How to Play

1. The Basics

IQ Dominoes uses the double-nine set — the standard Cuban set.

• 55 tiles total, ranging from [0|0] to [9|9]. Every pip value 0–9 appears 10 times across the full set.
• Dealing — 1v1: each player gets 10 tiles.
• Dealing — 2v2 teams, 4-player free-for-all, or 2 humans + 2 CPUs: each player gets 10 tiles (40 dealt). The remaining 15 tiles "sleep" in the boneyard and are not drawable during the hand.
• First move: the player holding the highest double plays first — usually [9|9]. If no one has it, it goes to whoever holds the next-highest double.

2. Taking Your Turn

Play passes clockwise around the table. The chain on the table has exactly two open ends — a left end and a right end.

1. On your turn, play a tile whose pip value matches one of the two open ends.
2. The matching half attaches to the chain. The other half becomes the new open end on that side.
3. If a tile fits both ends, you choose which side to play it on (or, in 1v1, the app may auto-balance for you to keep both sides similar lengths).
4. If none of your tiles match either end, you must pass. There is no drawing from the boneyard mid-hand.

Example: the chain ends in […|6] on the right and [3|…] on the left. You can play any tile with a 6 on the right or any tile with a 3 on the left.

3. Doubles & the Spinner

A double is a tile where both halves match — like [4|4] or [9|9]. The first double on the table becomes the spinner and is drawn perpendicular ("crossed") to the rest of the chain.

Important: In Cuban dominó (and in IQ Dominoes), the chain has only two ends. Doubles look perpendicular for tradition and visual flair, but they do not open up new north/south branches. There is no four-way play.

          [4|4]
            |
 [2|3]—[3|6]—[6|6]—[6|1]—[1|5]
   ^                          ^
 left end                  right end

The vertical [4|4] is the spinner. The chain still extends only left and right.

4. Ending the Hand

A hand ends in one of two ways.

Domino Out

A player plays their last tile. They win the hand. (In teams, the whole team wins.)

Blocked

Nobody can play. The hand is tranca. Each player totals the pips left in their hand. Lowest pip total wins. In teams, the team with the lowest combined total wins.

Tie on a blocked game? The hand is a draw — no points awarded.

5. Scoring

The winner of the hand collects pips from everyone else.

• Base score: the winning player (or team) earns the sum of all pips left in the losers' hands.
• Capicúa — Dual-end bonus (×2): if your final tile fits both open ends of the chain at the moment you play it, the hand score is doubled. This is the most celebrated move in the game.
• Pollona — Shutout (×2): at match end, if the losing side scored zero points across the entire match, the winning side's final score is doubled. "Le di pollona" — I shut them out.

Example: opponents hold tiles worth 7, 14, and 5 pips when you go out. Your base score is 26. If your winning tile was a capicúa, the hand is worth 52.

6. Game Modes

Match setup

• 1v1 — two players, one-on-one.
• 2v2 teams — four players, two teams of two. Partners sit across the table. Seats [0, 2] are one team, seats [1, 3] are the other.
• Free-for-all (4-player) — four players, every player for themselves.
• 2 humans + 2 CPUs — quick online play when you can't fill all four seats.
• Solo vs CPU — practice against bots on Easy, Medium, or Hard. Great for learning capicúa setups.

Win conditions

• POINTS — first to 100 points wins the match.
• HANDS — first to 3 hand wins takes the match.
• Free-for-all is locked to HANDS / first-to-3 — no team scoring math, just whoever reaches three wins first.

7. Beginner Tips

• Count what's been played. Each pip value 0–9 appears 10 times in the set. If you've seen all the 6s go down, the chain can no longer extend on a 6 — anyone holding a 6-something is stuck.
• Save your doubles. Doubles only play when their pip is on an open end. Hold them until you control the ends, or until you can safely drop them without giving up the lead.
• Protect your high pips. If the hand gets blocked, you lose by pip count. Get rid of [9|9], [8|9], and friends early when you can.
• In teams, signal with your plays. There is no talking — you communicate by what you play. Closing both ends to your partner's strong suit is a classic signal. Cutting an end your opponent just played to is too.
• Threaten a capicúa. If you can shape the chain so your last tile fits both ends, you double the pot. This is what separates table-top players from señores.
• Don't panic on a pass. Passing tells the table what you don't have. Watch what others pass on — that's free information for the next round.

8. Glossary — English & Español

Capicúa (capicúa)

A winning play where your final tile fits both open ends of the chain. Doubles the hand score. Pronounced "cah-pee-COO-ah."

Pollona (pollona — "young hen"; also called zapato in some Cuban tables)

A shutout. The losing side ends the match with zero points; the winning side's final score is doubled. "Le dieron pollona" — they got shut out.

Domino Out (dominó / salir / pegar)

Playing your last tile to win the hand. Yelling "¡dominó!" is optional but encouraged.

Spinner (la salida / la cruz)

The first double played, drawn perpendicular to the chain. Visual marker only — the chain still has just two ends.

Boneyard (el pozo / la dormida)

The undealt tiles. In double-nine team play, 15 tiles sleep here. They are not drawn during the hand.

Chain (la cadena / el juego)

The line of tiles played on the table, with two open ends.

Pips (los puntos)

The dots on each half of a tile. Each value from 0 to 9 appears 10 times across the full set.

Blocked / Tranca (tranca / tranque)

The hand ends because no one can play. Lowest pip total in hand wins.

Pass (pasar / paso)

You have no tile that matches either open end. You skip the turn and the play moves on.

Double (doble / chucha for [0|0])

A tile where both halves match — [0|0] through [9|9].