Domino is a small rectangular tile with a number on each end. Variously referred to as bones, pieces, or men, dominoes are used to play many games.
Students start the game by choosing a domino and placing it at the beginning of the board. Each player then adds or multiplies the two sides of the domino together to make a four-digit number.
Rules
Domino is a game of skill and strategy. It can be played by two or more people, and has many different variations. There are a number of rules that must be followed in order to play the game properly. Some of these rules are standard and apply to all games, while others are specific to a particular game-type or setting.
In most cases, the first player must draw a domino from the boneyard and place it on the edge of the table so that its matching ends are touching. Then, each player takes turns adding a domino to the chain in such a way that its numbers are adjacent.
Players cannot shout at one another or engage in verbal confrontations at UDL events. If a misunderstanding occurs during gameplay, players must raise their hand or call over a UDL Official to resolve the issue. In addition, players are not allowed to conceal dominoes and must always have them visible. If a player is caught hiding dominoes they will be disqualified from the match.
Materials
Over the centuries domino pieces have been made in many different materials. A domino is a thumbsized rectangular tile with one side bearing from one to six dots or pips, and the other blank or identically patterned. In most sets the number of pips distinguishes different suits, though some have no suit and are simply known as blanks or zeroes.
Modern domino sets are usually mass produced from plastics like ABS or polystyrene, Bakelite and other phenolic resins. Some are designed to look like ivory, while others use colored pips to facilitate identification.
In addition to the standard 28 tiles in a double-six set, larger sets are available for layout games. These require more advanced strategies, and may involve creating cells on the playing surface. The best tables for this type of play are those covered with felt to protect the faces of the tiles. In Puerto Rico, special moulded plastic tables are used. These are much cheaper than the traditional wooden card tables, but still provide an excellent surface for the tiles to slide on.
Variations
Dominoes have been played for centuries in many different ways. There are a wide variety of game variants, and each variant has its own rules and scoring system. The most basic domino variant requires a double-six set, and the 28 tiles are shuffled face down to form the stock or boneyard. Each player draws seven dominoes from the stock and then plays them. If a player cannot play a tile, they call “out” and the hand passes to their opponent.
The player with the lowest total number of points wins the game. This is often difficult to determine, so players should keep a score sheet and carefully count revealed dominoes and those in their hands as they are played. This will help them make better decisions about which tiles to play and how to build their train. Some games allow players to add to their trains, while others limit this to one tile per train.
Scoring
Domino is a game of matching free ends of tiles and counting the pips on each end. Each tile is assigned a value from zero to six, with a double bearing the highest value on both ends.
The scoring system in domino can differ slightly depending on the game variant and player count. Some players use a running total score on a cribbage board, while others subtract the total number of outstanding tiles (rounded to the nearest multiple of five) from their dominoes’ pip value.
In the political realm, the phrase domino effect is often used to describe a chain reaction that leads to a larger event. It was popularized by President Eisenhower when he used the analogy to explain how Communist influence could spread from one country to another in the Cold War. The term is also commonly applied to social or economic events that have the potential to trigger other changes. The following examples have been programmatically selected from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘domino.’ They do not represent the opinions of Merriam-Webster or its editors.