In Block Dominoes, the objective is to be the first player to empty your hand by placing matching tiles on the board. Here are the standard rules:
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The game of Fives (or All Fives) is a popular variation of dominoes focused on scoring points by making the open ends of the layout sum to a multiple of five. Here are the basic rules:
Players: Typically 2 to 4 players.
Domino Set: Double-six dominoes are commonly used, but you can use larger sets for more players.
The rest form the boneyard (unused pile).
Objective
Score points during play and at the end of a round by ensuring the sum of the open ends of the layout equals a multiple of 5 (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, etc.).
First Play: The player with the highest double (e.g., double-six) starts the game. If no one has a double, players draw from the boneyard until one is found.
Subsequent Plays: Players take turns adding dominoes to the layout, matching one open end to an existing end on the layout.
Example: If one end of the layout is 4, you can play any domino with a 4 on it.
Scoring:
After each play, calculate the sum of the open ends.
If the sum is a multiple of 5, the player earns that number of points.
Example: If the layout has open ends 4 and 6, the total is 10, and the player scores 10 points.
Doubles are played crosswise and count as the value of both ends (e.g., a double-6 adds 12 to the total).
Passing: If a player cannot play a domino, they must draw from the boneyard until they find a playable piece or the boneyard is empty. If no domino can be played, the player passes their turn.
The round ends when one player uses all their dominoes or no one can play.
The winner of the round scores points equal to the sum of the pips (dots) on the remaining dominoes in all other players' hands, rounded down to the nearest multiple of 5.
Winning the Game
Players agree on a target score (e.g., 100 or 200). The first player to reach or exceed the target score wins.
Tips for Strategy
Aim to create layouts that maximize your scoring potential.
Block opponents from scoring by playing tiles that disrupt their plans.
Keep track of the dominoes played to predict what your opponents might have.
Battle against the best. Bones online dominoes matches are 100% randomized, meaning there are no algorithms for pre-determining who will get matched up. Jump on a match and you could be playing a first time player or a world master.
Bones was created by a player who had played over 30,000 games of the other guy’s app and was sick of what had become known as The Algorithm. Other online multiplayer dominoes games are designed to give new players a little boost to help them compete. That means that if you are a pro, you could easily lose to a new player because the game gives them better odds in the dominoes it gives them and what is in the boneyard.
That makes it very hard to really prove your prowess as a domino player with those games, and why tournaments inside the game aren’t possible.
Bones has fixed that. If you want to become a better player, this is your game. You’ll see what you are made of in a completely randomized match up with no algorithm altering the odds in your favor.
Got skills? Show the world.
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Ever been playing a game of online dominoes and felt like the algorithm was playing favorites? Yeah, us too. That's why we made Bones.
Bones was created by a player with over 30,0000 games of online dominoes racked up in the last decade, constantly frustrated by seeing what has been reported in thousands of negative reviews, that the algorithm is broken. At first, he thought maybe he was just imagining it, but over time he became sure. He would be ready to win a match to 250, then all of a sudden the novice player who had just recently started an account would get a huge scoring opportunity. It was obvious - the game just wasn’t fair.
It wasn’t long before he found that many, many other players were seeing the same pattern. By taking use of the chat feature on the app, meeting other players on Reddit and other online forums, and reading reviews, he realized that the frustration was widespread. Still, they kept playing the same game, because there weren’t any alternatives.
Bones has no algorithm. Matches and dominoes are 100% randomized. You’ll never find a pattern or a handicap. If you are the best, you’ll win. End of story.
If you want to get better, Bones is the way to find out how good you really are and see how the masters play.
Got the skills? Prove it. We've evened the odds.
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