Domino Scoring Rules

How to keep score in Block, Draw, and All Fives dominoes.

Most domino games share the same scoring idea: count the pips your opponents are left holding. The exact rules depend on the variant. Here are the most common ways to keep score.

Block dominoes

In Block, players can't draw extra tiles. When a player plays their last tile (or the game is blocked), that player wins the hand and scores the total pips remaining in all opponents' hands. Play continues to a target score — often 100 — and the first to reach it wins.

Draw dominoes

Draw is the same as Block except players who can't move must draw from the boneyard until they can play or it's empty. Scoring is identical: the winner of the hand collects the sum of the opponents' leftover pips.

All Fives (Five-Up)

In All Fives you score during play: whenever the open ends of the layout total a multiple of five, you score that amount. At the end of a hand, the winner may also collect the rounded pip count from opponents' hands. Games are usually played to 150 or 250.

Counting the leftover pips

Whatever the variant, the recurring task is adding the pips on the tiles left in hand. Each tile is worth the sum of its two halves — see how to count domino pips for the quick methods.

FAQ

What score do you play to in dominoes?

Commonly 100 for Block/Draw and 150–250 for All Fives, but pick a target that suits your group.

Who wins a hand of dominoes?

The player who plays all their tiles first (goes out), or — if blocked — the player with the fewest pips remaining.