One table, two rulebooks. Both teams finish the hand, everyone agrees who won… and the argument starts anyway: how many points go on the scoresheet?
It happens in Caracas, in Miami and anywhere Venezuelans gather around a table. Partner dominoes is played almost the same way everywhere, but the scoring depends on the tradition. Here we compare Venezuelan and international dominoes rule by rule, using the official regulations. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide to playing dominoes.
Most of the game is shared: 28 tiles from double-blank to double-six, seven per player, four players in two teams sitting across from each other. What changes is how many points the winning team collects, especially in a blocked game. Below we compare the Venezuelan Domino Federation rulebook (FVD, 2013) with the World Domino Federation rulebook (FEMUNDO, 2026).
| Topic | Venezuelan (FVD) | International (FEMUNDO) |
|---|---|---|
| Gameplay | 28 tiles, 7 each, played on both ends of the line. | Same. |
| Teams | Four players, two teams facing each other. | Same. |
| First opener | A draw: highest tile opens (Art. 89). | A draw: highest tile opens, then it rotates (Art. 6). |
| Hand won by going out | Winners score the opponents' remaining pips (Art. 74). | Defined (Art. 7), but the count is not spelled out. |
| Blocked hand | Lower team wins and scores the losing team's pips (Art. 75). | Lower team wins and scores all four hands (Art. 13). |
| Tied block | No points (Art. 75). | No points; rotation continues (Art. 13). |
| Penalties | Deductions from the match target (Arts. 88–93). | Deductions and cards (Arts. 19–21). |
When a hand ends, every player turns over the tiles they still hold and the pips are added up. The question is which hands count.
Under the FVD rulebook, when a player lays their last tile, their team scores the pips left in the opposing team's hands (Art. 74). Whatever your partner is still holding doesn't count.
The international approach is more generous: the winners also collect the pips left on their own side. FEMUNDO 2026 states this clearly for blocked games (Art. 13). It doesn't set a separate count for a hand won by going out, so check with your tournament. In Play Domino, the international option adds up the tiles of the other three players, partner included.
Ana lays her last tile. Her partner Luis is left with 9 pips. Carla and Diego, the opposing team, hold 15 + 13 = 28.
Same hand, nine points apart. In a game to 100, that gap shows up within two or three hands.
A hand is blocked when nobody can play: both ends show the same number and all seven tiles of that suit are already down (FVD, Art. 73). Venezuelans call it a tranca.
In both rulebooks, the team with fewer pips left wins. You add up both partners' hands, not just one player's.
This is the clearest official difference. The FVD gives the winners the losing team's pips (Art. 75). FEMUNDO gives them the pips of all four players (Art. 13).
Team A wins either way because 14 is lower than 22. Only the count changes: 22 points versus 36.
If both teams hold the same total, the hand is a tie and nobody scores. Both rulebooks record a zero for the team that blocked, only to keep track of hands and openers.
At many home tables, whoever holds the double-six, nicknamed la cochina in Venezuela, opens the first hand and must play it. It's a widespread custom, and it's also the rule Play Domino uses for the first hand.
Neither rulebook requires opening with the double-six. Under the FVD, each player draws a face-down tile and the highest one opens (Art. 89). FEMUNDO uses the same draw (Art. 6). After that, the opener rotates every hand and may lead with any tile.
In tournaments, mistakes cost points. These are the ones that start the most arguments:
Illegal tile (a "chivo"). Laying a tile that doesn't fit is penalized with a deduction from the match target (FVD, Art. 93; FEMUNDO, Art. 21).
Passing with a playable tile. Saying "pass" while holding a tile that fits is penalized; under FEMUNDO, the opponents may choose to void the hand (Art. 20).
Exposed or touched tiles. "Touched tile, played tile": touch one on your turn and, if it fits, you play it (FVD, Art. 92; FEMUNDO, Art. 19). A dropped tile stays face up and must be played at the first chance (FVD, Art. 90).
Talking to your partner. In competition, any conversation during the hand is forbidden (FVD, Art. 88).
Outside the rulebook, Venezuelan dominoes has its own vocabulary. These are customs, not official rules:
La cochina is the double-six, and in many homes whoever holds it opens the first hand. A zapato ("shoe") is a flawless victory: winning a game while the opponents never score a single point. Tranca is the everyday word for a blocked game. And every table has its own variations: games to 100 or 200, who shuffles, what happens when someone makes a mistake.
If you play far from home, those words are part of what you miss. That's why Play Domino uses them.
Same tiles, different scoring. When you set up a table on Play Domino, you choose Venezuelan scoring (opponents' pips only) or international scoring (pips from the other hands). Only the count changes; the rest of the game is the same. Invite friends, fill empty seats with robots and see which one you prefer.
Mainly scoring. In Venezuelan dominoes the winning team scores only the opponents' pips; in international play the winners' own pips count too, at least in a blocked game.
A double-six set has 28 tiles. With four players, each gets seven. Our beginner's guide covers the basics.
Under the FVD rulebook, a draw decides and the highest tile opens. At home, the player with the double-six often opens. After that, the opener rotates.
With Venezuelan scoring, their team scores the opponents' remaining pips. With Play Domino's international option, the other three players' tiles are added up.
The team with the lower total of remaining pips, under both rulebooks.
Nobody scores, and play moves on to the next hand.