How to Play Dominoes: Complete Beginner's Guide
Dominoes is much more than a board game. Across Latin America, from Venezuela to Cuba, dominoes is a tradition that brings families and friends together around a table.
What you need to play
A standard domino set has 28 tiles, with values from 0 (blank) to 6. Each tile has two halves, and every possible combination appears exactly once.
To play partner dominoes you need:
- 28 domino tiles
- 4 players (2 teams of 2)
- A table and a strong desire to win
How tiles are dealt
Tiles are placed face down and shuffled well. Each player draws 7 tiles at random. In partner dominoes, all tiles are dealt — none remain on the table.
Who goes first
The player holding the double six (also called "la cochina" or "the fat one") opens the game by placing it in the center of the table. If nobody has the double six, the next highest double starts.
How to play
Players take turns placing tiles, going counter-clockwise. To play a tile, one of its numbers must match one of the open ends of the chain.
For example, if the chain shows a 4 on one end and a 2 on the other, you can play any tile that has a 4 or a 2.
If you have no tile to play, you must pass your turn. This gives valuable information to all players.
How to win
A round ends when:
- A player runs out of tiles — their team wins the round
- The game locks up — nobody can play. The team with fewer points in their remaining tiles wins
Scoring
The points from the losing team's remaining tiles are added to the winning team's score. The game is typically played to 100, 150, or 200 points.
Next step
Now that you know the basic rules, it's time to practice. Play your first game on Domino Live and put what you've learned into action.