What is the boneyard in dominoes?

Dominoes are nicknamed bones, so the leftover pile became the boneyard - and how a game treats that pile is one of the biggest rule differences in dominoes.

Quick answer: The boneyard is the pile of face-down tiles left over after both players draw their hands - 14 tiles in a two-player double-six game. In Draw-family games you take from it when you can't play; in Block it sits untouched, which means those tiles never enter the hand at all.

Where the name comes from

Early dominoes were carved from bone and ivory, so tiles picked up the nickname bones, and the face-down reserve became the boneyard. After each player draws seven from a shuffled double-six set, 14 tiles remain there. You'll find this and every other bit of dominoes slang in the glossary.

When you draw from it

In Draw and the scoring games built on it, a player who can't match either open end must draw tiles from the boneyard until they find one that plays, and may only pass once the boneyard is empty. In Block, nobody ever draws - if you can't play, you knock and the turn moves on. Those unused boneyard tiles stay hidden all hand.

The boneyard as information

Everything you can't see is either in your opponent's hand or in the boneyard, and good players track the difference. Every tile your opponent draws tells you they lacked both open ends at that moment, and every suit you can fully account for is a suit they can't punish you with. Reading the boneyard is half of winning more often.

Play Draw dominoes

Related questions

Can you pass in dominoes?

Yes, but only when you genuinely can't play - and each family handles it differently. In Block you knock and pass immediately. In Draw and the scoring games you must draw from the boneyard until you find a playable tile, and may only pass once the boneyard is empty.

What is the difference between Draw and Block dominoes?

The two classics differ by a single rule. In Draw, a player who can't play must take tiles from the boneyard until one fits. In Block, there's no drawing - you pass and the turn moves on. Draw is more forgiving; Block is tighter, blockier, and more about counting.

How do you play dominoes?

In a two-player game, each player draws 7 tiles from a shuffled double-six set of 28, and the rest form the face-down boneyard. Players take turns adding a tile whose end matches an open end of the line. Empty your hand to win the hand, or hold the fewest pips if play blocks.