r_9_0 — w_rules

Dominoes: the basics

This page covers what all variants share. How they differ is on their own pages: draw, block, goat, international, international for two.

The set

The set is "double-six": 28 tiles whose ends show from blank (0) to six, each combination once. A tile with equal ends (0–0, 1–1 … 6–6) is a double.

The game is played in deals until the match is decided on points.

The first move

The player holding the lowest double (the blank double 0–0 does not count) moves first. If nobody has a double, the player with the lowest tile starts. The first tile can be any tile from the hand.

In the international variant the holder of the highest tile starts, and from the second deal on the winner of the previous deal starts.

Moving

Players take turns. A move is placing a tile at one of the two ends of the line so that the touching numbers match: a 4–1, 4–6 or 4–4 fits an open "4".

The line does not have to be straight: the player chooses where it goes — straight ahead, left or right, wherever there is room. A double is laid across the line and does not turn it; the tile played onto a double also goes straight on.

How to move on the table: click a tile in your hand — it lifts, and circles appear at the ends of the line where it can be placed. Click a circle. The right mouse button or a second click on the tile cancels the choice.

What happens when you cannot move depends on the variant: in the draw game you take tiles from the boneyard, in the block game and in Goat you pass.

Adjusting the line

A line can curl so that one of its ends is boxed in. So on your turn you may adjust the line: turn its tail at a chosen tile. The tiles and their order stay the same, only the way they lie changes, and the tail keeps its shape. An adjustment is not a move: the same player moves afterwards.

The line cannot be bent across the first tile of the deal or right after a double.

Tile values

A tile in hand is worth the sum of its pips: 6–5 is worth 11, 0–3 is worth three. In Goat two doubles are special — see its page.

End of a deal

A deal ends in one of two ways.

1. Someone plays their last tile — their side wins the deal.
2. Blocked game — nobody can move. The side with fewer points in hand wins the deal. If they are level, the deal is drawn and nobody scores.

In the pairs game partners' hands are counted together.

The table is not cleared after a deal: the hands are revealed so you can see how the result was counted. The next deal starts once every player presses "Next".

Scoring

Deal points are written in one of two ways.

• Winner takes the points. The side that won the deal scores the total left in the opponents' hands. The first to reach the match target wins.
• Goat scoring. The winner scores nothing; every losing side scores what is left in its own hands. Points are penalties: the first to reach the target loses the match.

Example. You play your last tile, your opponent is left with 6–5 and 2–3. Winner takes the points: you score 11 + 5 = 16. Goat scoring: your opponent scores 16.

Each variant has its own default scoring.

What you can choose when offering a game

• The match target.
• Tiles per hand — at least two. The set must be large enough for every player, and in the draw game at least one tile must stay in the boneyard.
• Scoring — winner takes the points, or Goat scoring.