If you’re bored and have a set of dominoes on hand, then you’re in luck. We’ve put together this helpful list of different types of dominoes games with videos that make learning them super easy.
Let’s learn how to play…
Chicken Foot
- Often called “chickie dominos,” players try to play all of their tiles during the game while still getting the lowest score when the game is over.
- Scores are determined by adding up all of the dots on the tiles that players have in their hands.
- This game is played in rounds, with double-six dominoes creating a game that has 7 rounds.
- Players each get 5 random dominoes to have in their hands.
- By getting rid of high dominoes that they have, players can better their chances of not having a higher score when the game is over.
- Can easily be sized up with more players by using a double-nines or a double-twelves set.
Mexican Train
- Between 4 and 7 players play, trying to build chains, or “trains” of dominoes on the table, all coming out from a center area.
- Players take turns, moving to the left, in an attempt to play all of the dominoes, either on their own trains or on the trains of the other players, under special circumstances.
- Trains are as long as players can make them, so they sometimes have to bend in order to stay on the table.
- Players are given points based on how many pips they have on the dominoes remaining in their hands.
- Game can be played with partners, instead of solo, with players sitting across from each other and playing on the same train as they try to get rid of their dominoes.
Basic Train
- Game uses either a double-twelve or a double-nine set of dominoes, but smaller sets can be used depending on how many players are going to be participating in the game.
- Players are given a set amount of dominoes, depending on how many people are playing the game, and the person with the highest double starts first, with play continuing counterclockwise.
- In their first turn, each player plays a double to act as their engine, but if someone doesn’t have one then the game is stopped and new dominoes are dealt out.
- On each turn, players add dominoes to their own train, if possible, in order to get rid of all of them from their hands.
Draw
- Very simple domino game that is incredibly popular and is what most people think of when they talk about playing dominoes.
- Players shuffle the dominoes and draw tiles to their hand, depending on how many players are playing.
- Leftover tiles are drawn as needed throughout the game.
- Play starts with the player who has the highest double domino and then continues as other players add to an open end of the layout, and they can make it go in any direction.
- Players who can’t play must draw a domino until they are able to take a turn.
- The player who has the fewest number of pips on the dominoes in their hands when the game is over is the winner.
Block
- Generally uses a double-six set for 2 to 4 players.
- Very simple game that starts with players first drawing to fill their hand, and then all remaining dominoes are set aside so that they are not used during the game.
- Players take turns laying tiles on the open ends of the layout, and they connect their dominoes with others that have the same number of pips.
- When a player has put down their final domino or when the game is blocked and nobody is able to play, then the round is over, and the pips are counted.
- The winner is the one who played all of their dominoes or the one who has the lowest number of pips on the dominoes remaining in their hand.
Spinner
- Played with a double-nine set and 11 other tiles, in addition to a spinner symbol and double spinner symbol tile.
- Players draw their tiles and start with the double spinner or the double 9 tile.
- Both the second and the third players must match the played domino with a spinner or 9 tile.
- If a player can’t play, then they need to draw another domino and play it immediately if it matches.
- Following games start with the double 8, then the double 7, and continue until the double 0 is played.
Muggins
- Players compete to get rid of their dominoes, but are mostly focused on trying to score points by playing one that will make the pips on the ends of the layout equal to one multiple of 5.
- When players play a domino that results in the sum of all open ends being a multiple of 5, then they earn points.
- Points are equal to the sum of the ends, so players can quickly earn a lot of points by playing with higher multiples of 5.
- Players start with a hand of dominoes, with the others left in the boneyard and play by matching dominoes end to end.
- Players who can’t play must draw until they take a domino that they can play.
Bergen
- Very similar to “Draw” dominoes, but players are competing to score their points by getting the same suit on the ends of the layout.
- Extra dominoes are put into a boneyard where they can be drawn by a player who isn’t able to play a domino from their hand.
- Players add dominoes to the layout, scoring points when they are able to play dominoes that match the number on the other end of the layout.
- Game ends when players can’t play any other dominoes or when one person plays all from their hand.
- The player who has the fewest number of pips on the dominoes left in their hand earns a point in addition to the points they earned during their game, and players compete to 15 points.
Concentration
- Very similar to the card game, this domino game is typically played by 2 people, but can be played by more.
- All dominos are shuffled and then placed into a rectangular grid upside down so that the numbers can’t be seen.
- Players try to collect pairs of dominoes by flipping them over and looking for a pair of dominoes that have a sum of pips that equals 12.
- As players collect pairs, they earn a point for each pair that they get, but dominoes that have sums more or less than 12 are flipped back over and left on the table.
- Players compete to win 50 or 100 points.
Texas 42
- Players play in teams of 2, sitting across from their partners, and they compete to try to reach 250 points or 7 “marks.”
- There are multiple hands played in this game, and players will play a maximum of 13 hands if they are going to play for marks.
- Before every hand players bid and then play, following suit if possible.
- Every trick that a team can take earns them 1 point, and players can earn the bid that they made at the beginning of the game if they were able to reach their contract.
- If a team doesn’t reach their contract, then they won’t score on that hand, and the other team wil
l earn points instead.
Fives
- Similar in play to “Draw” dominoes, but players don’t want to just go out, but also have the open ends on the layout equal to multiples of 5, which is similar to “Muggins.”
- Players shuffle, draw tiles, and place the extra in the boneyard where they can be used during the game.
- Players start by playing a spinner and then building off of it with their dominoes in an attempt to create ends of the layout that are multiples of 5.
- Hands end when a player runs out of tiles or when the game becomes blocked, and the player with the fewest pips wins the total amount of points that their opponents got minus any pips they have, rounded to the nearest 5, and then divided by 5.
- Players generally play to 100 or 200.
Solitaire
- Great solo game where a player puts all dominoes face down, shuffles, and then places 3 face-up and in a row.
- The player removes the middle tile if the 2 tiles on the end share a common number, consolidate tiles, and then draw another to place on the end.
- If a tile in the middle isn’t surrounded by tiles with matching numbers, then the game is over.
- If all 3 tiles share a same number then the player can choose to remove the middle tile or clear all 3 tiles from the table.
- One variation includes setting all tiles up in a pyramid and playing off of that shape, moving tiles around as they are flipped.
Ziggurat
- Players earn points when they stack their dominoes on top of others that have the same number of pips.
- Players shuffle and deal all dominoes evenly, setting excess ones out of the game.
- Players must play a domino that is able to touch another one with the correct number of pips, resulting in a 4×4 grid without spaces.
- Once the grid is completed, then players start building up, covering squares with their dominos and scoring according to how many squares they cover with a matching number and multiplying that number by the level of ziggurat.
- Players can try to make levels unplayable to make it difficult for their opponents to score, and the game is over when someone runs out of dominoes or players can’t play.