Domino is a matching game played with the 28 tiles of a double-six set. Each tile shows two numbers as dots, called pips, and players take turns adding to one shared chain by matching the numbers at its ends. You can play Domino unblocked here against one to three computer players or pass a single device around with friends. It takes a minute to learn, yet there is more planning in it than you’d expect.
Setting Up a Round
Open the Menu and pick vs Computer or Same device. Then choose how many players sit at the table (two, three or four), the variant (Classic or Triangles), and a level if computers are playing. Press New game and the tiles are dealt.
In Classic, a two-player game deals seven tiles apiece, and a table of three or four gets five each. Whatever is left becomes the stock, kept face down. The player holding the biggest double lays it to start the chain. If nobody was dealt a double, the tile with the most pips goes first.
How to Play Domino, Turn by Turn
Two big boxes labeled Open ends show the number waiting at each end of the chain. Pick a tile from your hand with a matching half, then choose which end to attach it to. Put a 4-2 against a 4, for example, and that end now shows a 2.
Can’t match anything? Press Draw from stock and keep pulling tiles until one fits. You can’t pass by choice while the stock still has tiles. Once it is empty and you still have no match, press Pass.
The round ends in one of two ways:
- Someone plays their last tile. That player wins on the spot.
- The chain jams. With the stock gone, every player passes in a row. Everyone counts the pips left in hand, and the lowest total wins. A tie for lowest is a draw.
Each game is a single round, so no score carries over to the next one.
The Triangles Variant
Triangles swaps the usual rectangles for 56 three-cornered tiles. Each corner shows a number from 0 to 5, and every combination appears once. Instead of a straight line, you build outward on a grid of triangles pointing up and down.
A new tile has to share a side with one already on the table, and every corner it touches must match the number already sitting there. The game marks the spots where your chosen tile fits, and you tap one. Hands are bigger here: nine tiles each for two players, seven each for three or four. If nothing fits, you draw at most three tiles and then pass, even if the stock isn’t empty.
How the Computer Plays
Knowing the levels helps you pick a fair match:
- Easy plays any legal tile at random.
- Medium dumps its doubles first, then its heaviest tiles, so it holds fewer pips if the chain jams.
- Hard does the same, but also remembers which numbers each rival couldn’t match. It tries to leave those numbers on the ends, above all against the player who goes next.
Domino Tips and Strategy
- Get rid of doubles early. A double offers only one number to match, so it is easy to get stuck holding it.
- Play heavy tiles first. If the chain jams, a 6-5 left in your hand hurts much more than a 1-0.
- Keep a spread of numbers. A hand with many different numbers has more chances to fit either end.
- Watch who draws. When a rival pulls tiles while a 3 is showing, they probably hold no 3s. Keep that number open to slow them down.
- Count what’s been played. Each number appears on exactly seven tiles. Once most of them are on the table, that end is close to dead.
A common mistake is grabbing the first tile that fits. Look at both ends first, and ask which play leaves you with the most options next turn.
Playing With Friends or on a Chromebook
Same device mode is handy at a lunch table. Pass the phone, tablet or Chromebook around, and only the player whose turn it is taps Show my tiles. Everything works with a click or a tap, so you don’t need a keyboard.
Settings can turn on move suggestions that mark your playable tiles, which helps beginners. A round in progress is saved in the browser and survives a page reload. Wins and losses are only tracked in games against the computer.
Similar Games on the Site
With only seven tiles each, a two-player Classic round is over fast, which suits a short break. For more, browse the board and card games or try:
- Mahjong Solitaire, where you match tiles alone to clear a stacked layout.
- Snakes and Ladders, a pure luck race that is easy for anyone to join.
- Backgammon, which uses dice numbers instead of tile numbers to plan each move.
