Domena rules

Domena (الدومنة) is Arabic dominoes: a line of tiles with two open ends, a double-six set and a score counted from the opponents' tiles. This page describes the default rules of the PlayElephant table.

1. Set, players, direction

• The double-six set has 28 tiles, from 00 to 66. Each tile is worth the sum of its two halves. A blank half is 0, so 00 is worth 0 and 66 is worth 12.
• Two players play one on one. Four players play in two pairs, and partners sit opposite each other. The score of a pair is shared.
• Play goes counter-clockwise.
• The tiles form one line with two open ends. A double is laid across the line, but it is an ordinary tile: there is no spinner, and nothing is added to the line at the sides.
• Nothing is scored during the deal. Points are counted once, when the deal ends.

2. The deal

• The server shuffles the tiles, and every deal is random.
• Each player gets 7 tiles.
• Two players: the remaining 14 tiles stay face down as the boneyard.
• Four players: all 28 tiles are dealt, so there is no boneyard.
• You see only your own tiles, plus the tiles already on the table.

3. The first tile

First deal of the game

• Four players: the holder of 66 starts and must open with exactly this tile. With all 28 tiles dealt, somebody always has it.
• Two players: the holder of the highest double among the 14 dealt tiles starts and must open with it.
• If neither player has a double, the player with the heaviest tile starts with it. Between equal weights the tile with the higher number wins, so 61 beats 52, which beats 43.

Later deals

• The winner of the previous deal leads, and may play any tile.
• In a pair game the winner is the player who went out. After a block it is the player with the lowest hand in the winning pair.
• If the previous deal ended in a tie with no winner, the lead passes to the next player counter-clockwise from the previous leader.

4. Playing a tile

• On your turn you add one tile to an end of the line. One half of your tile must show the same number as that end.
• If your tile fits both ends, you choose which one to use.
• The blank half (0) only joins another blank.
• If you have a tile that can be played, you must play. You cannot pass or draw while you have a move.

Thinking ahead

Because the score comes from the tiles left in the opponents' hands, it pays to get rid of heavy tiles such as 66, 65 and 55 early. Watch which numbers are used up on the table: when all seven tiles of one number are down, nobody can play it, and a block may be near. In a pair game your partner can only read your plan from the tiles you choose to play, so choose them with care.

5. No move: drawing and passing

Two players: draw

• If you cannot play, you take tiles from the boneyard, one at a time, until you pick one that fits. There is no limit.
• The tile that fits must be played at once, and your turn ends with it.
• If the boneyard runs out and you still cannot play, you pass. Passing costs nothing.
• You cannot draw when you have a playable tile.

Four players: pass

• There is no boneyard. A player with no move passes (bās) and the turn goes to the next player.
• A pass is not penalised and scores nothing.

6. End of a deal

Going out

The player who plays their last tile wins the deal. In a pair game the whole pair wins, even though only one partner went out.

A blocked deal

A deal is blocked when nobody can play and there is nothing left to draw. This usually happens when a number has run out on the table. The tiles are then counted:

• Two players: the player with fewer pips wins. If both hands are equal, nobody scores.
• Four players: the player with the lowest hand of all wins for their pair. If the two lowest hands belong to players of different pairs and are equal, the sums of the two pairs are compared. If those are equal too, nobody scores.
• The player who made the last move before the block gets no extra credit or blame.

7. Scoring

• The winner of the deal scores all the pips on the tiles left in the losing side's hands: the one opponent in a one-on-one game, both opponents in a pair game.
• The winner's own tiles are not subtracted. A winning partner's tiles are not counted either.
• Points are not rounded.

8. End of the game

• After every deal the score is updated. The first side to reach 100 points or more wins the game.
• Only the winner scores in a deal, so two sides cannot reach the target at the same time.
• The score sheet shows every deal, the points and how it ended: out, block or tie.

9. Conduct and penalties

• Illegal moves are impossible: the server does not accept a tile that does not fit or a pass when you have a move.
• No hints. In a pair game you may not tell your partner what you hold, by words or signs. Partners understand each other through the tiles they play.
• Leaving the table. A marked bot takes the seat of a player who has left and finishes the game.

10. Variants by region

Domena is played slightly differently from one café to another. Here are the common differences, which a table can switch on:

Which of these a table uses is shown in the table settings before you sit down.

11. Examples

12. Glossary

Terms you hear at the table, in Arabic. Local usage differs.

Play Domena