An overview of the rules for the most common version of dominoes, known as “Block Dominoes.” This version is played with a standard set of double-six dominoes (28 tiles with varying combinations of pips).
Objective: The objective of Block Dominoes is to be the first player to play all your tiles or to have the fewest points left in your hand when the game ends.
Setup:
- Shuffle the dominoes face down on the table.
- Each player draws a certain number of tiles, usually 7 in a standard game with 4 players.
- The player with the highest double tile (e.g., the highest tile with the same number of pips on both ends) starts the game.
Gameplay:
- The starting player places their chosen double tile (if they have one) in the center of the playing area.
- The next player must match one end of the tile in the center with a tile from their hand that has the same number of pips. If they don’t have a matching tile, they must draw from the leftover tiles until they can play or until there are no tiles left to draw.
- Play continues clockwise, with players adding tiles to one or both ends of the layout in the center.
- If a player can’t play a tile, they must draw from the leftover tiles until they can play or until there are no tiles left to draw.
- The game continues until one player runs out of tiles (winning the round) or until no one can play and there are no more tiles left to draw (the game ends).
Remember that these rules are for the “Block Dominoes” version, which is one of the most common. There are various other dominoes variations with different rules and strategies, such as Draw Dominoes, Mexican Train, and more. It’s always a good idea to clarify the rules before starting a game to ensure everyone is on the same page.