Domino, also called bones, cards, men, or tiles, are rectangular pieces that form a large stack. They have two ends and each end has a value, ranging from six pips to none or blank.
When Hevesh creates one of her mind-blowing domino displays, she follows a version of the engineering-design process. First, she tests each section of the display separately.
Rules
A domino set can have many different variations of rules. However, most of the games can be broken down into four categories: blocking games, scoring games, and rounds games. There are also several ways to determine who will make the first play. Some players choose to draw lots, while others decide by seating arrangement or the heaviest double in their hand.
Some domino games use a special double called a spinner that may be played on two or three sides depending on the game. When playing with this type of double, each side of the domino that is exposed counts as a point.
After a round, the winner counted the value of all the dominoes in the other players hands and added it to their own score. The game continues until someone passes 101 points and then the player is declared the overall winner of the game. Some games use a set limit of 100 points or less.
Variations
Dominoes are rectangular pieces of wood with a number of dots on each side. They were developed to mimic the results of throwing two six-sided dice, with one half containing the pips from the first die and the other containing the pips from the second. They can be used to form pairs, and they can also be arranged to make a pattern. They can be played by one player against another or by several players.
Most domino games involve blocking or scoring. Blocking games require emptying a player’s hand while blocking opponents’ play, while scoring games such as bergen and muggins determine points by counting the number of pips in the losing players’ hands.
Some domino games have a special tile called a matador, which is typically a double-nine or double-twelve domino. The matador allows players to take turns placing tiles on the table until they have a line of dominoes with matching pips. This is a great way to practice matching pips and adding numbers.
Materials
The material used to make a domino set can influence how the pieces feel in your hand and how they play. Some materials are more durable than others, which can be important if you plan on playing the game regularly or want to keep the set for a while.
Domino pieces are traditionally made from either bone or ivory (and sometimes silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell) with a dark hardwood, usually ebony, inlaid with black dots (known as pips). These pieces are typically twice as long as they are wide, which makes them easy to stand up on their edges.
Many modern sets are also made from plastic, which is less expensive than natural materials. A type of synthetic resin called bakelite, invented in the early 20th century, was widely used before being replaced by modern polymer plastics that are derived from petroleum. The most common types of plastic used in domino are a glossy white and shiny black.
Scoring
A domino is a flat thumb-sized rectangular tile bearing from one to six pips (spots) and a blank or none at all. It is the basis for many games of skill and chance, often adapted from earlier card games or to circumvent religious prohibitions on playing cards.
In most games players establish a score goal before play begins – a player scores a point for each domino added to the line and the number of pips left in their opponents’ hands. The first player to reach the goal ends the round and scores an additional sum for each domino they hold in their hand.
To begin a game the tiles are shuffled face down and placed in front of each player. The player holding the heaviest double starts; otherwise the person with the highest single begins. The players then draw a domino from the boneyard and place it on one end of an existing chain of doubles.