Dominos – Tous les Cinq

JOUEZ

Players score points if the ends equal a multiple of 5. The first player to reach up to or over the target score wins.

• Game instructions
• Scoring

For basic Domino Strategy and Domino Duel Rake, refer to the Domino Duel page.

Game Instructions

This variant originates from America and is considered by many to be the best dominoes game. It plays similarly to Draw Dominoes, except that the goal of the game is not just to 'chip out' (or lay down all your tiles before your opponent), but also to make the open ends of the tiles add up to 5 (or a multiple of five).

28 unique tiles are used and seven are dealt to each player whilst the remaining tiles are left on the table face down in what is known as the 'boneyard'.

1. The player who has the highest double (from 6-6, 5-5 downwards) plays first. These double tiles are known as 'spinners'. That player then chooses which domino to play first, subsequent rounds alternate between players.

2. Once the first tile is placed, play then passes to the second player who can lay a tile, provided it has one end which matches the double played. So if your opponent had the highest double, a 6-6, you can play any tile which has a six in it from your hand (e.g. 5-6, 3-6).

3. Note that on this first go it is irrelevant which side you play it (more on that in the strategy section!). If the second player plays a 5-6, for example, there are now two open ends: one with a five and the other with a six. The first player can now play a tile with a six or with a five.

4. Once both sides of the spinner have been played on horizontally, the spinner can then also be played on in the vertical direction, i.e. dominoes can be places on all four sides. This only applies to the first domino spinner, subsequent doubles played do not act as spinners.

5. Dominoes on all open ends count towards the score total.

6. If, at any stage, you cannot play your tile you are automatically dealt a tile from the boneyard (see small bone image on the left of the screen) until you are able to make a legal play. If there are no more 'bones' in the 'boneyard' and you cannot make a legal play, then play passes to your opponent. Play continues this way until neither opponent can play a tile or one player has used all their tiles in their hand. This 'chipping out' signals the end of the round.

All Fives Scoring

After a player has laid a tile, the pips on the outer arms of the dominoes are totalled. If this total is a multiple of five (5, 10, 15, 20, and so forth), the player immediately scores that number of points. If the end tile is a double, both sides count towards the total. For example the 5-5 is worth ten points, on the end of an arm.

Below is a typical score of 10.

If the central spinner domino has been played left and right then extra vertical dominos can be added all of which count towards the total.

The current total is shown at all times on the left hand side of the screen.

Point scoring hands are highlighted in green and the current count expands to show what has been scored and how.

If a player uses all their dominoes in their hand and 'chips out' they are awarded points (to the nearest 5), for every point left in their opponents hand. This ends the round and the dominoes are re-dealt for the next round. This continues until the first person scores the target score or more.