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How To Play Dominoes

Max. D Gray
By Max. D Gray. Updated: January 16, 2017
How To Play Dominoes

Dominos is a game in which you use rectangular tiles, generally white on one side and black on the other, divided into two squares on the white side, each of which has a from zero to six numbers marked on top. The complete domino set has 28 pieces, each one representing two of the possible values. Dominos can be considered an extension of dice. Although its earlier origin is supposed to be oriental and ancient, it doesn't seem like the game was known in Europe until the mid XVIIIth century, when Italians introduced it. If you want to know the rules in detail, at OneHowTo we show you how to play dominoes.

You'll need:
  • Dominos
  • Pencils
  • Scoring boards
  • Chairs
  • Punctuation counters
You may also be interested in: How to Play Tic Tac Toe in 7 Easy Steps
Steps to follow:
1

To begin with, you should count that your set has 28 pieces, which go from double white to double six. It's important that all of the pieces are complete so you can play properly. This game requires a minimum of 2 players and a maximum of 4.

2

Place the pieces face down on the table and mix them together with your hands to make sure they are properly mixed.

3

Allow your opponent to get seven pieces of dominoes, and get seven for yourself. Leave the rest at one side of the table.

4

To begin to play dominoes, the player with the highest double piece should begin, starting from 6/6 and going down to lower numbers.

How To Play Dominoes - Step 4
5

Place a dominoes piece that has one of its numbers coinciding with the double number placed on the table (the other value doesn't matter). Make sure values are always touching.

6

Pick up another piece from the discarded pile if you don't have a domino piece which corresponds to the ones already laid. Keep your domino pieces away from your opponent's sight, this will be fundamental so your opponent doesn't discover your game.

7

If there are no more discarded domino pieces in the pile, you lose a turn. Your opponent will have to play another piece.

8

The winner is the person who first gets rid of his/her domino pieces.

9

The game also ends when all players have missed the same turn, in which case the winner is the person with the lowest score.

10

The rest of the players should count their score according to the number of dots on the pieces they still have in hand. Add the score to a piece of paper.

11

The game also finishes when someone gets to 50 points (when playing with two players) or 100 points with three or more players. The lowest score wins.

12

Now you know how to play dominoes, if you love playing new games, at OneHowTo we have some suggestions:

If you want to read similar articles to How To Play Dominoes, we recommend you visit our Toys & Games category.

Tips
  • If you're playing with three or four players, each player must have five domino pieces.
  • If there's more than two playing, the game is played clockwise.
  • If no players have doubles, the player who goes first is determined by who has the highest value over all.
  • Keep the biggest variety of numbers in hand as long as possible. If you can choose between playing 5-4 or 5-3 when the first piece was a double 5,you should choose according to the number of 4s or 3s you have in hand.
  • If you lay down a double, the design on the board forms a T and the game can continue from whichever end you prefer.

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