Play Dominoes Like a Cuban

Dominoes is a century-old game. For many, it’s a daily ritual down at the local park. Across the world, you’ll find fellows at a table, sussing each other out and delicately placing their domino down, much to the dismay of their opponent.

In the United States, the age-old tradition of dominoes is kept well and truly alive in Maximo Gomez Domino Park on Calle Ocho in Miami, where older Cuban gentlemen keep the many dominoes tables active. These “veteranos” are often seen, clad neatly in their traditional guayabera shirts puffing on fat Cuban cigars, deeply engaged in a game of dominoes. This is the first part of playing dominoes like a Cuban.

There are hundreds of different ways of playing dominoes, but the Cubans play it in a unique way. In Cuba, the most common way to play is the Double Nine, with 55 pieces. Two teams of two play the Cuban way; 150 points is the most common way played, where the two teams play three sets and best of three wins.

To begin, dominoes are shuffled face down and each player takes 10 pieces, leaving the rest aside. The lead player, who holds the heaviest double, begins, while the others follow onto the open ends. Doubles are placed horizontally onto the ends, allowing for a four-way spread. When one played has become “dominoed” by setting the last tile, the game becomes blocked and no one else can set a tile. The winner is whoever lays their last tile, or whoever has the fewest tiles left.

It’s a simple but stimulating game. If dominoes is your thing, you’ve got to try it out in Cuba, where it’s heralded as the game of true champions, young and old.