Table law

Jamaican dominoes rules

The local table code played here: 28 double-six bones, seven per player, no draw, anti-clockwise play, individual low-count block, Six Love, key bone, Game Bruk and One-All-Play-Two.

Partner (2v2)

You and your partner sit opposite one another and race the other pair to six.

The bones

Four players share all 28 double-six bones, seven each. There is no boneyard. Partners sit opposite one another.

Pose and turn

Double-six poses the first hand and every reset. The holder may announce sporting at an informal yard table and lead another bone. The previous winner, or either member of the winning team, may pose next. Play moves anti-clockwise.

Play and pass

Match either open end. A player with no legal bone must knock and pass; passing with a playable bone is not allowed. Doubles sit across the line.

Blocked hand

When all four players pass, the lowest individual pip count wins. In Partner, two lowest players on the same team win; opponents tied low create a Derby.

Key bone and Derby

Going out on the unique non-double key bone between two different hard ends earns two. A tied blocked Partner hand makes the next hand a two-point Derby; another tie makes it three.

Partner: Six Love

Teams race to six while the opposition remains at love. If the other team answers, the run breaks. At one-all, the next hand is Play Two and the winner leaves 2-0.

Cut Throat (1v3)

Every player scores alone. Same bones, same turns, no partner to cover you.

Cut Throat

Every player scores alone. First to six while someone remains at love wins. When the final scoreless player wins, Game Bruk resets all, except exact one-all-all-all, which triggers Play Two.

French (the cross)

The Jamaican four-arm cross. Lowest score wins.

French: the cross

Four individual players. Double-blank poses the first hand in the centre; afterwards the previous winner poses any double, and if nobody can, turns move on until someone poses. Four bones attach to the four sides of the centre bone to form the cross.

French: locked arms

Each arm is locked by the value now showing at its tip. Only that value's double can unlock the arm; once played, the arm accepts ordinary matching bones again. A player who can play must play.

French: lowest wins

Every player adds the pips left in hand; the player going out adds nothing. Keeping a double doubles your hand score, and if the winner goes out on a double every opponent's hand score doubles too. Three passes in a row costs ten, and a play that passes the other three costs each of them ten. First to 100 or more ends the game and the lowest total wins.

Scoring at a glance

Partner and Cut Throat race to six; holding the other side at love is Six Love.
Going out on the key bone between two hard ends earns two points.
A tied blocked Partner hand makes the next hand a two-point Derby, then three.
In Cut Throat, the final scoreless player winning triggers Game Bruk and resets all scores.
In French, points are bad: lowest total wins, and the game ends when someone reaches 100.

Fair play

No hand signals, table talk or coaching during Partner play. The computer players reason from their own bones and the public table only.

Common Jamaican dominoes terms

Bone: A domino tile. The full double-six set is 28 bones.
Pose: Lead the first bone of a hand. Double-six poses in Partner and Cut Throat.
Knock: Pass because you hold no legal bone. Knocking with a playable bone is not allowed.
Boneyard: The pile you draw from in some games. Jamaican double-six has none; all bones are dealt.
Hard end: An open end of the line that only one remaining value can match.
Key bone: The unique non-double bone that can join two different hard ends. Going out on it earns two.
Six Love: Winning the race to six while the other side stays at love (zero).
Love: Zero on the score sheet.
Derby: A tied blocked Partner hand. The next hand is worth two, then three if it ties again.
Game Bruk: In Cut Throat, the last scoreless player winning resets every score to zero.
One-All-Play-Two: At one-all the next hand is worth two points; the winner leaves 2-0.
Cut Throat: Every player for themself; no partners, no mercy.

Ready to run the table? Pick a game and take the south seat.