Common Draw Dominoes mistakes

This guide lists the common errors in individual Draw Dominoes with a double-six set, as on our Draw Dominoes rules page. For strategy see the strategy guide and for pip counts the scoring guide.

Playing mistakes

Matching totals instead of ends. Only the touching halves need the same number of pips.
Matching a blank with a number. A blank only matches a blank.
Playing on the side of a double. A double is placed crosswise, but the line has just two ends. There are no branches here.
Drawing while you can play. If you hold a legal tile, you must play one.
Drawing only one tile. If you can’t play, draw until you find a playable tile or the boneyard is empty.
Putting back an unplayable draw. Every drawn tile stays in your hand.
Playing the drawn tile late. If the tile you draw fits, you play it immediately.

Opening with the wrong tile. The highest double opens, starting with double-six. If nobody has a double, the heaviest tile opens.
Dealing the wrong hand size. Two or three players get 7 tiles each; four players get 6.

Calling a block too early. The boneyard must be empty and every player must pass in a row.
Forgetting the blocked-hand formula. The lowest pip total wins and scores the opponents’ total minus their own.
Scoring only the winner’s pips. When someone goes out, they score all pips left in every opponent’s hand.
Counting only one half of a tile. Count both halves. A blank is zero.
Awarding a tie. If players tie for the lowest total in a blocked hand, nobody scores and the hand is redealt.
Stopping at 99. The match ends when a player reaches 100 or more after a completed hand.

Playing Block Dominoes. In that game no one draws. It is a different variant.
Using spinners. They are not part of this version.