Muggins (All Fives) rules
All Fives dominoes as we play it on PlayElephant: a double-six set, a boneyard, and points for every move that makes the open ends add up to a multiple of 5.
1. Set, players, direction
- The set is double-six: 28 tiles, every pair of numbers from 0 to 6. A tile is worth the spots on both halves: 64 is worth 10, 00 is worth 0. A double has the same number on both halves, such as 66.
- Two players play one against one. Four players play in two pairs, with partners sitting opposite each other. In a pairs game the score belongs to the pair.
- Play goes clockwise.
- In a pairs game partners may not signal to each other in any way.
2. The deal
- All 28 tiles are shuffled face down.
- Each player takes 7 tiles in a game for two, and 5 tiles in a game for four.
- The tiles left over stay face down as the boneyard (14 tiles for two players, 8 for four).
- There is no redeal, whatever you hold. A hand with many doubles is played as it comes.
3. The first tile
- In the first hand of a game, a draw of lots decides who leads. The leader may play any tile from their hand.
- In later hands the player who went out in the previous hand leads. In a pairs game it is that player, not their partner.
- If the previous hand ended blocked, a draw of lots decides again.
- If the first tile scores, the leader takes the points straight away (see Scoring during play).
4. A turn: play, draw, pass
Playing a tile
- A tile may be added to an open end of the line if one of its halves shows the same number as that end. The tile is laid with the matching half against the end, and its other half becomes the new open end.
- A double is laid crosswise.
- If a tile fits two ends, you choose which. The choice matters, because it changes the total.
- If you can play, you must. You may not draw or pass while you hold a tile that fits.
Drawing
- If you have no tile that fits, you take tiles from the boneyard one at a time, until you pick one that fits.
- A tile you drew that fits must be played at once.
- The boneyard may be drawn down to the last tile.
Passing
You pass only when you have no tile that fits and the boneyard is empty. Passing costs nothing. You score nothing for a draw or a pass.
5. The line and the spinner
- At first the line has two ends, one on each side of the first tile.
- The spinner is the first double laid in the hand. It may be the opening tile or a double played later. Every other double is an ordinary double with two directions only.
- A spinner has four sides: two long sides along the line, and two short sides at its ends. The short sides open only after tiles have been played on both long sides.
- Tiles then played on the short sides start a third and a fourth arm of the line. New arms start only from the spinner.
- If the spinner is laid after the opening, one of its long sides is already taken by the tile it was played on. The other side stays free until someone uses it.
6. Scoring during play
After every move, including the first tile, add up the numbers at all open ends. This total is called the count. If it is greater than zero and a multiple of 5, the player who moved scores exactly that many points.
What each end contributes
| End of an arm | Counts as |
|---|---|
| An ordinary tile | The number on its free half |
| A double, with nothing played against its free side | Both halves: twice its number |
| The only tile in the hand, not a double | Both halves added together |
| A spinner with only one long side used | Twice its number, like a double at the end |
| A spinner with both long sides used | Nothing. Its unused short sides do not count either |
| An arm started on a short side | Its last tile, as above |
- With three arms, three ends are added. With four arms, four.
- There is no upper limit on a move: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 or 35 points and more are possible.
- A total of 0, for example from 00 played alone, scores nothing.
- The points are added to your score at once, before anyone else plays.
On PlayElephant the count is made by the server and the points are added automatically. You do not have to announce them, and nobody can steal points you missed.
7. End of the hand
Going out
The hand ends the moment a player plays their last tile ("goes out"). Points for that last move are scored first. The winner is the player who went out, or their pair.
The winner scores the spots left in the opponents' hands, added together and then rounded to the nearest multiple of 5:
| Spots left | 0–2 | 3–7 | 8–12 | 13–17 | 18–22 | 23–27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points scored | 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
The pattern continues upward in the same way. The rounding applies to the total of all opponents, not to each opponent separately. In a pairs game the winner's partner's tiles do not count: only the two opponents' tiles are added.
Blocked hand
- A hand is blocked when the boneyard is empty and nobody can play a tile.
- The winner is the player with the fewest spots in hand. In a pairs game the two partners' hands are added together and compared with the other pair.
- The winner scores the opponents' spots, rounded as above.
- If the lowest totals are equal, nobody scores for the hand. Points already scored during play stay.
- The next hand is led by a draw of lots.
8. End of the game
- The target is 250 points in a game for two and 200 points in a pairs game.
