Domino is a game of chance and strategy played with small, rectangular tiles. They come in a variety of colors and are made of a wide range of materials, including wood, bone, or plastic.
The game’s origins are unclear but it has been widely popular throughout the world for many years. It was first popularized in Europe during the 18th century and has since spread to other countries, particularly in America.
Origins
Dominoes are a popular game of strategy and skill, with origins in China. Like dice and playing cards, dominoes can be arranged in a variety of games.
The game is played by drawing tiles from a stack of 28 identical pieces. Each tile has a different number on one end, and the rest are blank.
There are many theories about the origins of dominoes, but the earliest known reference to them was written in China during the Yuan Dynasty.
The game was brought to Europe in the 18th century, first to Italy, and then to France. It was a fad there in the mid-18th century and the name “domino” was probably derived from the contrasting black dots on a white background which are reminiscent of a hood worn by Christian priests.
Rules
Playing dominoes involves drawing a number of tiles (usually 7), and laying them down in front of a player. If a player cannot draw a tile or lay one down, they “knock” (tap the edge of the domino) on the table to indicate they can’t make a move and pass their turn.
There are a variety of rules for dominoes, including bidding games, blocking games and scoring games. The most common game is a two-player blocking game using a double-six set, which consists of 28 tiles with the combination of dots from 0 to 6.
Players earn points during play by ending their turns with the open ends of the layout totaling a multiple of five. If the leader poses (places) a piece that makes the sum of pips on the end a multiple of five, he scores that number of points immediately.
Variations
Dominoes, like playing cards, are pieces of wood or other material with a face and back. They are divided into two square halves by a line across the middle, each of which is arranged with pips (or spots) to represent numbers.
In domino games, the number of pips on each side of a tile determines its rank or weight. For example, a tile with five pips on one end is heavier than a tile with three pips on the other.
The game is played by laying down a tile, or tiles, and matching it to an existing tile in the same row of dominoes. Players take turns, alternating if they are playing with more than one other player. When a player has played all their tiles or a game is blocked, players add up the pips on their own tiles and the player with the lowest total wins.
Materials
Dominoes are a type of tile or small rectangular block used in gaming. They’re commonly called bones, tiles, pieces, men, or cards and are made from a variety of rigid materials.
Traditionally, dominoes were made from animal bone or ivory but are now available in a variety of natural materials and even plastic. Some sets are mass-produced for cheap production while others are forged with a sense of craft.
Dominoes are usually about 2 inches long, 1 inch wide, and 3/8 inch thick. The most popular set, the double-six, has a number of spots or pips on each end; the numbers range from 0 (or blank) to 6.
Scoring
The scoring system in domino is based on counting the open ends of each tile. If the count is a multiple of five, you score one point.
When playing with a team, players do not add the number of tiles remaining in their opponents’ hands when determining their own score. However, this is a rule variation that must be agreed upon before the game begins.
In a variant of the game called “5s-and-3s”, each time one end tile is attached to another, a point is scored. The goal is for the sum of the two ends to be divisible by five or three, so that a small x is formed in each of the spaces. Alternatively, a large X can be formed to represent a score of 10 in a single turn.