How to Play Dominoes

Dominoes is a classic game enjoyed by adults and kids alike, and although the game of dominoes has been around for many decades, dominoes is still a game that people love to play. Dominoes is an easy game to play, and dominoes is a game that's appropriate for all ages and skill levels. If you can count to six or match patterns, you can enjoy playing dominoes, and if you can count to one hundred, you won't have any trouble keeping score in dominoes. There are many ways to play dominoes, but most people play by the basic rules of dominoes. The basic rules of dominoes are easy, and almost anyone can enjoy playing and keeping score.

If you have a set of dominoes and have forgotten how to play, the following information provides the rules and scoring of a basic game of dominoes. After you rediscover the game of dominoes, you'll enjoy playing dominoes with your kids, grandchildren, and friends. Dominoes is a game that will forever be enjoyed by people all over the world. Rediscover dominoes, and you'll be glad you took the time to learn the rules of basic dominoes. After you play one game of dominoes you'll be hooked on this fun and classic game, and you'll want to share the game of dominoes with those you love.

Game Pieces

A classic game of dominoes contains twenty-eight pieces, and up to four people can play. The dominoes are also referred to as "bones". Very old sets of dominoes were actually made of bone, and this is where the term "bones" originates. Dominoes are typically black and white, but some games of dominoes contain brightly colored pieces. Dominoes are typically made of wood or plastic, but older sets of dominoes might be made of antique ivory or bone.

Dominoes have a center line on each game piece, and each end can have zero dots or between one and six dots. The dots are called "pips." The dominoes that have the same number of dots on each end are called "doublets." The unused pile of dominoes is called the "boneyard."

How to Play a Basic Game of Dominoes

To play a basic game of dominoes all of the dominoes must be placed face down on a flat surface, and the dominoes must be mixed up before play begins. When three or four people are playing a game of dominoes, each person randomly chooses five dominoes from the boneyard. If two people are playing a game of dominoes, each player randomly chooses seven dominoes from the boneyard. Each player keeps their dominoes hidden from the other players by either standing them on end or hiding them on their lap.

The person who has the highest doublet is the person who goes first in a game of dominoes. If you hold double sixes, you are the player who goes first. If the double six is in the boneyard, the person with the next highest doublet goes first. The first piece is placed face up on the table, and play rotates clockwise.

The next player in a game of dominoes must play one of their dominoes that matches the first piece played, or they can play a blank since a blank represents any number. Dominoes with a matching halves must be touching. For instance, you can place a doublet of twos next to a half with two dots. The doublet is placed on the end of a matching piece, and the game of dominoes begins to look like a game of hopscotch. Dominoes can be placed crosswise, at right angles, and dominoes can be played end to end.

Players who don't hold a piece that matches any open dominoes on the table must take dominoes from the boneyard until they have a piece they can play. If the boneyard becomes empty, a player simply passes their turn to the next person until they can play, or until someone has used all of their dominoes.

Scoring in a Basic Game of Dominoes

The person who has played all of their dominoes wins the point value of the dominoes in the possession of other players. Subsequent games of dominoes are played until one person reaches a predesignated score. Most games of dominoes are played until someone reaches a score of fifty or one hundred.