freshIvories Blog

Rules worth arguing about, strategy that holds up at the table, and how the game works here.

Draw, Block or All Fives? How the Main Domino Games Differ

Block, Draw and All Fives use the same 28 tiles but reward different skills. Here is how they differ, one hand played three ways, and where to start.

In partner dominoes you win as a team. What your plays tell your partner, when to cover their end, and when to just take the points.

Every number appears on exactly seven tiles. Here is how to use that to work out what your opponents hold, with worked examples.

New to Spades? The deal, following suit, why spades always win, when you can lead them, and how bids, nil and bags turn into points.

Good defence wins as many domino hands as good attack. How to block, when to play your doubles, and when to get rid of heavy tiles.

Most domino arguments start with a rule nobody agreed on. The etiquette worth keeping, and the house rules to settle before the first tile.

A double-six set has 28 tiles. Here's the formula behind that number, and how many tiles the bigger sets hold.

Two ways to win ugly on freshIvories. One means your opponent never got halfway. The other means you passed 300.

Muggins and All Fives are the same game with one addition — miss your own score and an opponent can take it.

Partner play, hard slams, and the whitewash everyone fears — a look at how dominoes is played in the Caribbean.

Written by the freshIvories team.