Dominoes Basics

Dominoes are sets of rectangular tiles that serve as the game pieces for a variety of different games and activities. This guide explains the rules of some of the most popular games played with dominoes.

A primitive dominoes set dating back to 1335 BCE was found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun of Egypt. Modern dominoes were popularized in Europe during the 1800s. In the West, the small ivory tiles took their name from Venetian party masks called domini.

Historically, domino tiles were made from ivory or bone, but today they can be made of wood, plastic, metal, or even paper. Over the years, players have given domino tiles many nicknames, including bones, stones, and bricks.

A domino tile has two ends, usually separated by a line across the middle. Each end of the domino contains a certain number of spots called pips. A standard tile can have 0–6 pips on each end. When an end has no pips, that end is called a blank. A tile can be referred to by the number of pips it has. For example, the tile shown here is a “four-six.” Tiles with the same number of pips on one end are said to belong to the same snit. The four suit, for example, includes the four-six, four-five, four-three, and so on.

Dominoes that have the same number of pips on each end are called doubles or doublets. For example, a tile with three pips on each end is referred to as a “double-three.” A tile with two blank ends is called a “double-blank.” Doubles often play a special role in dominoes games.

A standard dominoes set contains one of each of all of the possible combinations of tiles ranging from double-blank to double-six. Called a double-six set, this standard set contains 28 tiles. Most of the dominoes games explained in this guide use the double-six set.

Tiles are usually stored in a box or carton to prevent them from chipping or breaking. Inexpensive sets may have simple wooden cartons, but expensive sets may come with ornate padded boxes.

Though a standard dominoes set goes up only to double-sixes, there are sets that go up to double-nines, double-twelves, double-fifteens, and even double-eighteens. Because these sets contain more tiles than a standard set, they can be used to accommodate a larger number of players.

Just as the standard deck of playing cards can be used to play many different games, dominoes have inspired an endless variety of games around the world. Two of the most popular dominoes games are draw dominoes and block dominoes. The object of both games is to score points by being the first player to play all the tiles in your hand.

This guide explains how to play draw and block games and also includes some of the most popular variations on those dominoes games played in the United States.

Beyond using dominoes for games, it’s a common pastime for people to create intricate lines of dominoes that stand close to one another on their short edges, then create a chain reaction when the first tile is tipped over. Professional domino topplers often create unbroken sequences of tiles that can stretch on for hundreds or even thousands of tiles.