Dominoes Game Variants

The tile set is the same across most variants — the standard double-six set of 28 tiles — but the rules that govern drawing, scoring and winning vary enormously from one game to the next. Below is an overview of the variants you're most likely to encounter.

Block dominoes

The simplest and oldest form of the game. Two to four players draw seven tiles each and take turns matching an open end. There is no boneyard and no drawing: if you can't play, you pass. The round ends when someone goes out or the game is blocked, and the player (or team) holding the fewest pips wins. Partnership dominoes is essentially the four-player team version of block dominoes.

Draw dominoes

Identical to block dominoes except that a player who cannot play must draw from the boneyard until they can. This keeps the round flowing and removes the pass entirely. Draw games tend to run longer and reward careful hand management, since the boneyard shrinks as the round goes on. For two players, each usually starts with seven tiles; for three or four, often five.

Mexican Train

A hugely popular family game played with a double-twelve set (91 tiles). Each player builds their own private "train" of tiles branching from a central engine tile, and can also play on the shared "Mexican train." Players draw from the boneyard when stuck. The goal is to be the first to empty your hand, and the round is scored by counting pips left in opponents' hands. It's casual, social and very forgiving — a contrast to the tight counting of partnership play.

All Fives (Muggins)

A scoring variant where you earn points during play, not just at the end. Whenever the two open ends of the layout add up to a multiple of five, you score that many points. A 5-5 opened on its own is worth ten points. All Fives rewards planning and pip-count arithmetic and is one of the most strategic two-player variants.

Matador

An unusual variant in which a tile must be placed so the touching ends add up to seven rather than match. So a 4-3 is placed against a 3, and the 0-0 (a "matador") is wild and can be played anywhere. Matador games frequently block, and strategy revolves around hoarding and timing your matadors.

Bergen

A scoring variant popular in Scandinavia. You score a point when the open ends of the layout are the same number, and two points when one of them is a double. Getting "bergens" (both ends equal) is the main source of points, so players try to engineer matching ends.

Chickenfoot

A casual game played with a double-nine or double-twelve set. The first double becomes the "chickenfoot," and from then on every double must be "satisfied" with three more tiles on its remaining sides before play continues elsewhere. Rounds are fast and the rules are easy to teach, which makes it a favorite for gatherings.

How they compare

Partnership dominoes stands out among these because it is the only one where teamwork is the central skill. Reading your partner's signals and denying the opposing team is a different mental game entirely from solitaire-style variants like Mexican Train — which is exactly why it has remained popular for centuries.