How Many Dominoes Per Player? Setup Rules for Every Player C
The question comes up at almost every kitchen table the moment the tiles are tipped out: how many of these do I take?
It is a fair thing to ask, because the answer changes depending on how many of you are playing. Get the draw right and the game flows; get it wrong and someone runs out of tiles far too soon.
Dominoes is an old game, recorded in Italy—in Venice and Naples—around 1750, and it has lost none of its appeal. A good set should feel solid in the hand and be safe for younger players, which is why our dominoes and other children's games are made and tested to UKCA and CE standards. You will find them across our traditional games range alongside the rest of our board games.
What You Need to Play Dominoes (The Set, the Boneyard and the Draw)
A standard Western domino set contains 28 tiles. Each tile, or bone, is split into two halves, and between them the set covers every combination of nought to six pips, doubles included.
Before anyone draws, the tiles are turned face down and shuffled into a loose pile on the table. This pile is known as the boneyard. Mixing them properly matters, because the whole game turns on nobody knowing which tiles their opponents hold.
Each player then draws their hand from the boneyard, standing the tiles on edge so only they can see the pips. Whatever is left stays in the boneyard, and in many games you draw from it when you cannot make a move.
That is really all the equipment you need: a set, a flat surface and a little space. If you are unsure which set suits your table, our guide on how many dominoes in a set runs through the options.
For most households a double-six set is the natural starting point. Larger sets exist for bigger groups, and we cover those further down. A cased set, such as the Double Nine Dominoes in a mahogany case, keeps every tile together between games, which saves a good deal of hunting under the sofa.
If you are weighing up which to buy first, our round-up of the best dominoes sets is a sensible place to start.
How Many Dominoes Does Each Player Get at the Start?
Here is the answer most people arrive for. The number of tiles each player draws depends entirely on how many are sitting round the table.
In a two-player game using a standard double-six set, each player draws 7 tiles at the start. That leaves 14 in the boneyard to draw from as the game goes on.
In a three- or four-player game using the same double-six set, each player draws 5 tiles. With four players that accounts for 20 tiles, again leaving a healthy boneyard behind.
Why the difference? With fewer players you want enough tiles in each hand to keep the game interesting and the choices meaningful. With more players round the table, smaller hands keep the game moving and ensure there are still tiles left to draw.
These numbers hold for the common Block and Draw games that most families play. Some variations set their own hand sizes, which we come to shortly.
Two-player dominoes is one of the better quiet games for an evening in, and it sits comfortably alongside the other options in our piece on two player games for a Christmas evening.
It also happens to be a gentle way to coax everyone off their screens for half an hour, something we looked at in our note on children's screen time. A set from our wooden toys range is all it takes to get started.
How to Play Dominoes: Turn-by-Turn Rules for Beginners
Once hands are drawn, play usually begins with whoever holds the highest double, placing it in the centre of the table.
From there, play passes in turn, typically clockwise. On your turn you add one tile to an open end of the line, matching the pips on your tile to the pips already showing. A five must touch a five, a blank must touch a blank, and so on.
Doubles are normally laid crossways, and in many games the line can branch off from them, giving two fresh ends to build on.
If you cannot match either open end, you draw a tile from the boneyard and play it if you can. When the boneyard is empty and you still cannot go, you simply pass and play moves on.
The round ends when one player lays their final tile, which is called going out or dominoing. It also ends if the game is blocked, meaning nobody can make a legal move.
That is the whole rhythm: match, play, draw, pass, repeat. Children pick it up within a round or two, which is part of why dominoes has stayed in print for centuries. It sits naturally beside the simpler games in our wooden toys collection and the garden favourites among our outdoor games.
How to Win at Dominoes: Scoring and Winning Conditions Explained
Scoring is where the tactics sharpen. The player who goes out wins the round, but it is the pips left in the losers' hands that decide the margin.
At the end of a round, each remaining player totals the pips on the tiles still in their hand. The winner commonly scores the sum of all those unplayed pips, so holding heavy tiles when someone goes out is costly.
If the game is blocked and nobody has gone out, players compare their hands, and the one with the fewest pips wins the round.
Most games are played to a target, often 100 or 150 points, across several rounds. This is why it pays to play your high-value tiles early rather than clinging to them.
Keeping score is part of the fun, and a simple notepad does the job. The thinking it encourages, weighing which tile to shed and which to hold, is quiet mental exercise dressed up as a parlour game.
For families who enjoy the counting as much as the laying, the sets across our traditional games range keep that tradition going.
Common Dominoes Variations and How the Hand Sizes Change
The hand sizes above apply to the standard double-six set, but dominoes is a family of games rather than a single rulebook.
