Domino is a great family game that can help children develop their motor skills. It can also be a great way to practice patience and perseverance.
The first player (determined either by drawing lots or by who holds the heaviest hand) plays a tile onto a layout. This is often referred to as the set, down, or lead.
Rules
Players score points by laying dominoes end to end in a chain or train. Each train begins as “public” and becomes private once a player has played a domino on its endpoint. The next player may then play on that train. Each additional domino played on a train increases its value by one point. The first player to empty their hand of dominoes wins the game.
Traditionally games are played with a standard double-six set, but larger game sets allow more players to compete. Each domino has one unique end with zero to six spots and seven blank ends that can be arranged in different combinations, allowing 28 unique pieces.
After shuffling the tiles and placing them in a grid, each player draws their own two tiles. During their turn they must place the tile so that it touches one end of the previous domino. If a domino is misplaced it will be considered exposed and must be placed properly at the next opportunity.
Variations
A domino is a tile with a pattern of spots or pips on one side and blank or identically patterned on the other. The pips on each domino are arranged in a particular way, and players play to a score set by extending the line of their own tiles while blocking the opposing player from doing so. The game ends when the line of play is blocked and no player can continue; this is known as winning.
When a player wins, they receive the points that the opponents have accumulated, minus any remaining pips in their hand. The winner may also earn a bonus if they have the highest total of all tiles in their opponent’s hands, or if they are the only player to clear their domino train. The idiom domino effect is used to describe any situation in which one small trigger can cause a series of events that spreads rapidly. This is often applied to political situations, but can be used in other contexts as well.
Materials
Dominoes are small flat rectangular game pieces that have a line down the center. They are usually made twice as long as they are wide and are slightly thicker than a playing card. They are sometimes called tiles or bones, and they come in a variety of materials. The most common are plastic and wood.
Each domino has a number inked on one end. Most domino sets have 28 tiles with numbers ranging from 6 to 0 but larger sizes are also available for more complicated games.
Today’s mass produced dominoes are often made from cheap wood and common plastic, while older ones were made of tinplate or basic aluminum. A few manufacturers produce sets in a special bakelite, a hard and clear plastic invented in 1917. Some people choose to purchase a set of high-end wooden dominoes, made by true craftsmen and usually layered in several different types of wood and finely polished with layers of lacquer. These sets will typically have hefty price tags to reflect the work and artistry involved in their creation.
Scoring
A domino is a small rectangular block with a line visually dividing it into two square ends, each bearing a different number of dots (or pips). These values range from one to six. A tile that has the same pips on both ends is called a double. The value of a tile may also be described as its rank or weight; a heavy domino has more pips than a lighter domino, which is usually called a spinner.
A game of domino can be played by two players in partnership, and the object is to place all your dominoes on the board before your opponent. The winning player is the first to have all their dominoes touching end to end, forming a train. The first domino that is played in this way may be referred to as the spinner.
The scoring system for domino is simple. Each domino has a multiple of five on both its exposed ends, and the total of these numbers is scored as the game progresses. The score may be further augmented by the value of any matching pairs in the boneyard.