Domino Sets and Sizes

Every standard set

The pip total is worth knowing because it is what you are playing for. In a double-six set there are 168 pips on the table; the seven doubles alone account for 42 of them, a quarter of the game concentrated in a quarter of the tiles you least want to be holding.

Which set should you buy?

• Double-six for two to four players and every classic game. If you own one set, this is it.
• Double-twelve if Mexican Train is the reason you are buying. It is the set the game is written for, and it seats up to ten.
• Double-nine as the compromise: big enough for six players and for Chicken Foot, small enough to fit an ordinary table.
• Double-fifteen and double-eighteen only for large standing groups. 190 tiles is a lot of table.

One practical note that has nothing to do with rules: on large sets the pip counts past nine become hard to read at a glance, which is why most double-twelve sets colour-code the numbers. If you are buying for a group with mixed eyesight, colour-coded tiles are worth more than the material they are made of.

How many dominoes do you start with?

Seven each in a two-player game, which is the one figure no source disputes. Above two players it depends on the game, and Mexican Train uses its own schedule because it is played with a double-twelve set.

The numbers above two players are not settled, and this table follows pagat rather than pretending otherwise. Plenty of households deal five each at any count and never notice there is a question. What the hand size actually controls is the size of the boneyard: deal fewer tiles and more of the set stays face down, which makes a round longer and more tactical.

Whatever you pick, use the same number for every round of a game. Mexican Train in particular runs thirteen rounds, and changing the deal partway through makes the scores from earlier rounds meaningless.

How many dominoes do you start with?

Seven each with two players. With three or four players it is five each under pagat’s Block rules, or seven for three and six for four under its Draw rules. Mexican Train deals fifteen each for up to four players.

How many dominoes do you need for Mexican Train?

A double-twelve set of 91 tiles, which seats up to ten players. Each player draws fifteen tiles for games of up to four players, twelve for five or six, ten for seven or eight, and eight for nine or ten.

How many dominoes are in a double-six set?

Twenty-eight tiles, carrying 168 pips between them. It is the standard set for Block, Draw, All Fives and almost every classic domino game.

How many dominoes are in a double-nine set?

Fifty-five tiles. It seats up to six players comfortably and is the usual set for Chicken Foot.

How many dominoes are in a double-twelve set?

Ninety-one tiles. This is the set Mexican Train is written for, and it seats up to ten players.

Questions about sets

How many dominoes are in a set?

A standard double-six set has 28 dominoes. Double-nine has 55, double-twelve has 91, double-fifteen has 136 and double-eighteen has 190. The formula for a double-N set is (N+1)(N+2)/2.

How many dots are on a full set of dominoes?

A double-six set has 168 pips in total. A double-nine has 495, a double-twelve 1,092. Each number appears on N+2 tile ends, so the total is (N+2) × N(N+1)/2.

How many doubles are in a set of dominoes?

One for each number, so seven in a double-six set (0–0 through 6–6), ten in a double-nine and thirteen in a double-twelve. They are the tiles that decide most rounds, because each one matches only a single number.

What size domino set do I need for Mexican Train?

A double-twelve set, which gives thirteen rounds, one for each double from the 12-12 down to the double-blank, and seats up to ten players. A double-nine works for a shorter game with up to six, and even a double-six will do for a quick seven-round version.