Domino is a gaming piece with a line across its face to divide it visually into two square ends that may contain numbers of dots or be blank. A typical domino set consists of 28 tiles and features all combinations of ends with zero to six spots.
The shuffled tiles form a stock or boneyard, and each player draws a tile from the stock to begin play. Most domino games are blocking or scoring games.
Rules
The rules of domino vary from one game to another, but most are blocking games where the objective is to empty your opponent’s hand. In some cases, blocking games may become scoring games, in which the winner determines a score by counting the number of pips left in his or her opponents’ hands.
To begin a game, all players draw seven tiles from the stock. These tiles are typically placed on-edge, so that all players can see the values of their own tiles but not those of their opponents’. The player who draws the heaviest double begins play. This player is sometimes referred to as the setter, the downer, or the lead.
Some domino games use special markers to identify a spinner or to mark a special status for one player. In these games, the holder of the marker has special privileges or rules that other players must follow.
Materials
The different types of dominoes available today are made from a wide variety of materials. Some of the most popular are plastic, wood, and bone. Each domino has a face and a back, and is typically twice as long as it is wide. The domino’s identity-bearing surface is usually patterned with spots or “pips” that represent numbers. Alternatively, the domino can be blank or have no pips at all.
In the past, European-style domino sets were commonly hand carved from animal bones, such as ox bone. These were then inlaid with mother of pearl or ivory, or engraved in a dark wood such as ebony. Other dominoes were molded from a manmade material called Parkesine or Xylonite. These had a more novel look and were much heavier than modern polymer dominoes.
Scoring
There are many different ways to play domino, and the scoring system can vary from game to game. It is important to understand how each system works in order to make the best decisions while playing.
A domino is a flat, thumb-sized block of wood or plastic with one to six squares, or dots, on each end. The value of each end is based on the number of pips it has. The most common set has 28 dominoes, each with a unique combination of spots on the two ends, allowing for seven possible values.
Whether you prefer fast-paced train games or strategic connection-style games, there is a domino game out there for every player and skill level. With a variety of scoring systems, you can challenge yourself and learn something new with every hand you play.
Variations
Whether you prefer fast-paced train games or strategic connections, domino has many variants to choose from. Some have unique scoring systems, while others take inspiration from card games. Some of the most popular variations are blocking games where the object is to prevent your opponents from playing tiles.
Draw dominos starts the same way as Block dominoes, with each player drawing seven dominoes from a boneyard. They then play them on the layout, adding one tile at a time to extend the line. The first player to complete a line wins the round. Each exposed end of a domino on the layout or on a spinner counts as a score.
If a player can’t play, they must draw from the boneyard until they find a domino they can play or miss their turn. This is called blocking and adds to the complexity of the game.
Origins
Dominoes were invented by the Chinese as early as the 1300s. They are cousins of playing cards and provide a variety of ways to play games that test skills and patience.
The European version of the domino game was developed in Italy and France around the beginning of the 18th century and brought to England by French prisoners at the end of the same period. The European dominoes were shorter than the Chinese versions and included no military-civilian suit distinctions in the pips and no duplicates.
As they spread across Europe and to the new world, dominoes took on many variations. Unlike other forms of entertainment, dominoes have come to reflect the people and cultures that adapted them in the places where they came to be played.