How to play dominoes
- Play the computer or a friend on the same device. Each player gets seven tiles from a double-six set; the other 14 stay face down in the boneyard. The lead alternates between rounds.
- On your turn, play a tile with a number matching one open end of the line. Click it; if it fits both ends, click the end you want. A double is placed crosswise.
- With nothing that fits, draw from the boneyard until you can play, or pass when it’s empty. Play all your tiles to win the round and score the pips left in the other player’s hand.
Tips for winning at dominoes
- Play heavy tiles early. Tiles like 6 and 6 or 5 and 6 cost the most if they’re left in your hand when the round ends.
- Get rid of doubles. A double only matches one number, so it’s the tile most likely to get stuck.
- Keep your numbers varied. Holding tiles with many different numbers means you can answer more ends without drawing.
- Watch what the computer draws for. If it had to draw when a 4 was open, it probably has no 4s left, so leaving 4s on the ends can force it to draw again.
- Count the line. Each number appears on eight ends in a double-six set. When most of one number is already on the table, an end showing it is hard for anyone to match.
About the game
Dominoes are played with 28 tiles in a double-six set, each showing two numbers from blank to six. The Draw game is one of the most common ways to play: players match tiles to the open ends of a single line and draw from the boneyard when stuck. This version plays the Draw game for two, against the computer at two levels or a friend on one device, with matches to 50, 100, 150 or any number of points you choose.