Domino Basics

Domino Basics

Dominoes is an ancient game believed to have originated in China. There are records dating back to at least 1120 AD, but it is believed to be much older than that.

A Domino is a small tile that represents the roll of two dice. The tile, commonly called a bone, is rectangular with a line down the centre. Each end of the tile contains a number. In the most popular domino set, the double-six, the numbers vary from 0 (or blank) to 6. This produces 28 unique tiles.

Dominoes are referred to by the number of dots (or pips) on each end, with the lower number usually listed first. Thus, a tile with a 2 on one end and a 5 on the other is referred to as a “2-5”. A tile with the same number on both ends is called a “double” (or doublet), so a “6-6” is referred to as “double-six”. A doublesix is the “heaviest” domino; a double-blank is the “lightest” domino value.

How to play

The game is played with two to four players.

• Place the dominoes face down on the table (the boneyard) and shuffle them until they are in random order.

• The order of play is decided by each player picking a domino. The player with the highest value domino gets to select their dominoes first (Add the dots on the domino together to get its value). These dominoes are returned to the pack and it is reshuffled.

• In a two player game each player takes seven dominoes. If playing with three or four players each player should take five dominoes. Do not allow the other players to see your dominoes.

• The player with the highest double goes first, placing this domino face up on the table. If no double is held by any player, then the player with the highest value domino goes first. Play continues to the left of the first player. Lay a domino with the same value to the first domino (it doesn’t matter which end). Make sure that “like values” are always touching.

• Replace the domino played with one from the boneyard.

• If you cannot a play a domino you forfeit your go, but must still take another domino from the boneyard.

• Win the game by being the first player to run out of dominoes.

• If nobody can play a domino and there are no more dominoes in the boneyard, then the player with the lowest value of dominoes in their hand is the winner!

T o f i n d o u r s h o p s v i s i t w w w . f u n l e a r n i n g . c o . u k