Domino is a game that involves placing dominoes on the table so that they touch one another and form a line of play. This line of dominoes, or a domino chain, is then used in a variety of ways for scoring and fun. Throughout history, dominoes have been shaped, stamped, and decorated to make them unique. In the modern age, we have developed new ways to play this timeless game. We even use the term Domino Effect, referring to how just one small trigger can lead to a cascade of events that can be hard to stop.
Each domino has an identity-bearing face that is marked with an arrangement of dots, or pips, like those found on a die. It also has a blank or identically patterned side that is sometimes called the “end.” The value of each domino is determined by the number of pips on both sides, which may be different from each other. If a domino has more pips on the left than on the right, it is considered to be heavier.
A player begins a hand of dominoes by drawing the number of tiles specified in the rules for that game from a stock. The heaviest tile is used as the starting point for play. A tie is broken by drawing additional dominoes from the stock until one of the players has the highest double. Some games require that a specific amount of doubles must be played before the first win is possible, while others allow players to chip out and end the game when they can no longer progress.
After the dominoes are arranged on the table, each player takes turns placing a domino edge to edge with another until the line of play is complete. This configuration of dominoes is called the layout, string or line of play. When a domino is played so that it touches both ends of the line of play, it is called “stitched up” or an “overdraw.”
Once a player has played his or her first tile, the other players must follow suit, playing their own tiles onto the chain so that each domino touches only one end of the line of play. This is done to prevent dominoes from falling off the table. When a domino is played out of turn, it is referred to as a misplay.
When play stops at the end of a hand or the game, the winner is the player who has the highest total of pips in his or her remaining dominoes. Some scoring methods also include counting the number of pips in losers’ hands at the end of a hand or game and adding that number to the winner’s score. In addition, some games call for the winners to be the partners whose combined total of pips is the lowest. In all cases, it is important to follow the rules for a given game to ensure fair play. This can be especially challenging when multiple players have a very high number of points.