Domino is a game of skill and chance. There are many different versions of the game with slightly different rules. Some of these games are incredibly complex.
Before each game, the players shuffle the dominoes. The player who draws the heaviest domino makes the first play.
A standard domino set has a spinner. This is played at a right angle to the line of play, and future dominoes may branch off of it.
Rules
The rules for domino vary depending on the game. Generally, the goal is to empty your hand while blocking the opponents’. The first player to do this wins the hand. In some games, players draw lots to determine who will make the first play. In others, the person who draws the heaviest domino begins.
Each player plays a domino in turn, clockwise around the table. If you have a double, you can only join it to adjacent ones that match its ends (one’s touch one’s and two’s touch two’s).
Scoring is done by counting the pips on tiles left in losing players’ hands at the end of a hand or game. In some games, a special type of double is used called a spinner that has matching ends on all sides. Normally, a spinner only scores if it is played as the lead or last tile in the line. Otherwise, it scores like a regular double.
Variations
There are several variations on the game of domino. The most basic variant uses a double-six set and is played by two players. The tiles are shuffled and arranged face down to form a stock, or boneyard. Players draw seven tiles from this stock and play until one player has completely empty hands. The winner is the first to do so.
Another variation involves scoring by counting the pips in an opponent’s tiles at the end of a hand or game. This version of the game is also known as Muggins.
In this game, a domino may be added to the line only when its numbers match those of its neighbours. For example, if the first domino played is a spinner, it can be joined to any other adjacent domino with a 6 or 4 on its end. A score is awarded for each time the exposed ends of a domino are multiples of five.
Materials
Over the years, dominoes have been made of a variety of materials. Today, domino sets are usually made of either plastic or wood, but some are still made from natural materials like bone, ivory, and stone. Each domino is twice as long as it is wide, and each side is divided into two squares that each bear an arrangement of dots or spots (also called pips) that correspond to the numbers 1 through 6, with blank squares representing zero.
There are two types of wood dominoes – the inexpensive, mass-produced kind used in classrooms and other applications where quantity is important, and the high-end, handcrafted variety that can be a work of art. The latter are often layered in multiple woods and finely finished with layers of lacquer. They are usually much more expensive than their polymer counterparts.
Scoring
In many domino games, the board count is used to score points. The board count is calculated by adding up the pips on the ends of the dominoes that have been played. The resulting Board count is either a miss or a score.
Players can choose to play in a clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation, but must agree on the rules for scoring before the game begins. Typically, the player who holds the heaviest double makes the first play. However, it is possible to draw lots to determine who will begin play.
The scoring system is based on fives and threes, which means that one point is scored each time the sum of the ends of two dominoes can be divided by these numbers. This system was inspired by cribbage. In order to adjust your score, look for dominoes with different edge numbers and play them to raise or lower the total. This can make a huge difference in the final score.