Dominican domino rules
What Is El Burro in Dominican Domino?
El burro is a name some tables give the double six. Here is what the sources say about the name, the tile's 12 pips and who opens the first hand.
4 min read
Published February 6, 2026
Updated October 15, 2026
Quick answer
What is el burro?
El burro is a name some tables give the double six (6-6), according to Wikipedia en español. It is the heaviest tile in the set, with 12 pips. At many tables the player who holds it opens the first hand, and the player who puts down the first tile is la mano.
The double six goes by more than one name. Wikipedia en español says Dominicans call it el burro; Dominican press mostly just says doble seis. Tables differ, so here is what is written down.
01.
The name and the tile
Wikipedia en español lists el burro as the Dominican name for the double six. It is the only source we found for that name, so treat it as one name some tables use. Dominican press mostly writes doble seis, and the columnist Aníbal de Castro in Diario Libre calls it the ficha de autoridad.
Whatever the table calls it, the tile is the same: six on both halves, 12 pips, the heaviest tile in a 28-tile set.
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Some tables: el burro (Wikipedia en español).
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Dominican press: doble seis; one Diario Libre column: ficha de autoridad.
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12 pips, the most of any tile in the set.
02.
Who opens the first hand
At many tables the player who holds the double six opens the first hand with it. The Bronx Journal describes it at a Washington Heights table, Wikipedia en español gives it for Dominican domino, and El Inmobiliario writes that the double six is the tile that sets the game in order.
The player who puts down the first tile is la mano, as the linguist Roberto Guzmán explains in Acento. With four players each takes seven tiles, so all 28 are dealt and someone always holds the double six. In tournament play (FID rules) the players draw tiles to decide who opens.
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Many tables: the double six opens the first hand.
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La mano is the player who puts down the first tile.
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Played first, the double six leaves six on both ends: the next player needs a six or passes.
03.
After the first hand
Wikipedia en español says that in Dominican domino the later hands are opened by whoever won the previous one. Tables differ on this, and in tournament play (FID rules) the opening rotates instead.
Agree on it before you sit down. In FichaFlow's tranque, the 12 pips of a double six still in a hand go to whichever team wins the count, like every other tile.
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Later hands: often the previous winner, depending on the table.
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Tournament play (FID rules): the opening rotates.
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Confirm the opening rule before the first hand.
Bring this to the table
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Some tables call the double six el burro; others just say doble seis.
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The double six has 12 pips, the most of any tile in a 28-tile set.
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At many tables its holder opens the first hand; in tournament play (FID rules) the opener is drawn.
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Who opens later hands depends on the table.
Questions from the table
Do you have to open with el burro on the first hand?
At tables that open with the double six, yes: its holder plays it first. Not every table does it, and tournaments under FID rules draw for the opener. Agree before you start.
How many pips does el burro have?
The double six has 12 pips, the highest count of any tile in a 28-tile set.
What if nobody has el burro on the first hand?
With four players, each takes seven tiles, so all 28 are dealt and one player always holds the double six.
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
Linguist Roberto Guzmán: seven tiles per player and la mano as the player who puts down the first tile.
- La república de las fichas (Aníbal de Castro)
Diario Libre · Accessed October 15, 2026
Column that calls the double six the ficha de autoridad.
- La tradición del dominó: Porque aquí no se pasa con fichas
El Inmobiliario · Accessed October 15, 2026
Dominican feature: the double six is the tile that sets the game in order at the start.
- A Return to the Domino Table
The Bronx Journal · Accessed October 15, 2026
Washington Heights table where whoever has the double six begins the match.
- Dominó (Dominó de República Dominicana)
Wikipedia en español · Accessed October 15, 2026
The only source for el burro as the Dominican name of the double six; also who opens the first and later hands.
- Reglamento FID 2024
Federación Internacional de Dominó · Accessed October 15, 2026
Tournament contrast only: the opener is drawn and the opening rotates (Art. 74 and 76).
