When you think of the word “domino”, you probably think of a family of tile-based games. These gaming pieces are rectangular tiles with square ends and number-marked spots on them. You place these tiles into piles in order to make as many matches as you can. The best way to win is to collect all the pieces.

Tien Gow

Originating in China, the Tien Gow domino game is a fun, strategy-oriented way to play. It uses a standard ranking system for Chinese dominoes that isn’t tied to the numerical value of the tiles. Players win points according to the value of their hands, and there are score multipliers available to increase these values. Traditionally, the game is played against one another, with the winner taking the highest hand value.

Pai Gow

The basic rules of Pai Gow are easy to understand. A hand is scored by adding the total number of pips of two dominos. The higher the number, the higher the hand. The higher ranking domino wins. The player or banker has a winning hand if his/her ranking is higher than the other player’s.

Pai Gow Tiles originated in Ancient China, and is now played in most Asian countries. Pai Gow literally means “to make nine” in Chinese and is played with 32 dominoes, or tiles. It is one of the oldest games ever played in casinos, and has been around for thousands of years. This game is often confused with the game of Pai Gow Poker, which is also played with dominoes.

Che Deng

The Che Deng domino game originated in China. It is actually a contraction of the Chinese word “Pupai,” which means “seven” or “eight.” The game is played with thirty dominoes, twenty of which have blank faces and one with a face that is blank. The objective is to form the most combinations from the set of dominoes.

Traditionally, the game was known as Che Deng, Pai Gow, or Tien Gow. It is similar to the western game of Domino. The pieces are rectangular with a square end and a number on each. The game is won when the players have the same number on all of the squares in a row.

All Fives

Muggins, also known as All Fives in domino, is a game that can be played with commonly available domino sets. The game is designed to be played by two to four players. However, it is considered a good game for two players as well. In fact, John McLeod considers it a two-player game.

The objective of All Fives in domino is to score multiples of five. The highest scores are earned when players play double six tiles, which can range from five to twenty points. In addition, the player earns a point when all five end tiles are played, regardless of which order they come down.