Domino is a game played by two or more players using a set of 28 dominoes. Each domino is a rectangle divided into two square ends that have numbers (or spots) ranging from 0 to 6. The goal of the game is to achieve a certain score by matching each tile with another, with the number on one end matching the number on the other. The player who reaches that score first wins the game.
There are a wide variety of games that can be played with the dominoes, with different rules and scoring methods. For example, in some games a domino can only be played to the right or left of a previous tile, but in others, a double-blank may count as either a 1 or a 0, while in other games, a domino with no pips on any of its sides is considered “wild” and can be matched to any other tile.
The simplest way to play the game is by creating a foundation on which the dominoes are stacked, with each player taking turns putting a domino down and adding to the foundation. This can lead to a lot of giggling and shouts as the players try to create a tower that is stable enough for their turn but precarious enough to fall on your opponent’s turn!
Once the foundation is made, each player draws a hand of seven dominoes. The player who draws the highest double goes first, or, if no double is drawn, whoever holds the heaviest hand draws first. After drawing their hands, players then place the tiles on a table in front of them, where they can see their own but not the value of other players’ tiles. Once the players have placed their tiles, they begin to play, with the first player – determined by shuffling or by draw – placing the first domino.
As the game progresses, each player must add to the chain of dominoes by placing a tile with its exposed ends touching the other tiles in the chain (i.e., a one’s touch the two’s, or a six’s touch five’s). If the chains are complete and the exposed ends total any multiple of five, the player scores that amount.
If a player cannot lay a tile from their hand, they must pick up tiles from the draw pile until they can. When all of the players have laid all of their tiles, the winner is the player who scored the most points by adding up their opponent’s point value left in their hand plus their own points from their hand and playing them off against the remainder of their score. The game continues until the players have used up all of their dominoes or no one has any more to play.