Five Up is for two to four players, with partnerships at four. Score positive multiples of five as every double opens another spinner. Five raw points equal one displayed point. Unplayed tiles reduce scores hand by hand; the winner is decided after round settlement at a target of 61.
Equipment and objective
Use one complete double-six set of 28 tiles. Mix all tiles face down before dealing and keep hands private. Deal 5 tiles to every player and leave all undealt tiles face down as the drawable boneyard.
Play to 61 displayed points. Five raw pip points count as 1 displayed point, so the target is 305 raw pip points.
| Raw pip score | Displayed score |
|---|---|
| 5 | 1 |
| 10 | 2 |
| 15 | 3 |
| 20 | 4 |
Start a round
Determine the first-round leader by a neutral lot; repeat the lot among tied candidates if necessary. The leader may open with any tile. Turns then move clockwise.
The player who dominoes leads the next round. If a round is blocked, determine the next leader by a new neutral lot because a blocked round has no winner.
Play matching tiles
After the opening, play a tile by matching one half to an open connection with the same value. The unmatched half normally becomes a new scoring end. A completed placement ends the turn.
Keep hands private during play. Reveal remaining tiles only when the round is settled.
Every double is a spinner
Play doubles crosswise. Every double becomes a spinner, including an opening double and a double played on an existing branch.
The first two tiles continued from a spinner must use its two line sides. Only after both line sides are occupied may players begin either of its two branch arms. A branch may contain another double, which becomes another spinner under the same rule.
Opening spinner branches
Both line continuations must be filled before a side branch can open. An open continuation port and a counted scoring end are different things. An unopened side branch adds nothing once the spinner's two line continuations are filled.
Filled number: counted contributionHollow dot: legal continuation not counted here
Placed [1|2]
Counted contributions: 2 + 3 = 5. Placement award: 5 raw points (1 displayed point).
Counted contributions: 2 + 3 = 5. Placement award: 5 raw points (1 displayed point). Tiles: [1|4], [1|1], [4|4], [3|4], [1|2]. Spinners: [1|1], [4|4]. Connections: [1|4] (low end) – [1|1] (line A); [1|4] (high end) – [4|4] (line A); [4|4] (line B) – [3|4] (high end); [1|1] (line B) – [1|2] (low end). Legal continuation ports: [1|1] (branch A, 1); [1|1] (branch B, 1); [1|2] (high end, 2); [3|4] (low end, 3); [4|4] (branch A, 4); [4|4] (branch B, 4). Counted contributions: [1|2]: 2; [3|4]: 3.
Placed [1|5]
Counted contributions: 2 + 5 + 3 = 10. Placement award: 10 raw points (2 displayed points).
Counted contributions: 2 + 5 + 3 = 10. Placement award: 10 raw points (2 displayed points). Tiles: [1|4], [1|1], [4|4], [3|4], [1|2], [1|5]. Spinners: [1|1], [4|4]. Connections: [1|4] (low end) – [1|1] (line A); [1|4] (high end) – [4|4] (line A); [4|4] (line B) – [3|4] (high end); [1|1] (line B) – [1|2] (low end); [1|1] (branch A) – [1|5] (low end). Legal continuation ports: [1|1] (branch B, 1); [1|2] (high end, 2); [1|5] (high end, 5); [3|4] (low end, 3); [4|4] (branch A, 4); [4|4] (branch B, 4). Counted contributions: [1|2]: 2; [1|5]: 5; [3|4]: 3.
Placed [0|5]
Counted contributions: 0 + 2 + 3 = 5. Placement award: 5 raw points (1 displayed point).
