STEKIUS
Domino online at STEKIUS: match and finish first
Play nowDomino is one of the simplest and most addictive table games: you play tiles that match the ends of a growing line, and whoever gets rid of their own tiles first wins. Behind the simplicity there is a lot of thinking: which tile to keep, which end to close, what the opponent might have.
At STEKIUS you play domino online for free, with real tiles, with two to four players, with friends or with AI players. Below you will find all the rules: how the tiles are dealt, who opens, when you draw and how the points count.
The tiles
The set has 28 tiles, from 0-0 to 6-6. Every tile has two halves with dots from zero to six, and the tiles with the same number on both sides are called doubles.
With two players each one gets seven tiles, with three six and with four five. The rest stay face down at the side, for whoever needs to draw.
Who opens
The first hand is opened by whoever has the highest double. If nobody has a double, the player with the heaviest tile opens, that is the one with the most dots. Every following hand is opened by the winner of the previous one.
How you play
The line always has two open ends. On your turn you drag a tile onto one of them, or you tap it and then tap the end. The number on the tile must match the number at that end; if it does not, the tile goes back to your hand.
When none of your tiles matches, you draw from the rest until one that matches comes, if the table plays with drawing. If the rest run out, or if the table plays without drawing, you pass.
The end of the hand
Whoever first plays their last tile wins the hand and the dots left in the others’ hands.
It can happen, though, that nobody can play. Then the line is blocked, and whoever has the fewest dots in hand wins the others’ dots. If there is a tie, nobody gets points in that hand.
One hand or a match to points
Before the start, the table chooses whether one single hand will be played or hands until someone reaches the points that were set. One hand is ideal for a quick game, while a match to points rewards whoever plays steadily well.
With friends or with bots
You open a table for two, three or four players and for every seat you choose whether it will be a person or a bot. For your friends you get a room code and an invitation link, and they join from their own device with their own account. You can also open a public table, to find an opponent even when your friends are not online.
The bots have three levels, easy, medium and hard, and play by the same rules as you: they never see the others’ tiles or the face-down tiles at the side.
Chips and leaving
The virtual chips are shared out by place: what the first players win, the last ones lose. After the first tiles, whoever leaves pays a leave penalty. As soon as there is a winner, you leave freely.
Tips
- Get rid of the heavy tiles early: if the line is blocked, they count against you.
- Keep a variety of numbers in your hand, so that you always have something to match.
- Watch which numbers the opponent cannot play and close the ends with them.
- Doubles match only one number; do not keep them for the end.
Questions
How many tiles does domino have?
Twenty-eight, from 0-0 to 6-6.
How many tiles does each player get?
Seven with two players, six with three and five with four.
What happens if nobody can play?
The line is blocked and whoever has the fewest dots in hand wins. In a tie nobody gets points.
Do I have to draw when nothing matches?
If the table plays with drawing, yes, until a matching tile comes. Otherwise you pass.
