Bergen
Match both ends. Score the header.
The dominoes game where the ends are everything. Leave the same number at both ends of the line and you score, and a double at one end scores more. Here is everything you need to know before you sit down.
- Free practice
- No sign-up
- Play in your browser
Join a Game Room
BergenGot a room code?
- Players
- 2 to 4
- You need
- Double-six set
- Style
- Match the ends
- Goal
- 15 points
What is Bergen?
Same number, both ends.
Bergen is played like Draw Dominoes: one line of tiles, matched end to end, with a boneyard to draw from. The difference is how you score. Leave the same number showing at both ends of the line and that is a double header, worth 2.
If one of those matching ends is a double, it is a triple header, worth 3. Going out, or holding the fewest pips when nobody can play, adds 2 more. The first to 15 wins.
The practice table
Try itLearn it one header at a time.
Play against one bot with our Classic rules. Every end you could play on shows what it would score, and the coach explains when to score, when to play safe, and when to get a double down.
- Quick game plays to 10. Full game goes to 15, like a real match.
- Turn the coach off when you want to play it straight.
- No account, no host, nothing saved.
Scoring chart
| What happens | Looks like | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Double lead | 2 | |
| Double header: both ends the same | 2 | |
| Triple header: and a double at one end | 3 | |
| Going out | 2 | |
| Blocked, and you hold the fewest pips | 2 | |
| Within 3 of the target | Headers at most 2 | |
| Within 2 of the target | Headers 1 |
A little history
A short game with an old name.
Bergen is a classic of the block and draw family, played on both sides of the Atlantic. It keeps scores small, so a game is short and every header matters.
Tables play it with small differences: who leads, how a blocked hand is settled, and how the end of the game is scored. We teach one Classic version, from the long-standing rules at Pagat, and show it before every game.
Fun facts
- The same number at both ends of the line is a double header, worth 2.
- If one of those matching ends is a double, it is a triple header, worth 3.
- Going out, or holding the fewest pips when nobody can play, adds 2 more.
- In our rules a blocked hand with tied pips scores nothing.
Why people love it
Quick. Tense. Tidy.
One thing to watch.
The two ends of the line. Everything that scores happens there.
Every tile is a threat.
Leave ends the bot can match, and it scores. Leave ends nobody can match, and it can’t.
Small numbers.
Headers are 2 or 3, and the game is to 15. You can count it all in your head.
Short games.
A game takes a few hands, so there is always time for a rematch.
How to play
Match. Draw. Make headers.
Setup
- Players: two to four. Our practice table is you against one bot.
- Set: one double-six set: 28 tiles.
- Your hand: six tiles each with two or three players, five with four.
- Boneyard: the rest, face down. The last two are never drawn.
Winning
Points come from headers as you play, and from going out or a block at the end of a hand. First to 15 wins, the moment they reach it.
- 1
Lowest double leads
The player with the lowest double plays it first, and scores 2 for it. With no double out, the lowest tile leads.
- 2
Match an end
Play a tile on either end of the line, matching the number where they touch. Doubles sit across the line.
- 3
Double header
Leave the same number at both ends of the line, and score 2.
- 4
Triple header
Matching ends with a double at one of them score 3.
- 5
Can't play? Draw
Draw until something fits. With only the last two tiles left, pass.
- 6
Out or blocked
Go out for 2. If nobody can play, the fewest pips scores 2; a tie scores nothing.
These are our Classic rules, and they'll be shown in every room before the game starts. Printable rules card →
Lessons
Learn it in a few minutes.
6 quick lessons, one idea each. Make the call, see why it works, and move on. Your progress is saved in this browser.
The lead
You hold the double 2. The bot’s lowest double is the 4. Who leads, and what does it score?
Your tiles
Scoring
Small points, big moments.
Headers score as you play them. Hands score at the end.
| What happens | Looks like | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Double lead | 2 | |
| Double header: both ends the same | 2 | |
| Triple header: and a double at one end | 3 | |
| Going out | 2 | |
| Blocked, and you hold the fewest pips | 2 | |
| Within 3 of the target | Headers at most 2 | |
| Within 2 of the target | Headers 1 |
Our Classic rules: a blocked hand goes to the fewest pips, and a tie scores nothing. Some tables count doubles held instead.
Strategy
Play it smart. Then play it feral.
Tip 1
Look for both numbers.
A tile carrying both end numbers makes a double header. Check your hand for one every turn.
Tip 2
Watch what you leave.
After your play, which tile would make the ends match? If it is already down, you are safe.
Tip 3
Play doubles early.
A double fits only one number. Get it down while it can go, and maybe set up a triple.
Tip 4
Shed heavy tiles.
A block goes to the fewest pips. A quiet turn is a good time to play off a 6-5.
What would you do?
One decision. Every day.
A new Bergen puzzle every day, the same for everyone. Solve it, then send it to the group chat and see who gets it right.
Want more? See today's puzzles for every game →
Your path to game night
Learn it here. Play it with friends.
Finish the lessons or win a practice game and you're ready to sit down at a real Bergen table with your people.
The Feral Worlds community
Play-testing Bergen? Tell us in Discord.
Found a bug, a rule that feels off, or a house rule your family swears by? Our Discord is where we collect play-test feedback, and where game nights are starting to happen.
Glossary
Talk like a regular.
- Line
- The single row of tiles, with two open ends.
- Ends
- The numbers at each end of the line. Tiles join here.
- Double header
- Both ends showing the same number. Worth 2.
- Triple header
- Both ends the same, with a double at one of them. Worth 3.
- Double
- A tile with the same number on both halves. It sits across.
- Boneyard
- The face-down tiles you draw from. The last two are never drawn.
- Going out
- Playing your last tile. Worth 2.
- Blocked
- Nobody can play. The fewest pips scores 2.
The Feral twist
Still under the hat.
Every game can be played Classic. In Feral mode, the host writes the house rules: the lead, the header points, the target. We'll show you what Bergen can do when it's ready.
In the Tile Games pack
Bergen is on the ballot.
Backers vote on which tile games join the Tile Games pack. Owning the pack means every one that joins is yours too.
$9.95, one time, to host every game in it. Playing is always free. Packs go on sale when the full game launches.
Bergen is on the ballot
Save me a seat.
Hear when the Kickstarter opens so you can vote Bergen into the Tile Games pack, and when you can host it with friends.