Dominoes – Just like a game of Mahjong, Patience, or War, Dominoes have long been a great pastime for many families and social circles across the globe. With a set of rules that are easy to understand but still make the game challenging, it’s no surprise this popular game has survived for centuries and comes in different variations. In short, the most common types of Domino you can find online are the following:
- Play Dominoes Online
- Play Dominoes Online For Real Money Cash
- Play Free For Real Money
- Play Dominoes Online For Real Money To Play
Play Domino online real money games! Best domino game online multiplayer sites: Some facts about Domino. The gaming pieces also named bones, cards, tiles, tickets, stones, chips, or spinners. The standard game is known as the Block game. A set of domino pieces is sometimes called a deck. Play Dominoes online. Dominoes is a tile game for 2 players consisting of 28 dominos, each player gets 7 dominos. There are 3 versions of online domino games: Five-Up (Muggins Dominoes or All Fives), Draw and Block Dominoes. This game is good both for casual and for tournament playing. This game is currently blocked due to the new privacy regulation and www.agame.com isn't currently controlling it. In order for you to continue playing this game, you'll need to click 'accept' in the banner below.
- Block Domino – a game of Domino where you play to block your opponents. These games have a pre-determined number of rounds and tiles per player (7-9), while some variations may also add points. Winner is determined by number of rounds won
- Draw Domino – same as block, the difference being that players are allowed to draw additional tiles. Winners are determined according to highest number of points with most games having special point rules
- Pai Gow Domino (Pai Gow Tiles) – a popular casino Domino game with similar rules to Pai Gow poker
But while a decade ago a game of Domino was mostly enjoyed at a social gathering, in today’s world Dominos are largely played online. And thanks to the advances in gaming technology, you can also play Dominoes for real money, against a casino or even other human opponents.
How to Play Dominoes?
The basic form of Domino found online is a single player block Domino where you compete against the casino in a set number of rounds. Per the rules, the game begins with both players being given 7 to 9 tiles for the round. Some variation also determine the first player by who has the highest pair (two 3s, 6s, etc).
Once the order is known, the first player places a tile on the table. The next player then makes a move and places a tile next to first tile, as long as the touching halves of both tiles match. The skill game continues this way until one player has placed the last tile, in which case s/he wins. If there are no tiles with matching halves to place, then the player loses the round.
In online gameplay, a full game of Dominoes will consist of a set number of rounds, with the final winner being the one with most rounds won. Some variations also determine the winner by the highest score. Generally, in scoring versions, the points are a sum of the losing player’s pips (dots). Most variations also add points for special situations, like when specific open tiles are matched.
Is there a Good Strategy?
This depends on the game. A classic game of block or draw Domino will take a different approach than a game of Pai Gow Domino. There are hundreds of different strategies for each specific variation, from counting techniques to defensive and offensive plays.
Once you know the type of game you want, you can easily learn where to narrow your focus. Whatever Domino game you decide to play, always make sure you know as much as you can about it and have some practice before you spend any money.
Dominos or Dominoes?!
ˈdäməˌnō
noun
plural noun: dominoes
1.
any of 28 small oblong pieces marked with 0–6 dots (pips) in each half.
2.
historical
a loose cloak, worn with a mask for the upper part of the face at masquerades.
A Chinese game
Mathematics of Dominoes
Skill or Chance?
Available Online Domino Variations
Domino isn’t as popular a game in casinos as Blackjack or Poker is, so don’t expect to be spoiled for choice when looking for what to play. Most variations are a take on the classic Domino games like the ones you’ve probably played at home, only here you’ll be playing for a real money prize.
How to Play Pai Gow Domino?
In Pai Gow Tiles, or Pai Gow Domino as some call it, the scoring is similar to Pai Gow poker games. And just like with Pai Gow poker, here you will be given four tiles that you’ll have to split into two pairs to beat the dealer’s pairs.
When comparing pairs, the tiles are scored according to the number of their pips (dots), with the highest number being 9. So, if you have a tile of 5&5, this will count as 10, and a tile of 5&6 will count as 11, and so on. The sum of the two tiles will give you your pair’s score, which is then subtracted by 10 if it goes past this number. So a tile of 10 and 11 will be counted as 1 (10 + 11 = 21 – 10 = 1).
Special pairs Pai Gow Dominoes
Apart from basic pairs, there are also a few special pairs which are scored differently:
- Wong – a 2 or 12 tile combined with a 9 tile to score an 11
- Gong – a 2 or 12 tile combined with an 8 tile to score 10
- Gee June tiles – tiles with 1&2 and 2&4, which are counted as either a 3 or a 6. The rule is that whichever score leads to a higher pair will be applied. So, for a combination of a Gee June tile with a 4 tile, the score would be 3, instead of 6 ( 4 + 3 = 7 vs. 4 + 6 = 10, i.e. 0)
Pai Gow Tiles Rules
The basic rule is that you have to split your tiles into two pairs, high and low, and compare them against the dealer. If you win with both hands, you will get an even payout, if you lose by both, you lose. If you win by only one hand, the bet will be a push.
Other rules to note are tie rules, which state that any hand tie will be determined by whose hand has a higher ranking high tile. In this case, pair tiles (two 3s, two 6s,etc) are the highest ranking, while Gee June tiles rank lowest.
And the final thing you have to remember is that if a tie isn’t broken, i.e. it results in a 0-0, the win goes to the banker.
