Dominoes

Tips

• Get rid of heavy tiles early, especially high doubles. A double only matches one number, so it gets harder to place as the game goes on, and if the game blocks, every pip left in your hand counts against you.
• Keep a spread of numbers in your hand. If all your tiles share a few numbers, one unlucky end can leave you drawing turn after turn.
• Count what has been played. There are only seven tiles of each number in the set, so once five or six of a number are on the table you can tell whether the other side is likely to hold the rest.
• When a tile fits both ends, choose the end that leaves a number you still hold. Keeping an end open for yourself saves a trip to the boneyard.
• Tiles that cannot be played right now are dimmed in your hand, and a tile that fits only one end is placed there as soon as you tap it.

Questions

Who goes first?

Whoever holds the highest double opens with it, and it is played for them automatically. If nobody holds a double, you start and may lay any tile.

What happens when I cannot play?

Draw from the boneyard, one tile at a time, until you have a tile that fits. When the boneyard is empty, the button becomes Pass.

What if nobody can play?

The game is blocked. Both hands are counted, and whoever holds fewer pips wins.

Can I play with a friend?

Yes. Pass the device between two players, with each hand hidden until its player taps to take over, or open a room and share its code to play a friend online.

How is a win scored?

When you beat the computer, your points are the pips left in the computer's hand.

Is it free?

Yes. Dominoes is free in your browser, with no download and no account needed.