Whether you’re looking for a fun game to play with friends or a competitive hobby, dominoes is a great option. It’s also a good way to improve your math skills and learn about different games, as well as a way to practice your patience and strategy.
There are a variety of dominoes games, including blocking and drawing games, scoring games, and trick-taking games. Most of them can be played with a standard set of double six dominoes, but there are also several other types of sets available.
Origin
There is a great deal of uncertainty about the origins of dominoes. They are thought to have originated in China, and there are several different accounts of their invention.
Several historians claim that they were invented by an heroic Chinese soldier named Hung Ming (181 – 234 AD). Others say that the first domino sets appeared in China during the 12th century and were brought to Europe and England by French prisoners of war.
Dominoes are a variant of playing cards, in that they have identifying marks on one side and blank or identically patterned faces on the other. They can be played in many ways, and the rules vary widely depending on the game being played.
Rules
The game of domino is played using a set of tiles that are laid face down on the table. Players must carefully mix the tiles and shuffle them before each game.
The player who draws the heaviest tile makes the first play. In some games, this player may be referred to as the setter or downer.
Once the first play is made, all of the other players must draw a tile from the stock. After the heaviest tile has been drawn, the player who draws next in line to make the first play will be determined by seating arrangement or by the rules of the particular domino game being played.
Each tile has a number showing at one end of the chain, and points are scored when the other end of the tile does not touch any other domino. For example, a tile with a 5 on one end and two other ends of the tile that have no pips on them is worth 9 points.
Variations
There are many variations of domino, all of which have their own rules. These vary from simple blocking games to more complex games that combine dominos with other game styles.
Dominoes are a set of plastic or wood tiles with a face and back, similar to playing cards. The face of each tile has a number on one half and a blank or pattern on the other.
Each domino has a different number of pips on each end. The number of pips on each domino can represent numbers from zero to six.
Dominoes are typically played with the double-6 set, but other sets can be used as well. In most domino games, the heaviest domino in the set is called the starting double.
Materials
Dominoes, also called tiles, are flat, rectangular-shaped game pieces that have been around for centuries. They are made of a variety of materials, including plastic, bone, ivory and wood.
The pieces are divided by a line across the center, and a number is represented in each half of each tile by pips (spots or spots without pips). Most modern domino sets are made from plastic or a combination of plastic with metal.
These dominoes have a smooth surface and are ideal for building lines, fields, and structures. However, they do not come with a logo and their slightly unequal weight distribution makes them less suitable for large stacking structures.
Scoring
There are a number of different scoring systems in domino. The most common is to use the dots on the exposed ends of the dominoes.
Points are scored by laying the dominoes end to end and if the dots on the exposed ends total any multiple of five, then that number is scored. Other versions of the game do not have this restriction and a blank tile counts as zero points.
Another scoring system is to use the tiles in one’s hand and subtract the number of pips on those tiles from a running total rounded up to the nearest multiple of five. This method is less accurate than the previous version, but it has the advantage of being quick and reliable. It also gives the player a lead in the following hand.