Domino Fun Facts
- Dominos originate from China, where the earliest written mentions of the game date back to the 12th century
- Each Domino tile is made to represent one of the 21 different results of throwing 2 six-sided dices. European sets also include results of a single throw (with a blank half) and 0 (two-blanks), while Chinese sets don’t
- European Dominos are shorter than Chinese Dominos
- There’s an annual Domino-toppling event that takes place in the Netherlands every year called the “Domino Day”. During the 2005 event, 4 million Dominoes were toppled in a single push.
Conclusion about the game of Dominoes
Dominos is one of the easiest games to learn and play, both in its casual and real money form. The beauty of it is in the stimulating, yet simple, gameplay, which makes it easy to find people to practice with but also easy to master.
With Dominos, you don’t have to learn advanced theories and spend hours practicing strategies, and you don’t even have to bet your life savings on it. Both single player and multiplayer Domino games can be played for smaller wagers and in longer sittings, just like a game of poker. Thus, you can spend hours enjoying yourself without losing more than you bargained for.
If you’re looking for a game that is easy to pick up and play but still loaded with strategy, dominoes is worth a look. It takes all of five minutes to get the hang of the basic idea, but that does not make it a shallow game. The funny thing about dominoes is that the more you play, the more you realize just how much you don’t know. There’s quite a bit of subtle strategy that only becomes apparent with experience.
Best Dominoes Sites
Dominoes is most definitely not a game of chance like so many other betting games. Yes, the first “deal” of the bones comes down to luck, but what’s more important than what you get is what you do with what you get.
The only truly annoying thing about dominoes is the severe lack of people to play with. It may be different where you live, but where I live, nobody plays the game. That’s why basically all of my experience comes from playing games online with people around the world. Dominoes betting sites are a godsend for those of us who lack any serious competition.
One thing I’ve noticed is that most of the results that appear when you search for dominoes betting sites are junk. It’s hard to find a decent place to play online – especially if you have any intention of playing for real money. A lot of the sites that that come up in searches are badly outdated, void of active players and who knows what kind of security standards they keep.
Strangely, the best dominoes sites are hidden gems. My number one recommendation is a large betting site that has a little skill games section you rarely hear about. We previously also recommended a website called DominoChamp.com, but they have since closed for business.
How to Play Online Dominoes
The most common form of dominoes played online is called All Fives. This is the format in which points are earned both during gameplay and at the end of the round. The player with the most points at the end of the game is declared the winner of the round. Multiple rounds are played until one person reaches the designated points total. Whoever reaches that number of points first wins the overall game and any money wagered.
Beginning the Game
Each game begins with each player drawing 7 dominoes at random from the pile. When played online, the computer automatically shuffles and deals dominoes to each player. The remaining dominoes are set aside facedown to form the boneyard.
The player with the highest double (called a “spinner”) plays that double and then the players take turns making their plays after that.
If nobody has a double, there are two ways to proceed. One option is to reshuffle all the dominoes and have the players draw new hands. The other option is to simply begin the game with the highest domino even if it’s not a double.
Gameplay
Players take turns playing one domino at a time. Each player may play one matching domino at either end of the line. The domino must match the end-piece to which it is attached. For example, if the end piece shows 3 dots (or “pips”), the domino attached to that end must also have 3 pips on at least one side.
Play continues alternating between players, with each player placing one domino at either end of the line. Dominoes are played horizontally, but you may notice sometimes that the line tends to play vertically in each direction. The only reason for that is to keep the line from stretching off the ends of the play area.
If a player cannot make a move during his turn due to a lack of matching dominoes, he or she must draw dominoes from the boneyard until a play becomes available. If the boneyard runs out, the player’s turn is skipped.
Scoring
In All Fives, players earn points whenever they play dominoes such that the pips on the ends of the lines tally up to a multiple of 5. For example, if the end tile on one arm has 4 pips and you play a tile with 6 pips on the far end, the tally count becomes 10. You get 10 points for doing so. If you play a tile such that the pips add up to 15, you earn 15 points.
Dominoes sites keep a running track of the “board count” displayed at all times for your convenience. As you and your opponent lay dominoes, the board count is updated to reflect the new total. One of your goals when playing is to lay dominoes that result in the board count landing on a multiple of 5.
End of the Round
Play Dominoes Online
If both players are unable to play tiles and the boneyard is out, the game is considered “blocked” and the round comes to an end. The other way a round may come to an end is when one player plays his or her last tile. This person who plays his last domino is said to have “dominoed.”
Play Dominoes Online For Real Money Cash
If the round ends due to the game becoming blocked, the person with lowest pip total of remaining dominoes in his hand is declared the winner of the round. The other person would add up the total number of pips on his remaining dominoes and that amount would be added to the winner’s score, minus any pips remaining in the winner’s hand.
Play Free For Real Money
If the round ends due to someone playing his last tile, that person earns a total number of points equal to the number of pips remaining in the loser’s hand. For example, if the loser has 2 dominoes remaining that consist of 2-4 and 5-5, a total of 16 points would go to the winner.
About Those Spinners
Remember, spinners are the dominoes that have an equal number of pips on each side. Spinners are treated differently depending on where you play. Most betting sites allow you to build off the original spinner in 4 directions. Spinners that are played later in the game are only built upon horizontally.
For the purposes of tallying the board total, both ends of the original spinner are included in the points tally. The pips on the original spinner and all spinners played later are no longer included in the total once dominoes have been played on both sides of the spinner.
Play Dominoes Online For Real Money To Play
Winning the Game
Online dominoes is most often played to a certain points total such as 150 or 250 points. The game comes to an end as soon as one player reaches that total. The first player to reach the designated points total is declared the winner of the game.