- The game ends immediately when a player or pair reaches the target. This can happen in the middle of a hand, on a scoring move. The tiles still in hand are not counted.
- If a move reaches the target, the game is over and the hand-end points are not added.
- There is no penalty for passing and no bonus for going out beyond the opponents' spots.
9. Mistakes and rule checking
- The server accepts only legal moves. You cannot play a tile that does not fit, draw while you have a move, or pass with a move available.
- Because of this there are no revoke penalties and no wrongly counted scores.
- In a pairs game, secret signals to your partner are not allowed.
- If a player leaves the table, a bot, clearly marked, takes their seat and finishes the hand.
10. Variants
All Fives is played in several ways. The table shows how the best-known versions differ from the one above. At a table the settings are always shown before you sit down.
| Version | Where | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| Classic All Fives | United States | 9 tiles each for two players, 7 for three, 5 for four; target 250 or 200 |
| Muggins (British) | United Kingdom, Europe | No spinner: the line has two ends only; each player subtracts their own spots at the end of the hand |
| Five Up | South-West US | Every double is a spinner; 5 tiles each; score one point per 5, to 61 |
| Sniff | East coast US | The first double may be laid lengthwise and then counts as one half |
| Latin American | Mexico, Caribbean, Brazil | Play goes counter-clockwise; the highest double leads; pairs often play 7 tiles with no boneyard |
| Claim variant | Home rule, United States | You must announce your points yourself, and an opponent who shouts "Muggins!" first takes the ones you missed |
11. Worked examples
Example 1: the spinner. A and B play one on one.
- A leads 55. It is a double and so the spinner, and with nothing at its sides it counts 5 + 5 = 10. A scores 10.
- B plays 50 on one long side. The ends are: the spinner's free long side (a double end, 10) and the 0. The count is 10 + 0 = 10. B scores 10.
- A plays 53 on the other long side. Both long sides are used, so the spinner no longer counts. The ends are 3 and 0: count 3, no score. The short sides of the spinner are now open.
- B plays 52 on a short side. Three ends: 3, 0 and 2. The count is 5. B scores 5.
- A plays 56 on the other short side. Four ends: 3, 0, 2 and 6. The count is 11: no score.
Example 2: a double that becomes the spinner. A leads 64: ends 6 and 4, count 10, A scores 10. B plays 44 on the 4. It is the first double, so it is the spinner. The ends are 6 and the free side of the double (4 + 4 = 8): count 14, no score. A plays 41 on the free long side. The ends are 6 and 1: count 7, no score. The spinner now has both long sides used, so its short sides are open.
Example 3: drawing. The open ends are 6 and 2. B has neither a 6 nor a 2. B draws 13, which does not fit, then 40, which does not fit, then 25, which fits and must be played on the 2. The ends are now 6 and 5: count 11, no score. B ends the turn with two tiles more in hand.
Example 4: going out, one on one. A plays the last tile. B still holds 65 and 20: 11 + 2 = 13 spots. Rounded to the nearest 5, 13 becomes 15, so A scores 15. If A's last move scored too, that score comes first.
Example 5: going out in pairs. A goes out. A's partner C holds 63 (9 spots), which is not counted. B holds 42 (6 spots) and D holds 55 and 10 (11 spots). The opponents hold 6 + 11 = 17, which rounds to 15. The pair A and C scores 15.
Example 6: a blocked hand. The boneyard is empty and nobody can play. A holds 66 and 32: 17 spots. B holds 54: 9 spots. B has fewer spots and wins the hand. B scores A's 17, rounded to 15. The next hand is led by a draw of lots.
12. Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| All Fives, Muggins | Two names for dominoes where you score for ends adding up to a multiple of 5 |
| Tile, bone | One domino of the set |
| Spot, pip | One dot on a tile; the unit of scoring |
| Double | A tile with the same number on both halves |
| Spinner | The first double of the hand, which can be played on four sides |
| Arm | A branch of the line, starting from the first tile or the spinner |
| Open end | The number at the end of an arm, where a tile can be added |
| Count | The sum of all open ends after a move |
| Boneyard | The face-down tiles left after the deal, used for drawing |
| Lead | The first tile of a hand |
| Draw | Taking a tile from the boneyard |
| Pass, knock | Missing a turn because there is no move and no boneyard |
| Go out, domino | Play your last tile |
| Blocked hand | A hand where nobody can move and the boneyard is empty |
| Hand, game | One deal, and the whole match up to the target score |
| "Muggins!" | A call in the claim variant, to take points an opponent did not announce |