The 10 Best Dominoes Sets

For a family that wants one set to cover most game nights, the Spin Master Mexican Train packs the whole game into a metal carry case. Inside are a full double-twelve set of tiles, colored train markers, a score pad and rules for up to eight players. Every number has its own dot color, so kids can match ends at a glance. The tiles are on the thin side, and the yellow and orange dots look alike in dim light.

Players who like a heavy tile that lands with a satisfying click should look at the Marion Double Six Jumbo. Its tiles are cast from urea, a dense plastic that resists scratches, in deep blue with crisp white pips. A small metal spinner sits in the center of each one, which makes face-down shuffling smoother. Sellers ship it in a black velvet bag or box. Those spinners can make a tile rock slightly on a hard table.

A good double-six set for grown-ups doesn't have to be fancy, and the Queensell Double Six shows it. Its 28 ivory tiles have black dots and a metal spinner in the middle, and they pack into a brown wooden case that tucks into a camping bag or a cottage drawer. The set seats two to four players for the classic block and draw games. These are standard-size tiles, so they feel lighter in the hand than a jumbo set.

Built to be handed down, the Alex Cramer #450 puts the maker's tournament-size, ivory-look tiles in a stitched caramel leather case lined with black velvet. A walnut cribbage board with gold and black pegs comes with it, so one set covers two games. The company, making dominoes since 1975, promises to replace a broken or lost tile for as long as you own the set. It's a splurge, and the tiles have no center spinners for those who like them.

Chicken Foot and other big-table games need more tiles than a double-six set, and the Spin Master Double Nine covers them for little money. Its 55 tiles use a different dot color for each number, which helps kids and anyone with weak eyesight. A starter piece marks the center of play, and the whole lot fits in a sturdy storage tin. The tiles are thin, so they tend to tip over when stood on edge.

Mexican Train fans who want sturdier pieces at the center of the table can turn to the Regal Games Mexican Train. It pairs a full double-twelve set of color-dot tiles with a wooden hub and four metal trains, and everything packs into a storage tin that holds up on camping trips. With four trains, a table of eight needs extra markers, and the dark dot colors can be hard to tell apart under warm lamps.

For older players or anyone who squints at small pips, the CHH Jumbo Double Six makes counting easy with big cream tiles and bold black dots. The tiles are thick and have real weight in the hand, so they stand in a neat row on edge without falling. The set comes in a black box with a lift-off lid that suits a shelf more than a suitcase. There are no spinners, and the box is only cardboard.

Kids who watch domino-run videos can build their own with the H5 Domino Creations set, designed with toppling artist Lily Hevesh. It comes with 100 neon tiles plus half-bridges, field starters and a layout template, enough for spirals, walls and small chain reactions. The bright colors make finished runs look good in photos and clips. Serious builders run out of tiles fast and end up buying add-on packs.

The Pressman Family Classics set packs a full double-twelve game into a compact tin that fits a kitchen drawer or a cabin shelf. Its 91 white tiles carry bright colored dots, which help kids match ends, and a starter piece marks the center of the table for Mexican Train. Rules come in the tin, so a crowd can start playing right away. With this many tiles a two-player game drags, and pairs do better with a double six.

Long rally runs across the living room floor take a lot of tiles, and the Lewo 1000-Piece set brings them in a rainbow of painted linden wood. A spacing tool and a handful of add-on trick blocks let kids build stunts into a run. The seller pitches the tiles as first blocks for toddlers, but a bin of a thousand small pieces belongs out of reach of children under three.