How to Play Double Nine Dominoes

Double nine domino sets have 55 dominoes. Each domino contains a unique combination of zero to nine dots on each half. Having a double nine set gives you more dominoes to play with than the more common double six set. You can play all of the standard domino games with a set of double nine dominoes, as well as a few more complex games. The website listed in Resources below shows a picture of a double nine domino set, and has links to rules for domino games you can play. The game Block Dominoes is one of the easiest games to play with a double nine set.

Place all the dominoes face down on the table and shuffle them.

Pick seven dominoes if you have two players, or five dominoes if you have three or four players. Place your dominoes on their sides in front of you so that only you can see them.

Ask if anyone has the double nine domino. If so, have that player place it face up on the table. If not, ask for the double eight and so on, until whoever has the highest double domino has played it. The player to the left takes the next turn.

Play a domino in your hand that matches the number of the domino on the board, if you can, placing the matching dominoes end to end. If you cannot play, you must pass. Players may not draw additional dominoes in the Block Dominoes game.

Continue playing, taking turns by going around the table clockwise. If you have a double domino that matches, place the double domino sideways rather than end to end. This allows players to play on either end of the domino.

End the game when one player has used all of his or her dominoes, or when no one can play any dominoes.

Score the game by having everyone add up the number of dots on all the tiles they still have. The player with the lowest number of dots wins all the points of the other players, minus the points in his or her own hand, if any.

Start the game over and continue playing, if desired, until someone reaches a total score of 100, or a score the group has chosen.