Dominoes Scoring: Draw, Block and All Fives Compared
Dominoes scoring depends on the game you play. In Draw and Block you score only when a round ends, by collecting the pips left in your opponents' hands. In All Fives you also score during play. This page puts the three side by side and then walks through the rounding rule that surprises most new players.
Scoring at a glance
| Feature | Draw | Block | All Fives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target score | 100 points | 100 points | 150 points |
| Points during play | None | None | Yes: whenever the open ends total a multiple of five |
| Points at the end of a round | The winner collects every opponent's leftover pips | The winner collects every opponent's leftover pips | The winner collects every opponent's leftover pips |
| Rounding | None: exact pips | None: exact pips | Each opponent's pips are rounded to the nearest five |
Counting pips
A pip is one dot on a tile. A tile is worth the sum of its two halves, so 6|4 is worth 10 and the double blank is worth 0. At the end of a round, add up the pips on every tile still left in a hand.
Who collects what
The player who goes out wins the round. If the round is blocked, the player with the fewest pips left wins, and a tie goes to the player with fewer tiles. The winner collects the pips left in each opponent's hand. In a 4-player team game the winning team collects from the two opponents only; a partner's tiles are not counted.
Rounding to five in All Fives
In All Fives each opponent's leftover pips are rounded to the nearest multiple of five before the winner collects them. A remainder of 1 or 2 rounds down and a remainder of 3 or 4 rounds up. So 11 and 12 become 10, 13 and 14 become 15, and 8 becomes 10 while 7 becomes 5.
Worked examples
Each line shows what the winner of the round collects.
- A player goes out while one opponent holds 13 pips and another holds 8. In Draw the winner collects 13 + 8 = 21 points.
- The same finish in Block also gives 21 points.
- The same finish in All Fives: 13 rounds to 15 and 8 rounds to 10, so the winner collects 25 points.
- A blocked round with three players holding 9, 14 and 20 pips: the player with 9 wins. In Draw or Block that is 14 + 20 = 34 points; in All Fives 14 becomes 15 and 20 stays 20, so 35 points.
- In All Fives a play that leaves the open ends on 6 and 4 totals 10, so the player scores 10 at once, before the round is even over.
Reaching the target score
Rounds are repeated until a player reaches the target: 100 points in Draw and Block, 150 in All Fives. In All Fives the points scored during play and the points collected at the end of a round go into the same running total.
And Mexican Train?
Mexican Train is scored the other way round: the pips left in your hand are penalty points and the lowest total after the last round wins. Read the full rules on the Mexican Train page. Mexican Train Dominoes · Rules, Markers and Scoring
Scoring questions
How do you score in dominoes?
In Draw and Block you score when a round ends: the winner collects the pips left in the opponents' hands. In All Fives you also score during play whenever the open ends add up to a multiple of five.
How many points do you play to?
Draw and Block matches go to 100 points. All Fives goes to 150.
How is a blocked round scored?
The player with the fewest pips left wins the round and collects the opponents' pips. If two players tie on pips, the one with fewer tiles wins.