How to Play Domino Pool

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Domino Pool is a straightforward matching game played with a standard double-six set of 28 tiles. Players draw a hand, then take turns extending a central layout by placing dominoes whose end values match an open end of the chain. It moves quickly, rewards attention to what tiles remain in play, and produces a satisfying mix of planning and opportunism.

The game works well at a kitchen table or on any flat surface large enough for the layout to spread. It suits families with children from around six years old, works equally well between two adults, and scales cleanly to four players without requiring teams or complex rule adjustments.

A little history

Dominoes as a family of games is widely documented as having arrived in Europe, most likely via trade routes, during the eighteenth century, with early recorded references appearing in Italy and France. Domino Pool itself is a pooled-scoring variant of the basic blocking and drawing games; its precise origins are unclear, but pooled or points-pot versions of dominoes have been documented in British pub and club play for well over a century, making the game a firm part of informal British games culture.

Setting up

1. Turn all 28 tiles face down on the table and shuffle them thoroughly by moving them around with flat hands.
2. Each player draws their starting hand: 7 tiles each for 2 players, 6 tiles each for 3 players, or 5 tiles each for 4 players.
3. Players stand their tiles on edge so only they can see their own pip values.
4. Any tiles not drawn form the boneyard, left face down in a central reserve.
5. Decide the first player by agreement, by each drawing a tile and returning it (highest pip total goes first), or by the player holding the double-six leading.

How to play

1. The first player places any tile from their hand face up in the centre of the table to begin the layout. If using the double-six rule, they must lead with the [6:6] tile.
2. Play passes clockwise. On your turn you must place one tile from your hand so that one of its end values exactly matches an open end of the layout chain.
3. The layout grows in a line (or branches at doubles, depending on the variation agreed before play). Each placement must create a valid pip match at the point of connection.
4. If you cannot play, you must draw one tile at a time from the boneyard until you draw a tile you can play, then play it immediately.
5. If the boneyard is empty and you still cannot play, you pass your turn. Announce 'pass' clearly so all players are aware.
6. A double tile is placed crossways on the end where it is matched. Both ends of a double count as open ends for subsequent play, effectively creating a branch in the layout.
7. Play continues until one player places their last tile (a 'domino') and calls 'domino', or until the game is blocked because no player can play and the boneyard is empty.
8. When a player calls 'domino', they win the hand. When the game blocks, the player holding the lowest total pip count wins the hand.
9. At the end of each hand, the winner scores points equal to the total pip count of all tiles remaining in opponents' hands, rounded to the nearest five or taken as an exact total depending on the variant agreed.
10. Hands are replayed until one player reaches or exceeds the agreed target score (commonly 100 or 200 points), and that player wins the game.

Winning and scoring

A player wins a hand either by playing all their tiles ('domino') or, when the game blocks, by holding the lowest combined pip total. The winner of each hand scores the sum of all pips remaining on every opponent's unplayed tiles. Exact totals are used unless the group agrees to round to the nearest five. The overall game is won by the first player whose cumulative score reaches or exceeds the agreed target, typically 100 points for a shorter game or 200 points for a longer session. In the event of a tie on the final hand, an additional hand is played to break it.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns the boneyard draw. The standard ruling is that a player must keep drawing until they find a playable tile; they may not stop after a set number of draws unless a house rule specifically permits it. When only two tiles remain in the boneyard, many sets of rules reserve those as a buffer and stop drawing at that point, forcing a pass instead. Agree on this before play begins.

A second frequent question is whether the player who calls 'domino' scores their own remaining pips against themselves when they have exactly zero tiles left. The answer is no: the winner scores nothing from their own hand, only from opponents'. If a blocked game ends with two or more players tied on the lowest pip total, those players each score zero for the hand and the remaining players' pips are split equally between the tied winners, rounded down to a whole number.

How to win more often

• Track what pip values have appeared in the layout and estimate what tiles opponents are likely holding. This lets you play tiles that leave ends your opponents cannot match.
• Hold doubles in hand for as long as safely possible. Doubles are the hardest tiles to place because both ends must match a single value, and keeping them gives you flexibility to branch the layout on your terms.
• When you are ahead on score, aim to block the game early by playing tiles that close off suit values you know opponents need, rather than racing to empty your hand.
• Keep your pip count low. If the game looks likely to block, shedding high-pip tiles such as the [6:5] or [6:4] early reduces your exposure and often swings the hand in your favour.
• Pay attention to the ends currently open in the layout and count how many tiles in a given suit have already appeared. If all six tiles bearing a particular value are visible, that end is effectively dead and cannot be extended.

Variations

All Fives (Muggins)

In this popular variant, a player scores immediately during the hand whenever the open pip total of the entire layout is a multiple of five. For example, if your placement makes the two open ends sum to 15, you score 15 points on the spot. The hand still ends normally, but these mid-hand scores add a tactical layer because players compete to hit multiples of five on every turn, not just at the end of a hand.

Draw Domino Pool

The standard blocking game becomes a draw game by removing the restriction on when you may take from the boneyard. In Draw Domino Pool, a player may optionally draw tiles from the boneyard even when they hold a playable tile, building a larger hand to improve their options later. This extends the game and increases the importance of hand management, since drawing without necessity can leave you holding a high pip total if the game blocks.

Cyprus (Five-Up)

The layout starts from a central spinner (the first double played), which may be extended in all four directions rather than just two. Subsequent doubles also become spinners, opening additional branches. The branching layout suits larger tables and four players particularly well, and the greater number of open ends means the game blocks less often, placing more emphasis on pip-total management than on blocking tactics.

Team Pool

With exactly four players, the group splits into two fixed partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other. Partners cannot communicate about their hands but score together: when one partner calls 'domino', the team scores the combined pip total of both opposing players' remaining tiles. Winning the game requires the partnership to reach the agreed target as a shared total. This version rewards consistent play from both partners rather than individual brilliance.

Domino Pool: frequently asked questions