Counted contributions: 0 + 2 + 3 = 5. Placement award: 5 raw points (1 displayed point). Tiles: [1|4], [1|1], [4|4], [3|4], [1|2], [1|5], [5|5], [0|5]. Spinners: [1|1], [4|4], [5|5]. Connections: [1|4] (low end) – [1|1] (line A); [1|4] (high end) – [4|4] (line A); [4|4] (line B) – [3|4] (high end); [1|1] (line B) – [1|2] (low end); [1|1] (branch A) – [1|5] (low end); [1|5] (high end) – [5|5] (line A); [5|5] (line B) – [0|5] (high end). Legal continuation ports: [0|5] (low end, 0); [1|1] (branch B, 1); [1|2] (high end, 2); [3|4] (low end, 3); [4|4] (branch A, 4); [4|4] (branch B, 4); [5|5] (branch A, 5); [5|5] (branch B, 5). Counted contributions: [0|5]: 0; [1|2]: 2; [3|4]: 3.
Placed [1|3]
Counted contributions: 0 + 2 + 3 + 3 = 8. Placement award: 0 raw points (0 displayed points).
Counted contributions: 0 + 2 + 3 + 3 = 8. Placement award: 0 raw points (0 displayed points). Tiles: [1|4], [1|1], [4|4], [3|4], [1|2], [1|5], [5|5], [0|5], [1|3]. Spinners: [1|1], [4|4], [5|5]. Connections: [1|4] (low end) – [1|1] (line A); [1|4] (high end) – [4|4] (line A); [4|4] (line B) – [3|4] (high end); [1|1] (line B) – [1|2] (low end); [1|1] (branch A) – [1|5] (low end); [1|5] (high end) – [5|5] (line A); [5|5] (line B) – [0|5] (high end); [1|1] (branch B) – [1|3] (low end). Legal continuation ports: [0|5] (low end, 0); [1|2] (high end, 2); [1|3] (high end, 3); [3|4] (low end, 3); [4|4] (branch A, 4); [4|4] (branch B, 4); [5|5] (branch A, 5); [5|5] (branch B, 5). Counted contributions: [0|5]: 0; [1|2]: 2; [1|3]: 3; [3|4]: 3.
A double at a terminal scoring end contributes both halves. For example, a terminal contributes 12. After both line sides have been occupied, that double is internal and contributes nothing directly; only the outer ends of branches that have actually begun are counted. Unused branch positions contribute zero.
Doubles at an end and inside the layout
A terminal double contributes both halves. The following position shows what changes when its line is continued. The orange outline identifies a spinner, not an automatic scoring end. Every eligible double is a spinner, including an opening double.
Filled number: counted contributionHollow dot: legal continuation not counted here
Placed [4|4]
Counted contributions: 2 + 8 = 10. Placement award: 10 raw points (2 displayed points).
Counted contributions: 2 + 8 = 10. Placement award: 10 raw points (2 displayed points). Tiles: [1|4], [1|1], [4|4]. Spinners: [1|1], [4|4]. Connections: [1|4] (low end) – [1|1] (line A); [1|4] (high end) – [4|4] (line A). Legal continuation ports: [1|1] (line B, 1); [4|4] (line B, 4). Counted contributions: [1|1]: 2; [4|4]: 8.
Placed [3|4]
Counted contributions: 2 + 3 = 5. Placement award: 5 raw points (1 displayed point).
Counted contributions: 2 + 3 = 5. Placement award: 5 raw points (1 displayed point). Tiles: [1|4], [1|1], [4|4], [3|4]. Spinners: [1|1], [4|4]. Connections: [1|4] (low end) – [1|1] (line A); [1|4] (high end) – [4|4] (line A); [4|4] (line B) – [3|4] (high end). Legal continuation ports: [1|1] (line B, 1); [3|4] (low end, 3); [4|4] (branch A, 4); [4|4] (branch B, 4). Counted contributions: [1|1]: 2; [3|4]: 3.
Placed [2|2]
Counted contributions: 4 = 4. Placement award: 0 raw points (0 displayed points).
Counted contributions: 4 = 4. Placement award: 0 raw points (0 displayed points). Tiles: [2|2]. Spinners: [2|2]. Connections: none. Legal continuation ports: [2|2] (line A, 2); [2|2] (line B, 2). Counted contributions: [2|2]: 4.
Draw and pass
If you have a legal placement, you must play it and may not draw instead. If you have no legal placement, draw one tile at a time. Stop as soon as you draw a playable tile and place that tile immediately.
