Beginning the Game

In some domino games, the rules state that the first play must be made by the player with the highest double in his hand. Rules for other games state that the first play must be made by the player with the heaviest domino, double or single, as the case may be. Highest Double After the tiles are shuffled, each player draws his hand from the stock. The player who draws the highest double of the set i.e., double 9 if playing with a double 9 set, plays it as the lead. If the highest double was not drawn, the second highest double is played. If the second highest double was not drawn, the third highest double is played, and so on, until a double is played. If none of the players holds a double in his hand, all hands are discarded, reshuffled, and new hands are drawn. After the first player sets his double, the second play is made by the player to his left and play continues clockwise. Heaviest Tile Follow the instructions above for Highest Double with this exception Instead of drawing new hands if no player holds a double tile, the player holding the heaviest single begins play. Winner of the Last Game The winner of the last game played may open the next game. Or, if a game ends in a tie, the player who placed the last tile plays the first tile in the next game.