All Fives Dominoes Rules: How to Play and Score
Nov 10, 2026 · The Editors
How to play All Fives (Muggins) with a double-six set: the draw, the spinner, scoring when the open ends add up to a multiple of five, going out, blocked games and the muggins rule.
All Fives — also called Muggins, Fives or Five Up — is the scoring domino game. You still match ends as in the basic block or draw game, but you also score points whenever the open ends of the line add up to a multiple of five. It turns a game of luck into one of arithmetic and planning.
What you need
- A double-six set of 28 dominoes.
- Players: 2, 3 or 4 (four can play as two partnerships).
- A way to keep score: paper, or a cribbage board where each hole counts as five points.
The deal
Shuffle the dominoes face down. Each player draws:
| Players | Tiles each |
|---|---|
| 2 | 7 |
| 3 | 5 |
| 4 | 5 |
The rest stay face down as the boneyard. Whoever holds the highest double usually plays first; in later hands, the winner of the last hand leads. House rules on the first play vary, so agree them.
The spinner
The first double played becomes the spinner. It sits crossways, and once tiles have been played on both of its long sides, players may also play off its two ends, so the layout can grow in four directions instead of two.
How scoring works
After every play, add up the pips on all the open ends of the layout. If the total is a multiple of five, the player who just played scores that number.
- A double at the end of a line lies crossways and counts both halves. An end showing the double-four counts 8.
- The spinner counts as an end until tiles are played on it.
Example. The layout's two open ends show a 6 and a 4. That totals 10, so the player who made it scores 10. The next player adds a 6-1 to the 6 end, leaving open ends of 1 and 4: a total of 5, so they score 5.
Drawing, going out and blocked games
If you cannot play, draw from the boneyard until you can. When one player plays their last tile, they go out and score the total pips left in their opponents' hands, rounded to the nearest five.
If nobody can play and the boneyard is empty, the game is blocked. The player with the fewest pips left scores the difference between their total and everyone else's, rounded to the nearest five.
Muggins
If a player makes a scoring play and forgets to claim it, the next player can call "Muggins!" and take the points themselves. That is where the game's other name comes from, and it keeps everyone counting.
Winning
The game is usually played to 150 or 250 points; agree the target before you start.
Strategy for All Fives
- Count the ends before every play. Look for the tile that makes 5, 10, 15 or 20.
- Keep doubles for scoring moments. A double counts both halves at an end.
- Watch what your opponent cannot play. If they had to draw on a number, play to that number.
- Block when ahead. Late in a hand, shutting the layout down can protect your lead.
Dominoes for a scoring game
A clear-pipped double-six set is all you need, and the same set plays Mexican train and chicken foot.
