Block Dominoes

Block Dominoes

The simplest Western domino game and the foundation for all others. Players match tiles end-to-end to extend a chain. No drawing from the boneyard — if you cannot play, you pass. First to empty their hand wins.

Setup

Shuffle all 28 tiles face-down.

• 2 players: draw 7 tiles each
• 3–4 players: draw 5 tiles each

Remaining tiles are set aside face-down (not used in Block — no boneyard draws).

Starting

The player with the highest double plays it first. If no player holds a double, the player with the highest single tile starts. That tile becomes the first piece of the chain.

Turn Structure

On your turn, you must play one tile from your hand by matching one of its halves to an open end of the chain. The matching pip value must connect.

• Doubles are placed perpendicular to the chain (crosswise) and both ends remain open.
• If you cannot play, you pass. You may not draw.

Winning

Go out: first player to play their last tile wins. They score the total pip count of all tiles remaining in opponents’ hands.

Blocked game: if no player can play and no one has gone out, all players reveal their hands. The player with the lowest pip total wins, and scores the pip totals of all other players minus their own.

Attribution

Block Dominoes. Traditional game, public domain. Source: Pagat.com (Domino games); Wikipedia (Dominoes).