If the boneyard becomes empty and you still cannot play, pass. You may not substitute another tile from your hand for the playable tile just drawn.
A round is blocked only when the boneyard is empty and no player can make a legal placement.
Score placements
After every placement, total all logical scoring ends. Score only when that raw pip total is a positive multiple of five. Convert the raw total to displayed points by dividing by five.
For example, a total of 15 raw pips scores 3 displayed points. A total of 12 or 17 scores nothing. The tile that empties a hand is scored normally before round settlement.
From end total to points
Count only the marked scoring ends, including zero-valued ends. The award below is the exact placement award, not the end total or a whole-round result. A positive multiple of five scores that many raw points. Other totals, including zero, score nothing. The displayed award is the raw award divided by 5.
Filled number: counted contributionHollow dot: legal continuation not counted here
Placed [1|4]
Counted contributions: 4 + 1 = 5. Placement award: 5 raw points (1 displayed point).
Counted contributions: 4 + 1 = 5. Placement award: 5 raw points (1 displayed point). Tiles: [1|4]. Spinners: none. Connections: none. Legal continuation ports: [1|4] (high end, 4); [1|4] (low end, 1). Counted contributions: [1|4]: 4; [1|4]: 1.
Placed [1|1]
Counted contributions: 2 + 4 = 6. Placement award: 0 raw points (0 displayed points).
Counted contributions: 2 + 4 = 6. Placement award: 0 raw points (0 displayed points). Tiles: [1|4], [1|1]. Spinners: [1|1]. Connections: [1|4] (low end) – [1|1] (line A). Legal continuation ports: [1|1] (line B, 1); [1|4] (high end, 4). Counted contributions: [1|1]: 2; [1|4]: 4.
Placed [6|6]
Counted contributions: 3 + 12 = 15. Placement award: 15 raw points (3 displayed points).
Counted contributions: 3 + 12 = 15. Placement award: 15 raw points (3 displayed points). Tiles: [3|6], [6|6]. Spinners: [6|6]. Connections: [3|6] (high end) – [6|6] (line A). Legal continuation ports: [3|6] (low end, 3); [6|6] (line B, 6). Counted contributions: [3|6]: 3; [6|6]: 12.
Placed [0|0]
Counted contributions: 0 = 0. Placement award: 0 raw points (0 displayed points).
Counted contributions: 0 = 0. Placement award: 0 raw points (0 displayed points). Tiles: [0|0]. Spinners: [0|0]. Connections: none. Legal continuation ports: [0|0] (line A, 0); [0|0] (line B, 0). Counted contributions: [0|0]: 0.
End and settle a round
A round ends when a player places the last tile from the hand and dominoes, or when the game becomes blocked. Reveal every remaining hand.
For each seat separately:
- Total the pips on that player’s remaining tiles.
- Round that total to the nearest multiple of five. Remainders 1 and 2 round down; remainders 3 and 4 round up.
- Divide the rounded total by five and subtract that many displayed points from the player’s or partnership’s score.
Exact multiples of five remain unchanged. A remainder total of 2 therefore causes no debit, while a total of 3 causes a 1-point displayed debit.
In a four-player partnership, round the two partners’ hands independently before applying both debits to the shared score. If both partners retain 3 raw pips, each hand rounds to 5 and the partnership loses 2 displayed points in total. Do not combine the hands first.
A player who dominoes is the round finisher. A blocked round has no winner and grants no settlement award; the independent remaining-tile debits still apply.
Finish the match
Always complete and settle the current round before checking the target. If one or more players or partnerships have at least 61 displayed points, the uniquely greatest score wins.
If the greatest qualifying score is tied, continue the match one complete ordinary round at a time until one scoring entity is uniquely highest.
Optional paper tally
One stroke records 5 raw points, or 1 displayed point. A large central X and a small x in each of its four surrounding spaces form a 50-raw-point symbol, worth 10 displayed points.
Source note
These rules follow the main Five Up form recorded by Pagat.