DOMINO — Classic Block & Partnership Rules

CLASSIC BLOCK RULES — For 2 to 4 Players

THE AIM

Be the first player to play all your dominoes. If the game is blocked, the player with the lowest total number of pips wins the round.

SET UP

Use all 28 dominoes. Shuffle them face down.

• 2 players: 7 dominoes each
• 3 or 4 players: 5 dominoes each

Keep your dominoes hidden from the other players. Set the remaining dominoes aside: they are not used during the round.

WHO STARTS?

The player holding the highest double starts: double-6, then double-5, and so on. If nobody has a double, reshuffle all the dominoes and deal again.

Place the first domino face up in the centre of the table.

PLAY

Players take turns, one at a time.

Match the number at either open end of the chain: 6 to 6, 3 to 3, and so on. Play one domino per turn. You may place it at either open end, as long as the numbers match.

NO MATCH?

If you cannot make a legal play, pass your turn. There is no drawing in Block Dominoes.

WIN

The first player to play all their dominoes wins the round.

If no player can make a legal play, the game is blocked. Each player counts the pips on their remaining dominoes. The player with the lowest total wins the round.

If two or more players have the same lowest total, the round is a tie.

PARTNERSHIP RULES — For 4 Players

THE AIM

Play as a team. The first team to have one player play all their dominoes wins. If the game is blocked, the team with the lowest total number of pips wins.

SET UP

Use all 28 dominoes. Shuffle them face down.

Four players form two teams. Partners sit opposite each other. Each player draws 7 dominoes. All 28 dominoes are dealt, so there is no draw pile.

Keep your dominoes hidden from the other players.

WHO STARTS?

The player holding the double-6 starts the game. The player to the right plays next. Play continues around the table in the same direction.

PLAY

Match the number at either open end of the chain: 6 to 6, 3 to 3, and so on. Play one domino per turn. You may place it at either open end, as long as the numbers match.

Do not show or exchange your dominoes with your partner.

NO MATCH?

If you cannot make a legal play, pass your turn. There is no draw pile in Partnership Dominoes.

WIN

A team wins when one of its players plays their last domino.

If no player can make a legal play, the game is blocked. Each team counts the pips on the dominoes remaining in both partners’ hands. The team with the lowest total wins the game.

If both teams have the same total, the game is a tie.