Muggins Dominoes Rules (All Fives) and Scoring

Muggins, also called All Fives, is the domino game for people who like arithmetic. You still try to go out first, but you also score during the hand: every time the open ends of the line add up to a multiple of five, the player who made it scores that many points. It is a draw game with a double-six set, and it rewards players who look one move ahead. If you are new to dominoes, start with how to play dominoes.

Setup

Set: a double-six set, 28 tiles.
Players: 2 to 4. Four can play as two teams of two.
Deal: two players take 7 tiles each; three or four usually take 5. The rest is the boneyard.

The first player sets down any tile. Play is a draw game: if you can't play, draw from the boneyard until you can, and play that tile. When the boneyard is empty, a player who can't play passes. Some tables leave the last two tiles in the boneyard.

Scoring during the hand

After every play, add up the pips on the open ends of the line. If the total is a multiple of five, the player who just played scores it.

The first tile counts both its ends, so setting down the 5-0, the 6-4 or the 5-5 scores at once.
A double at an open end counts both halves. A 6-6 at one end and a 3 at the other make 12 + 3 = 15.
Classic Muggins has no spinner: doubles are laid crosswise and the line has two ends. Some All Fives tables make the first double a spinner with four open ends, all counted. Agree before you play.

Here is the start of a two-player hand:

Play	Tile	Open ends	Count	Points
1. Ana sets	5-0	5 and 0	5	Ana 5
2. Ben	0-2 on the 0	5 and 2	7	none
3. Ana	5-3 on the 5	3 and 2	5	Ana 5
4. Ben	3-6 on the 3	6 and 2	8	none
5. Ana	2-4 on the 2	6 and 4	10	Ana 10
6. Ben	4-1 on the 4	6 and 1	7	none
7. Ana	6-4 on the 6	4 and 1	5	Ana 5

After seven plays Ana has 5 + 5 + 10 + 5 = 25 and Ben has nothing. Ben was not unlucky; he left Ana easy counts.

The muggins call

You have to claim your own points, out loud, when you make them. If you miss them, the next player can say "muggins!" and take the points for themselves. Some tables just let missed points go and skip the stealing. Either way, count before you play.

Going out and blocked hands

When a player goes out, they score the pips left in the other hands, rounded to the nearest five. Suppose Ana goes out and Ben is holding the 6-2 and 3-1, which is 12 pips. Twelve rounds to 10, so Ana scores 10 and finishes the hand with 25 + 10 = 35.

Pips left	Rounded	Pips left	Rounded
12	10	27	25
13	15	28	30

If the hand blocks, the player with the lightest hand wins and scores the other players' pips, rounded the same way. Many tables subtract the winner's own count first.

Winning the game

The first player or team to reach the target wins. Targets vary a lot: 150, 200 and 250 are all common. Tables that score on a cribbage board count one peg per five points (a count of 15 is 3 pegs) and play to 61. Decide the target and the scoring unit before the first hand.

Tips

Before you play, add the ends in your head for each tile you could lay. A 10 or 15 is worth more than holding a tile back.
Doubles at the end of the line are powerful because they count twice. Laying the 5-5 on a 5 adds exactly five to the count, so a scoring count stays a scoring count.
Watch what you leave. Leave ends of 6 and 3, and anyone holding the 6-6 lays it on the 6 for 12 + 3 = 15.

FAQ

Why is it called muggins?

Because of the call. If a player forgets to claim points they made, an opponent shouts "muggins" and takes them.

Is muggins the same as All Fives?

Mostly. Both score the open ends when they total a multiple of five. All Fives often adds a spinner, the first double, which gives four open ends to count.

What do you score for going out in muggins?

The pips left in the other players' hands, rounded to the nearest five. Fourteen pips scores 15; eleven pips scores 10.