Official Muggins (All Fives) Dominoes Rules

Last Updated on June 23, 2025 by The Official Game Rules Team

Muggins Dominoes, also known as “All Fives,” is a classic domino game that involves both strategic play and the ability to quickly add up numbers. Here’s a detailed guide to the rules of Muggins.

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How to Play Muggins (All Fives)

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Objective:

The goal of Muggins is to score points by making the open ends of the domino layout add up to a multiple of five.

Equipment:

• A standard double-six domino set (28 tiles)

Setup:

1. Players:
   • Muggins is typically played by 2-4 players.
2. Shuffling and Drawing:
   • Shuffle the dominoes face down.
   • Each player draws tiles as follows:
     • For 2 players: 7 tiles each
     • For 3 or 4 players: 5 tiles each
   • The remaining tiles form the boneyard.

Gameplay:

1. Starting the Game:
   • The player with the highest double (if any) plays it to start the layout.
   • If no player has a double, players draw tiles from the boneyard until a double is drawn to start the game.
2. Playing Dominoes:
   • Players take turns in a clockwise direction.
   • On their turn, a player must place a tile matching one of the open ends of the layout (end-to-end matching).
   • After placing a tile, the player checks the sum of the pips on all open ends of the layout.
   • If the sum of the open ends is a multiple of five (5, 10, 15, 20, etc.), the player scores that number of points.
3. Scoring Points:
   • Points are scored immediately after a tile is played if the sum of the open ends is a multiple of five.
   • Players must call out their points immediately to claim them.
   • Example: If the layout has open ends showing 3 and 2, the sum is 5, and the player scores 5 points.
4. Blocking and Drawing:
   • If a player cannot make a valid play, they must draw tiles from the boneyard until they can play or the boneyard is empty.
   • If the boneyard is empty and a player cannot play, they pass their turn.
5. Ending a Round:
   • A round ends when a player plays all their tiles or when no player can make a legal play.
   • If a player plays all their tiles, they score the total number of pips on the remaining tiles of all other players.
   • If the round ends with blocked play, the player with the lowest pip count scores the total number of pips on all remaining tiles.

Winning the Game:

• The game is played to a predetermined number of points, commonly 100 or 200.
• The player who reaches or exceeds the target score first wins the game.

Additional Rules:

• Muggins Rule: If a player fails to call out their score when the open ends sum to a multiple of five, any opponent can call “Muggins” and claim the points instead.

Muggins is a dynamic and engaging domino game that combines skillful play with quick mental arithmetic. It’s a great way to enjoy dominoes with a competitive edge.