A double-nine set contains 55 tiles, which suits larger groups or longer sessions. With more tiles in play, hands are often larger and the boneyard deeper, so games last longer.
A double-twelve set contains 91 tiles and is commonly used for Mexican Train, a favourite for groups of more than four. In Mexican Train the starting hand changes with the number of players, often ranging from around 15 tiles for a smaller group down to fewer as numbers grow. Our Mexican Train set in a wooden box is built for exactly this kind of lively table.
If you are curious about the larger sets, our article on the double-twelve set and who it is for explains the differences in full.
The general rule holds across variations: fewer players draw larger hands, more players draw smaller ones, and the boneyard absorbs the rest. Once you grasp that principle, you can sit down to almost any version and know roughly what to take.
Whichever game you settle on, a well-made set earns its keep over years of play. You will find options from the everyday to the gift-worthy among our board games.
£31.99 · value · tested to UKCA/CE
£32.99 · gift · tested to UKCA/CE
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Frequently Asked Questions About How Many Dominoes Does Each Player Get
How many dominoes do you start with in a standard game?
In a standard game of dominoes using a double-six set, the number of tiles each player draws at the start depends on how many people are playing. With two players, each draws 7 tiles. With three or four players, each draws 5 tiles. The remaining tiles are left face-down as the boneyard, which players draw from if they cannot make a move. These starting hands apply to the most common domino formats played in Britain and across Europe.
How many dominoes does each player get with 2 players?
In a two-player game of dominoes using a standard double-six set, each player draws 7 tiles at the start. This leaves 14 tiles in the boneyard — the face-down reserve pile — which players draw from when they cannot place a matching tile from their hand. The two-player format is one of the most popular ways to play and works well with a standard 28-tile double-six domino set.
How many dominoes does each player get with 3 players?
In a three-player game of dominoes using a standard double-six set, each player draws 5 tiles at the start. With 28 tiles in a double-six set, this leaves 13 tiles in the boneyard for players to draw from during the game when they have no matching tile to play. The reduced starting hand compared to a two-player game helps keep the game balanced and ensures enough tiles remain in reserve throughout play.
How many dominoes does each player get with 4 players?
In a four-player game of dominoes using a standard double-six set, each player draws 5 tiles at the start. With four players each holding 5 tiles, 20 tiles are dealt in total, leaving 8 tiles in the boneyard. For larger groups seeking a longer or more involved game, a double-nine set (55 tiles) or double-twelve set (91 tiles) can accommodate more players comfortably with larger starting hands.
How do you play dominoes for beginners?
To play dominoes, shuffle the 28 tiles face-down and each player draws their starting hand — 7 tiles each for two players, or 5 tiles each for three or four players. The remaining tiles form the boneyard. The player with the highest double places it first. Players then take turns placing a tile that matches an open end on the board. If you cannot play, draw from the boneyard until you can. The first player to place all their tiles wins.
What are the rules of dominoes?
Using a standard double-six set of 28 tiles, players draw their starting hand (7 tiles for two players; 5 tiles for three or four players). The highest double starts the game. On each turn, a player must place a tile matching one of the open ends of the layout. If no matching tile is available in hand, the player draws from the boneyard until a playable tile is found. The first player to use all their tiles wins the round.
How do you win at dominoes?
To win at dominoes, you must be the first player to place all of your tiles onto the board by matching pip values at the open ends of the layout. If no player can empty their hand and the game becomes blocked, the winner is the player holding the lowest total number of pips. Points are often scored by adding up the pips remaining in opponents' hands, with games typically played to a target score such as 100 or 200.
What happens if you can't go in dominoes?
If you cannot place a matching tile from your hand during your turn in dominoes, you must draw tiles one at a time from the boneyard — the face-down reserve pile — until you draw a tile you can play. If the boneyard is empty and you still cannot go, your turn is passed. If all players are unable to make a move, the game is declared blocked and the player with the fewest pips remaining in their hand is declared the winner.
How many dominoes are in a full set?
A standard double-six domino set contains 28 tiles, covering every combination of 0 to 6 pips including doubles. For larger groups or longer games, a double-nine set contains 55 tiles, while a double-twelve set contains 91 tiles — the latter commonly used for games such as Mexican Train with more than four players. Dominoes appeared in Europe by the mid-18th century, with the game recorded in Venice and Naples around 1750.
Can you play dominoes with 2 players?
Yes, dominoes works very well with two players and is one of the most popular formats for the game. Using a standard double-six set of 28 tiles, each player draws 7 tiles at the start, leaving 14 tiles in the boneyard. The two-player game is fast-paced and straightforward, making it ideal for beginners and experienced players alike. Standard domino rules apply: match pip values at open ends, draw from the boneyard when stuck, and aim to place all your tiles first.