What is a spinner in dominoes?

The spinner is the tile that turns a straight line of dominoes into a branching layout - and in scoring games, it multiplies the ways points can appear.

Quick answer: The spinner is the first double played in a hand, laid crosswise to the line. Once both sides of the spinner along the main line are covered, its two remaining sides open as new arms, so the layout can grow in four directions. Spinners are central to All Fives and Cross.

How the spinner works

The first double played in a hand becomes the spinner and sits crosswise across the line. Play continues normally on the two main ends, and once both sides of the spinner's main line are covered, its other two sides open up as fresh arms. From then on the layout has up to four open ends instead of two. Only the first double spins - later doubles sit at the end of a line like any other tile.

The spinner in scoring games

In All Fives the spinner is the engine of the score. More open ends means more numbers in the count, and a double at the end of any line counts both halves - a 5-5 contributes ten. Skilled players time the spinner's arrival to swing the count their way, as covered in how All Fives scoring works.

Games with and without spinners

Not every variant uses one. Block and Fives and Threes keep a simple two-ended line, which keeps the arithmetic tight. Cross goes the other way and builds four arms around the opening double as a fixture of the game. If a term trips you up, the glossary has it.

Play All Fives - the spinner game

Related questions

What is a double in dominoes?

A double is a tile with the same value on both halves - there are seven in a double-six set, from 0-0 to 6-6. Doubles are laid crosswise, the first one played can become the spinner, and because each double fits only its own suit, they're assets early and liabilities late.

How do you score in All Fives?

You score during play whenever the open ends of the layout add up to a multiple of five - ends of 3 and 2 score 5, a 6-6 double plus a 3 scores 15. When a hand ends, the winner also adds the opponent's leftover pips, rounded to the nearest five. First to the match target wins.

What is Cross dominoes?

Cross plays like Draw with one opening twist: the first double laid becomes the hub, and the next four tiles must be played against it, one on each side, forming a cross. From then on the layout has four open ends, quadrupling your options - and your opponent's.