How to play Partner dominoes (2 vs 2)
Four players in two teams, partners sitting across from each other, with a double-six set and 7 tiles each. No drawing: if nothing fits, you pass. The winners score every tile left in all the hands. If the game blocks, the team with the fewest pips wins the hand, and whoever played the blocking tile leads the next one. These are tournament rules, the way we play at La Plaza; many Caribbean tables add their own touches, like a bonus for a capicú.
Partner: seats and teams
Four players, two teams. Your partner, Ana, sits across from you. Luis sits on your right, Marco on your left.
Play goes around: you, then Luis, then Ana, then Marco, and back to you. All 28 tiles are dealt.
Whoever leads a hand is its leader.
Remember
- Your partner sits across. Play goes to your right: you, Luis, Ana, Marco.
- All 28 tiles are dealt, and your team wins and pays together.
Matching an end
The line on the table has two open ends. Only the numbers showing on those ends matter.
On your turn, play one tile that has a matching number. It joins the line with the matching halves touching.
Tap a tile in your hand to play it.
Remember
- Play a tile that matches the number on either open end.
- The half you match is covered. The other half becomes the new end.
Doubles go crosswise
A double joins the line crosswise, on its own number only.
Because both halves match, the end still shows the same number afterwards.
Remember
- A double fits only its own number. Play it while that number shows.
- A double goes crosswise and leaves its number showing on that end.
Passing
If nothing in your hand fits either end, you say “pass” and the turn moves on. In 1v1 you first draw from the boneyard until a tile fits, so you pass only once it’s empty. Partner games have no boneyard.
You may only pass when nothing fits. Passing while holding a playable tile is against the rules.
Everyone sees a pass, and it tells them you have none of those numbers.
Remember
- Pass only when nothing in your hand fits either end, and in 1v1 only once the boneyard is empty.
- When a player passes, remember they hold none of the numbers showing.
Who leads
The first tile of a hand is the lead.
In the first hand of a match, whoever holds the double six must lead it.
After that, the winner of the last hand leads, with any tile they choose. What someone leads is your first clue about their hand.
Remember
- In the first hand the double six leads. After that, the winner leads anything.
- Remember what each player led. It’s your first clue to their hand.
Going out
The hand ends the moment someone plays their last tile. That’s going out, or “domino!”
Nobody gets one more turn. Whatever the others still hold is stuck in their hands.
In partner games, if your partner goes out, your whole team wins the hand.
Remember
- The hand ends the moment anyone goes out, and their side wins it.
- Plan your last tile early so it still has somewhere to go.
Scoring the hands
When you go out, everyone shows their tiles. Your side scores every pip left in the hands.
That includes your partner’s leftover tiles: when your side wins the hand, they count for you.
This is the tournament rule, and La Plaza plays it. Some tables count only the losing side’s pips.
Remember
- Go out and your side scores every pip left in the hands.
- Your partner’s leftover pips count for your side when you win the hand.
Blocked games
Sometimes nobody can play at all. That’s a blocked game. Usually both ends show the same number and all seven of it are down. In 1v1 it can only happen once the boneyard is empty.
Then everyone shows their tiles and counts. The side with the fewest pips wins the hand and scores every pip left, both sides’. Equal counts: nobody scores.
Whoever played the blocking tile (the blocker) leads the next hand, whichever side won. Some tables give the hand to the blocker instead, so ask which rule a table plays.
Remember
- A blocked game goes to the side with the fewest pips. Equal counts score nothing.
- The winners of a blocked game score every pip left, and the blocker leads the next hand.
Capicú and shutout
Going out with a mixed tile that fits both ends, when the ends show different numbers, is called a capicú. It’s the prettiest way to win a hand.
A shutout: you win the match while the other side still has zero. Nothing sweeter.
Many Caribbean tables pay a bonus for a capicú, often 25 or 30 points. La Plaza, like tournaments, pays none: a capicú scores like any other domino, and the table cheers.
Remember
- Capicú: go out with a mixed tile that fits two different ends.
- Shutout: win the match while the other side is still at zero.
Playing a match
One hand isn’t the whole game. Points add up, hand after hand, and the first side to reach the target wins the match.
The winner of each hand leads the next one, with any tile. After a blocked game, the blocker leads.
The target comes from the game’s length: a Classic game is played to 100, a Short one to 50 and a Long one to 200. Other tables play to 150, or even 500.
Remember
- Hands add up. The first side to reach the target (100 in a Classic game) wins the match.
- The winner of a hand leads the next, with any tile; after a blocked game, the blocker leads.
Table manners
At a serious table, nobody talks about the hand. No hints, no gestures, no faces.
Your only message to your partner is the tile you play and where you put it.
Say “pass” when you pass, place tiles gently, and save the arguments for after the match.
Remember
- No talk, no gestures: the tile you play is your only signal.
- Say “pass” to pass, and save criticism for after the match.
- Decide before you reach. In tournaments, a tile you touch must be played.