It's important to note that there are hundreds of variations of domino games. The version that we typically played is the Latin American way that is very similar to the one played in international domino tournaments with a few differences.
1. Play with 2 to 4 players but it is usually played with 4. If playing 4, those seated opposite to each other are partners.
2. Shuffle the tiles face down and each player picks a tile. The player with highest tile will go first. In case of a tie the higher number on the tile starts.
3. Re-shuffle the tiles and each player picks 7. If playing less than 4 players, the leftover tiles are called the Boneyard.
4. First player usually starts with their highest accompanied double. For example if you have the 5/5 with another 5, say the 5/2 start with that double. If you don’t have an accompanied double, start with the tile that shows the numbers you have most of. For example if you have a lot of 3's and 6's and you have the 6/3 start with that one.
5. The play continues counter-clockwise with each player being able to play on either end of the skeleton. If a player can’t play, they can pass or take from the Boneyard until you pick a tile that can be played.
6. The first player to put all their tiles wins the round. The tiles left in the opponents hands are added to the winning teams tally. For example, if you put your last tile and your opponents have the 4/3 and the 6/0 you get 13 points added to your tally.
7. In case of a Jam, where no one can continue playing, each teams points are added. The team with the least amount of points wins the Jam and gets the points accumulated by the opponents.
8. After each round the player to the right, counter clockwise, of the previous starter gets to go first.
9. Remember dominoes is a game of numbers, so in case of doubt play your highest tiles first to have less points in case your team doesn’t win that round.
10. The team to get to 100 points first, wins! You can also play to 50 for a quicker game.
Which version do you like to play? Have any domino questions? Let us know in the comments.