How to Play Domino Whist

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

Domino Whist combines the structure of the card game Whist with the tile-based play of dominoes. Four players split into two partnerships and compete over a series of tricks, using a double-six set in place of cards. Each tile acts as a two-suited piece, giving the game a tactical depth that pure card Whist cannot quite replicate.

The game is popular in pubs, clubs and kitchen tables across Britain and parts of the Caribbean. Its appeal lies in the tension between holding strong tiles and managing the information that open play gradually reveals. A hand rarely plays out the way either side expects.

A little history

The precise origins of Domino Whist are unclear. Dominoes themselves reached Europe from China, with documented use in eighteenth-century Italy and France, and the game spread to Britain during the nineteenth century. Whist-style trick-taking was applied to domino sets at some point during that same period, and variants of domino trick-taking games are recorded in regional British and Caribbean playing traditions, but a single definitive origin for Domino Whist as a named game has not been firmly established in the historical record.

Setting up

1. Seat four players at a square table. Partners sit directly opposite each other.
2. Turn all 28 tiles face down and shuffle them thoroughly.
3. Each player draws seven tiles and stands them on edge so only they can see their own tiles.
4. Decide who deals first by mutual agreement or by each player drawing one tile; highest total pip count deals. Return drawn tiles and reshuffle before dealing.
5. The dealer leads the bidding, or in simpler versions simply turns one tile to establish trumps. Agree on the bidding or trump-selection method before the first hand (see How to Play).
6. Agree on the target score before play begins. Seven points per hand is standard; a match is commonly played to 61 points.

How to play

1. Each player holds seven tiles. The object is for your partnership to win more tricks than the opposing pair, ideally meeting or exceeding any bid made.
2. Establishing trumps: the most common method is for the dealer to turn the double-six set's highest unplayed tile, or for each player in turn to bid the number of tricks their partnership will take. The suit named by the highest bidder becomes trumps for that hand. If all players pass, the hand is played without a trump suit (no-trumps).
3. Each domino tile belongs to two suits: the suit of its higher end and the suit of its lower end. A 5-3 tile therefore belongs to both the fives suit and the threes suit. The double of any suit (e.g. 4-4) belongs to that suit alone and is always the highest tile in it.
4. The player who won the bid, or the player to the dealer's left in a no-bid game, leads the first trick by placing any tile face up in the centre of the table.
5. Play proceeds clockwise. Each player must follow the suit of either end of the led tile if they can. If a player holds any tile matching either end, they must play one. A player who holds tiles of both suits may choose which to play.
6. If a player cannot follow either suit, they may play any tile. If the trump suit has been established, a player who cannot follow may play a trump tile to win the trick.
7. The trick is won by the highest tile in the led suit, unless a trump tile has been played, in which case the highest trump wins. When two tiles of the trump suit are played, the higher pip total wins.
8. The winner of a trick leads the next trick. Collected tricks are kept face down in front of the winning partnership.
9. Play continues until all seven tricks have been played.
10. Score the hand (see Winning). Reshuffle all tiles and pass the deal clockwise for the next hand.

Winning and scoring

At the end of each hand, count the tricks each partnership has taken. In a bid game, the bidding partnership scores one point per trick taken if they meet or exceed their bid. If they fail to reach their bid, the opposing partnership scores one point for each trick the bidding side needed to fulfil the bid (i.e. the bid number, not the tricks won). The non-bidding partnership scores one point for each trick they take regardless of outcome. In a non-bid game, simply score one point per trick. The first partnership to reach 61 points wins the match. Individual hands can also be scored on a simple majority basis (most tricks wins the hand point) when a shorter game is preferred.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns the follow-suit obligation. A player must follow either end of the led tile; they are not permitted to choose freely just because following one end would be disadvantageous. If a player is found to have revoked (failed to follow when able), the standard ruling is that the offending partnership forfeits the tricks they have taken in that hand, and the opposing side scores those tricks instead. The revoke must be identified before the final trick of the hand is turned and quitted.

The status of the double-blank (0-0) tile causes regular argument. It belongs to the blanks suit. In games where blanks are treated as a separate suit, the double-blank is the highest blank. In games where blanks are not a suit, the double-blank can only be led as a wild card, and the leader must nominate a suit for others to follow. Agree on this point before play begins. Similarly, clarify before the first hand whether the double of the trump suit outranks all other trumps or only all non-double trumps of the same suit.

How to win more often

• Count the tiles already played. Each suit contains exactly seven tiles in a double-six set; once you know which have gone, you know what your opponents can still hold.
• Lead your long suits early. If you hold three or four tiles in the same suit, leading that suit forces opponents to use up matching tiles or waste strong trumps.
• Hold trumps back. Playing a trump on an early, low-value trick is rarely worthwhile. Preserve your trumps to overrule the opponents' long-suit leads in later tricks.
• Communicate with your partner through your leads. Leading a double signals strength in that suit and invites your partner to return it when they gain the lead.
• When you are the non-bidding side, focus on disruption rather than accumulation. Your aim is to stop the bidding pair reaching their number, not necessarily to win tricks yourself.

Variations

No-Trump Domino Whist

In this stripped-back version there is no trump suit at all. Every hand is played no-trumps, so a player who cannot follow suit simply plays off-suit with no chance to overrule. The game rewards careful tile management and long-suit play even more heavily than the standard game, and is a good introduction for players unfamiliar with trump mechanics.

Auction Domino Whist

Players bid competitively before each hand, naming both a number of tricks and a proposed trump suit. The highest bid wins the contract and that player's nominated suit becomes trumps. Bids are ranked first by number of tricks, then by suit in an agreed hierarchy (commonly blanks low through sixes high). This version adds a bluffing and bidding layer that experienced players tend to prefer.

Partnership Draw

Instead of dealing all tiles at the start of a trick, each player draws one tile from the boneyard at the start of their turn to replenish their hand to seven, until the boneyard is exhausted. This keeps hands fuller for longer, slows the rate at which opponents can read your holdings, and generally increases the luck element. It suits casual or mixed-ability groups.

Three-Handed Domino Whist

With three players, each takes seven tiles and one tile is set aside face down. There are no fixed partnerships; each player plays for themselves. Tricks score one point each, and the set-aside tile is awarded to the winner of the last trick. This version plays faster and suits situations where a fourth player is unavailable, though the partnership dynamic that defines the standard game is lost.

Domino Whist: frequently asked questions