Play dominoes online for free
This is the classic domino game for two, played with a double-six set on a felt table. Match the numbers, build the line from both ends and be the first to play your last tile. Play the computer on Easy, Medium or Hard, or a friend on the same device. Pick the rules you grew up with: Draw dominoes, the version most Americans mean by "dominoes", or All Fives (Muggins), where you score points during the hand.
Three things make it more than a game of luck. The tile tracker lists every tile you haven’t seen yet, number by number, and marks the numbers the computer has run out of. The coach rings the strongest tile in your hand and tells you after each play why it was good, or what would have been better. And the Daily Deal gives everyone the same tiles each day, so you can compare your result with the coach’s and with friends.
What is a domino game?
Dominoes are rectangular tiles, also called bones, stones or cards, split into two halves. Each half shows a number from 0 (blank) to 6 as spots called pips. A double-six set has one tile for every pair of numbers, 28 tiles in all, including seven doubles (0-0 to 6-6). Bigger double-nine and double-twelve sets are used for party games such as Mexican Train.
"Domino game" covers a whole family of games played with the same tiles. Most of them are matching games: you add tiles to a line so that touching halves show the same number. The main ones are listed further down; this page lets you play the two most popular two-player games.
How to play dominoes
The rules below are for Draw dominoes, the standard game for two players.
- Shuffle and draw. Turn all 28 tiles face down and mix them. Each player draws 7 tiles and stands them up so the other player can’t see them. The other 14 tiles are the boneyard.
- The highest double leads. Whoever holds 6-6 plays it to start the line (if nobody has it, 5-5, and so on). If nobody holds a double, the heaviest tile starts.
- Match an open end. Take turns adding one tile to either end of the line. The half you play against the line must show the same number as the end it touches. Doubles are placed crosswise.
- Can’t play? Draw. If no tile in your hand matches either end, draw from the boneyard until you get one that fits, then play it. When the boneyard is empty, you pass.
- Domino! The first player to play their last tile wins the hand and scores the pips left in the opponent’s hand.
- Blocked game. If neither player can play, both hands are counted and the lighter hand wins the difference.
- Play to 100. Shuffle and deal again until someone reaches 100 points (or 50 or 150; choose in New game).
In this game you drag a tile to a glowing end, or simply tap it: if it only fits one end it goes there, and if it fits both, both spots light up and you choose. Tap the boneyard when you need to draw.
How to play dominoes with 2, 3 or 4 players
With a double-six set, 2 players take 7 tiles each, which leaves 14 in the boneyard. With 3 or 4 players, each takes 5 tiles. The rest of the rules stay the same, and four players often play as two partnerships sitting opposite each other, adding their points together. Without a boneyard (all 28 tiles dealt to four players) the game is called Block dominoes: you can’t draw, so when you can’t play you simply pass.
To play with a friend here, choose 2 players on this device. The tiles of the player whose turn it is are hidden until they tap Show my tiles, so pass the device and look away.
Dominoes scoring
| Situation | Draw dominoes | All Fives |
|---|---|---|
| You play your last tile | Pips left in your opponent’s hand | Same, rounded to the nearest 5 |
| Blocked game | Lighter hand scores the difference | Same, rounded to the nearest 5 |
| Open ends add up to 5, 10, 15, 20… | Nothing | You score the total |
| Winning score | 100 | 150 |
Example: you go out and the computer is left with 6-4 and 2-1. That is 10 + 3 = 13 pips, so you score 13 in Draw, or 15 in All Fives. Keeping score by hand? Count pips at the end of each hand and add them to a running total for each player.
All Fives (Muggins) and the spinner
All Fives turns every play into a small sum. After you play a tile, add up the numbers at all the open ends of the line. If the total is a multiple of 5, you score it straight away. A double at an end counts both halves: a line with 5-5 at one end and a 5 at the other counts 10 + 5 = 15.
The first double played is the spinner. Once tiles have been played on both of its long sides, you can also play on its two short sides, so the line grows in four directions and there are up to four ends to count. The opening double scores too: leading 5-5 is worth 10 points.
