late-night-hospitality/straight-dominoes-basic-overview-1.pdf
      2. ↑ https://gamerules.com/rules/straight-dominoes/
      3. ↑ http://www.domino-play.com/Games/StraightDominoes.htm
      4. ↑ https://gamerules.com/rules/straight-dominoes/
      5. ↑ http://www.domino-play.com/Games/StraightDominoes.htm
      6. ↑ https://admissions.fiu.edu/iacac2023/special-events/dodgeball-late-night-hospitality/straight-dominoes-basic-overview-1.pdf
      7. ↑ https://pumas.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/examples/02_11_09_1.pdf
      8. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/domino/line/fives_and_threes.html
      9. ↑ https://pumas.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/examples/02_11_09_1.pdf
      1. ↑ https://pumas.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/examples/02_11_09_1.pdf
      2. ↑ http://www.domino-play.com/Games/StraightDominoes.htm
      3. ↑ https://www.sbyc.org/documents/10184/104136/Basic+Rules+for+Domino+Tournament.pdf/b2723686-6998-494f-8acb-91d4be12551b
      4. ↑ https://pumas.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/examples/02_11_09_1.pdf
      5. ↑ https://rnkgaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Mexican-Train-Rules.pdf
      6. ↑ https://www.mexicantrainrulesandstrategies.com/mexican_train_rules.pdf
      7. ↑ https://rnkgaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Mexican-Train-Rules.pdf
      8. ↑ https://www.mexicantrainrulesandstrategies.com/mexican_train_rules.pdf
      9. ↑ https://mexicantrain.com/blog/large-print-rules.pdf
      10. ↑ https://rnkgaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Mexican-Train-Rules.pdf
      11. ↑ https://mexicantrain.com/blog/large-print-rules.pdf

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