How to Play Fives

1. The Objective

The goal of Fives (All Fives / Muggins) is to be the first player or partnership to reach the target score — typically 100, 150, 200, or 250 points.

Points are earned in two ways:

1. During the hand: Whenever you play a tile such that the exposed open ends of the line total a multiple of five (5, 10, 15, 20, etc.).
2. At the end of a hand: By playing your last tile ("going out") or having the lowest remaining pip count when the table is blocked.

2. The Deal & Set

Fives uses a standard Double-Six set of 28 unique dominoes, ranging from [0-0] (blank-blank) up to [6-6] (double-six).

• 2 Players: 7 tiles dealt to each player. 14 tiles remain in the boneyard.
• 3 Players: 9 tiles dealt to each player. 1 tile remains in the boneyard.
• 4 Players (Solo or Partnerships): 7 tiles dealt to each player. No boneyard remains.

3. Opening Modes

When starting a match, you can choose between two authentic opening traditions:

Descending Spinner

Hand 1 begins with 6–6 as the opening tile. Hand 2 opens with 5–5, then 4–4, down through 0–0, then repeats. A random player is designated as the opener; they are dealt the required double into their hand and must lead it on turn 1.

Winner’s Choice

The first hand opens with the player holding the highest double dealt (or highest total pips if no doubles were dealt). In all subsequent hands, the winner of the previous hand leads any tile of their choosing. The first double played during the hand becomes the spinner.

4. The Spinner

The first double played onto the board is designated as the spinner. The spinner is the only domino that can branch in four directions:

• Inline Ends: The spinner must first be joined on both inline ends before its top and bottom side branches become active.
• Side Branches: Once both inline ends are occupied, players may play tiles off the spinner’s two sides, opening up to four simultaneous active lines.
• Other Doubles: Any subsequent doubles played during the hand are placed crosswise across the line for clarity, but they do not branch.

5. Scoring During Play

After placing any tile, sum the pip values of all currently exposed, open ends of the layout:

• An open single tile end counts the pip value of that open half.
• An open double tile placed crosswise counts both halves (e.g. an exposed [5-5] contributes 10 to the total).
• While the spinner is open on one side, its entire value counts once. Once both inline sides are joined, the spinner itself contributes 0 to the sum.

6. Drawing & Passing

On your turn, you must play if you hold a tile that matches any open branch end.

If you have no legal move:

• If tiles remain in the boneyard: You must draw tiles one by one until you draw a playable tile (in Fives, this draw happens smoothly and automatically).
• If the boneyard is empty: Your turn passes automatically, and a "PASS" indicator appears at your seat.

7. Hand Endings & Bonus Points

A hand ends in one of two ways:

1. Going Out (Domino!)

When a player plays their very last domino, the hand ends immediately. The winning player receives the sum of all pips remaining in opponents’ hands, rounded to the nearest five (e.g. 13 pips rounds to 15; 12 pips rounds to 10; 2 rounds to 0).

2. Blocked Table

If all players consecutively pass and no one can play, the table is blocked. Each player totals the pips left in their hand:

• The player with the lowest pip total wins the hand.
• The winner earns the sum of all opponents’ pips minus their own pips, rounded to the nearest five.
• If two or more players tie for lowest pips, the hand is a draw and no bonus points are awarded.

8. Four-Player Partnerships

When playing with four players, you can enable Partnerships:

• Seating: You (Seat 0) and the player sitting across from you (Seat 2) form Team A. The left and right opponents (Seats 1 and 3) form Team B.
• Shared Score: Teammates pool their score together on one shared scoreboard.
• Bonus Calculation: When a player goes out, only the opposing team's remaining tiles count toward the bonus. Your partner's tiles are excluded!
• Blocked Table: The two teams' total unplayed pips are compared. The team with fewer pips wins the difference rounded to the nearest five.

9. Winning the Match

The first player or partnership to hit or exceed the target score (e.g. 150 points) wins the match immediately.

10. Strategy Tips

• Keep ends versatile: Try to play tiles that leave open ends matching the tiles remaining in your hand.
• Calculate spinner opens: Joining the spinner's second inline end activates two new branches. Time this so you can capitalize on the next turn.
• Guard against the next player: Pay attention to what your next opponent has drawn or passed on. Avoid leaving numbers they are hungry for.
• Shed heavy tiles early: High-pip tiles like [6-6] or [6-5] carry heavy penalty pips if an opponent goes out or the board blocks.
• Partner play: In partnerships, avoid playing numbers your teammate has been forced to pass on, and support numbers they lead.