The coach is especially useful here: it weighs the points you take now against the points you leave for the computer on its next turn.
Domino strategy: how to win more hands
- Get rid of heavy tiles early. If the other player goes out, everything left in your hand counts for them. A 6-6 stuck in your hand costs 12 points.
- Play doubles while you can. A double only fits one number, so it gets harder to place as tiles of that number are used up.
- Keep your hand varied. Play the tile that leaves you a match for as many ends as possible. A hand of five 4s is fine until the 4s disappear from the table.
- Count the tiles. Each number appears on 7 tiles. If five 3s are already on the table and you hold the other two, your opponent has no 3s at all.
- Block. When your opponent draws or passes, they have none of the numbers showing at the ends. Put those numbers back on the ends and they have to draw again. The tracker marks these numbers in red.
- Control a number. Holding several tiles of the same number lets you keep it at an end, where only you can play on it.
The three computer players show the difference. Easy plays any tile that fits. Medium follows the rules above. Hard also counts every tile, works out what you could be holding and tests each move against hundreds of possible hands. With the same tiles it wins about 63% of hands against Medium.
Types of domino games
- Draw dominoes: the classic game on this page, with a boneyard to draw from.
- Block dominoes: the same without drawing; if you can’t play, you pass.
- All Fives (Muggins): score multiples of five at the open ends, with a spinner. Also on this page.
- Mexican Train: a double-twelve party game where every player builds a personal train of tiles, plus a shared Mexican train anyone can use. Play it here.
- Chicken Foot: every double must be covered by three tiles fanned out like a chicken’s foot before play continues. Play it here.
- Texas 42: a trick-taking game for four, played like a card game with dominoes.
Daily Deal
Every day there is one shared deal: the same tiles for everyone, one hand of Draw dominoes against the Medium computer. Your result is your points minus the computer’s. When the hand is over you see what the coach scored with the same tiles, keep a daily streak and can share your result as a row of squares (🟩 best play, 🟨 close, ⬜ a better play existed, 🀫 drew from the boneyard).
FAQ
How many dominoes do you start with?
With a double-six set and 2 players, each player starts with 7 tiles and the other 14 are the boneyard. With 3 or 4 players, each player usually takes 5 tiles.
How many dominoes are in a set?
A standard double-six set has 28 tiles, one for every pair of numbers from 0 to 6, with 168 pips in all. A double-nine set has 55 tiles and a double-twelve set, used for Mexican Train, has 91.
Who goes first in dominoes?
The player holding the highest double (6-6, then 5-5 and so on) plays it to start the line. If nobody has a double, the heaviest tile goes first. Some families let the winner of the last hand lead instead.
What happens when no one can play in dominoes?
The game is blocked. Both players count the pips left in their hands and the lighter hand wins. In this game the winner scores the difference between the two hands; a tie scores nothing.
What do blank tiles count as in dominoes?
A blank half counts as zero and only matches another blank. The double-blank (0-0) is a double worth 0 points, so it is the best tile to be stuck with at the end of a hand.
Is dominoes a game of skill or luck?
Both. The deal is luck, but counting tiles and blocking numbers your opponent doesn’t have make a big difference: in our tests the Hard computer, which tracks every tile, wins about 63% of hands against Medium with the same tiles.
What are the rules of All Fives dominoes?
All Fives, also called Muggins, is played like Draw dominoes, but after each play you add up the open ends of the line (a double at an end counts both halves). If the total is a multiple of 5, you score it. The first double is a spinner that can be played on all four sides. Going out scores the opponent’s pips rounded to the nearest 5, and the first player to 150 wins.
Can I play dominoes with a friend?
Yes. Choose 2 players in New game and pass the device between turns; each player’s tiles are hidden until they tap to show them. There is no online multiplayer.
Is this domino game free?
Yes. It runs in your browser for free, with no download and no account, on a computer, tablet or phone.
More board games: Backgammon, Dots and Boxes, and the dice games Yatzy and Farkle. Playing alone? Try FreeCell solitaire, where every deal has a solution.