5 Simple Steps to Play Dominoes With 2 Players

Are you ready to embark on a captivating game of strategy and skill? Dominoes, a classic pastime enjoyed by people of all ages, offers an engaging challenge that can sharpen your mind and provide hours of entertainment. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a novice just starting out, this comprehensive guide will provide you with everything you need to know to play dominoes with two players. From the basic rules to advanced strategies, we’ll cover it all, ensuring that you’re well-equipped to conquer the domino kingdom.

Before you begin your domino adventure, let’s get acquainted with the essential components of the game. A standard set of dominoes consists of 28 tiles, each featuring two square ends marked with a number of dots, ranging from zero to six. The objective of the game is to be the first player to get rid of all their tiles by matching them to the ends of the tiles already played on the table. To kick off the game, the players shuffle the tiles facedown and randomly draw seven tiles each. The remaining tiles form the “boneyard” and are drawn upon as needed.

The player with the highest double (a tile with the same number of dots on both ends) starts the game by placing it face up on the table. If no player has a double, the player with the highest-numbered tile begins. The players then take turns placing tiles that match either end of the line of tiles on the table. For instance, if the starting tile has a double-three, the next player can play a tile with either three or two dots on one of its ends. The game continues until one player runs out of tiles or the game is blocked because neither player can make a move. In the latter case, the player with the lowest number of dots remaining on their tiles wins the round.

Placing Dominoes Perpendicularly

When placing dominoes perpendicularly, players must align the numbers on the pips of both dominoes. This means that the numbers on the pips of the dominoes being placed must match the numbers on the pips of the dominoes already in play. For example, if there is a domino with a 3 and a 4 on the pips that is already in play, a player can place a domino perpendicularly to it with either a 3 or a 4 on one of its pips. The other pip on the domino being placed must also match the number on the pip of the domino it is perpendicular to.

Matching the Numbers on the Pips

To further clarify, let’s consider a specific example. Suppose there is a domino with a 2 and a 5 on the pips that is already in play. A player can place a domino perpendicularly to it with either a 2 or a 5 on one of its pips. If the player chooses to place a domino with a 2 on one of its pips, the other pip on that domino must also be a 2. Similarly, if the player chooses to place a domino with a 5 on one of its pips, the other pip on that domino must also be a 5.

Example of Placing Dominoes Perpendicularly

The table below provides a visual representation of how dominoes can be placed perpendicularly:

Dominoes Already in Play	Domino Being Placed Perpendicularly

Blocking Your Opponent

To block your opponent effectively, consider the following strategies:

Control the Center

Aim to play dominoes that connect to the center of the table. This forces your opponent to play off of them, limiting their options.

Protect Your Corners

Keep dominoes that extend from the corners of the table to prevent your opponent from blocking you.

Double-Block

If possible, place dominoes that block both ends of your opponent’s chain, effectively shutting them down.

Strategic Spacing

Leave a gap in your chain to disrupt your opponent’s flow and force them to split their tiles.

Domination

Play multiple dominoes in a row, creating a chain that is difficult for your opponent to break.

Double Blocking

When presented with an opportunity, place a domino that blocks two different sections of your opponent’s chain, cutting off access to multiple tiles. This strategy is particularly effective if done in the early stages of the game.

To illustrate double blocking, consider the following situation:

Your Domino	Opponent’s Chain	Double Blocking Domino
[2-5]	[1-3] – [3-6]	[6-2]

By placing the [6-2] domino, you block your opponent’s chain at both the [3-6] and [1-3] sections, significantly limiting their options.

Playing Doubles

Once the initial tiles have been drawn, players take turns placing one of their tiles on the open end of the line. If a player cannot play a tile, they must draw from the boneyard until they find a playable tile. If the boneyard is empty, the player must pass their turn.

The game continues until one player gets rid of all their tiles. If both players are blocked, the player with the lowest-scoring hand wins.

Doubles

Doubles are tiles that have the same number on both ends. They can be played in two ways:

Perpendicularly: A double can be played perpendicularly to the open end of the line, creating a new line of play.
Inline: A double can be played inline with the open end of the line, extending the line in either direction.

Special Cases for Doubles

There are a few special cases that apply when playing doubles:

Scenario	Result
The first tile played is a double	The double becomes the center tile of the layout.
A double is played perpendicularly to an existing double	The two doubles form a “corner” in the layout.
A double is played inline with an existing double	The two doubles create a “bridge” in the layout, allowing tiles to be played from both sides.

Counting the Dominoes

In Dominoes, each domino is made up of two square ends, known as pips, with a line dividing them. Each pip can have a number of dots ranging from 0 to 6, resulting in a total of 28 unique dominoes in a standard double-six set. Counting the dominoes involves determining the total number of dots on both ends of each domino.

Counting Individual Dominoes

To count an individual domino, simply add up the number of dots on each pip. For example, a domino with three dots on one end and five dots on the other has a total count of eight.

Counting a Set of Dominoes

To count a set of dominoes, you can add up the counts of each individual domino. Alternatively, you can use the following shortcut method:

Number of Dots	Number of Dominoes
0	1
1	2
2	3
3	4
4	5
5	6
6	7
7	8
8	9
9	10
10	11
11	12
12	13

To use this table, simply find the total number of dots for the set of dominoes and look up the corresponding number of dominoes in the table.

How To Play Dominoes With 2 Players

Dominoes is a classic game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It is a simple game to learn, but it can be very challenging to master. If you are new to dominoes, or if you just want to brush up on your skills, here are the basic rules of how to play dominoes with 2 players.

Setup

To start a game of dominoes with 2 players, you will need a set of 28 dominoes. The dominoes are divided into two halves, each with a different number of pips. The pips are the small dots that are printed on the dominoes. The number of pips on each half of the domino ranges from 0 to 6.

To set up the game, each player draws 7 dominoes from the boneyard. The boneyard is the pile of dominoes that are left over after each player has drawn their dominoes.

Gameplay

The player who has the highest double (a domino with the same number of pips on both halves) goes first. If neither player has a double, the player with the highest single (a domino with the same number of pips on one half) goes first. Players should draw from the boneyard to make a double or single if they do not have one.

The first player places their domino on the table. The next player must then place a domino that matches the number of pips on one of the open ends of the line of dominoes. For example, if the first player places a domino with a 3 and a 5, the next player must place a domino with either a 3 or a 5 on one end.

If a player cannot place a domino, they must draw from the boneyard until they can. If the boneyard is empty and a player cannot place a domino, the game is blocked. The player who blocked the game loses.

The game continues until one player has played all of their dominoes. The player who played all of their dominoes first wins the game.