Domino table words
Mano, Manito and Frente
Three words name the seats that matter: the mano opens, the manito can appear after the first pass, and your frente is the partner across the table.
4 min read
Published October 15, 2026
Quick answer
Mano, manito and frente in one line each
The mano is the player who puts down the first tile. If the mano's tile makes the rival on the mano's right pass, the mano's partner becomes the manito. Your frente is your partner, the player sitting across from you.
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Sit down at a Dominican table and you will hear people called by their seat before their name. Mano, manito and frente are three of those words. They are simple, but people often mix them up, so here is who is who.
01.
Four seats, two pairs
Dominican domino is usually played by four people in two pairs, with the double-six set of 28 tiles. Each player takes seven tiles, so all 28 are in play.
Partners sit facing each other, and play moves to the right. That layout is the same one described by the linguist Roberto Guzmán in Acento and by Pagat's guide to partnership dominoes.
02.
Frente: your partner across the table
Because partners sit opposite each other, a partner is simply called your frente, the one in front of you. Guzmán records the word in exactly that sense: partners sit one facing the other and are called frente.
You will also hear it away from the game itself. A 2026 El Inmobiliario feature on Dominican tables describes people waiting for their turn and looking for a frente among those waiting.
03.
Mano: the player who puts down the first tile
The mano is the player who puts down the first tile. It is a person, not a tile and not a score.
Careful with one thing: "mano" also just means a hand of play, as in "la primera mano". When someone says "él es mano", they mean the player. When they say "la próxima mano", they mean the next hand.
04.
Manito: the partner after the first pass
Guzmán gives a second, smaller word. If the mano's tile makes the rival on the mano's right pass, the mano's partner becomes the manito.
An example. Ana is mano and opens. Beto, on her right, cannot play and passes. Now Carmen, Ana's frente, is the manito. If Beto had played, nobody would be the manito.
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Mano: the player who puts down the first tile.
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Manito: the mano's partner, after the mano makes the next rival pass.
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Frente: your partner, across the table.
05.
Who gets to be mano
In many tables the double six opens the first hand. The Bronx Journal says whoever has the double six begins, and El Inmobiliario writes that the double six "ordena la partida". In many tables the winner of the previous hand opens the next one, though tables differ.
In tournament play the rule is written down: under the FID rulebook each player draws a tile and the highest opens the first hand. FichaFlow opens the first hand with the double six.
Bring this to the table
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Four players, two pairs, partners facing each other: your partner is your frente.
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The mano is whoever puts down the first tile.
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The manito is the mano's partner, once the mano makes the rival on the right pass.
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In many tables the double six opens the first hand; in tournament play (FID rules) players draw for it.
Questions from the table
Is la mano the double six?
No. The mano is a player: the one who puts down the first tile. In many tables that first tile is the double six, which is where the mix-up comes from.
When does someone become the manito?
When the mano's tile makes the rival on the mano's right pass. The mano's partner is then the manito.
What does frente mean in domino?
Your partner. Partners sit facing each other, so your partner is your frente.
Who opens the first hand?
In many tables, whoever holds the double six. In tournament play under FID rules, players draw and the highest tile opens.
Where this comes from
Want to check the details? These are the references we used.
- Dominó (Roberto Guzmán, De palabra en palabra)
Acento · Accessed October 15, 2026
The linguist Roberto Guzmán defines mano, manito and frente, seven tiles each, and partners sitting face to face.
- La tradición del dominó: Porque aquí no se pasa con fichas
El Inmobiliario · Accessed October 15, 2026
Describes the double six as the tile that orders the game and people waiting a turn while they look for a frente.
- A Return to the Domino Table
The Bronx Journal · Accessed October 15, 2026
Reports that the player holding the double six begins the game at Washington Heights tables.
- Dominó: Dominó de República Dominicana
Wikipedia en español · Accessed October 15, 2026
Says the double six opens the first hand and the previous hand's winner opens the next ones.
- Partnership Dominoes
Pagat · Accessed October 15, 2026
Describes four players in two partnerships sitting opposite each other, with play moving to the right.
- Reglamento de la Federación Internacional de Dominó
Federación Internacional de Dominó · Accessed October 15, 2026
Tournament contrast only: players draw a tile and the highest opens the first hand (Art. 74).
