Domino is a game that involves laying tiles that form a chain, one tile on top of another. Each domino has a number showing at either end, and players take turns placing tiles onto the table positioning them so that the corresponding ends match each other. This results in a chain of dominoes that gradually increases in length as each player adds more tiles to it.
The most common types of dominoes are made from polymer clay, but can also be found in a variety of other materials including wood (especially bone and ivory), stone, metals, and ceramic clay. They can be painted or left natural, and can be made into various shapes and sizes. They can even be 3D structures, such as stacked walls or pyramids.
When a domino is stood upright, it stores potential energy based on its position. When it falls, much of this energy is converted to kinetic energy and causes the next domino in the line to fall. The chain reaction can continue for as long as there are more dominoes in the set.
A large variety of games can be played with dominoes. Nearly all of them fit into four categories: bidding games, blocking games, scoring games, and round games. Each of these categories has many sub-categories and variations.
Many domino players are creative, and may use their sets to create beautiful works of art. Such works can include straight or curved lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, stacked walls, and 3D towers and pyramids. They can be as simple or complex as the player desires, and can be created for entertainment or to help with learning.
Most of the games that are played with dominoes involve matching pairs of tiles or a specific total. These are often called “positional” games, and they are the most popular form of the game. In positional games, each domino is placed on the table in a position such that the two matching ends are adjacent to each other. This allows the chain to develop a shape that may be snake-like or may be some other pattern, depending on the preferences of the players and the limitations of the playing surface.
Occasionally, a domino can be laid out such that one of the ends is free. This is often the case when a player is trying to make a particular move that will be beneficial to him or her. The player who has the free end must then add a domino that has a matching number to it. This process is repeated for each additional tile added to the chain until the desired result is achieved.
Sometimes the sequence of play is so complete that no player can add a new tile to the chain and this is called a blocked game. In a blocked game, the player with the most doubles begins the next turn by drawing a new hand. This is not an automatic win; however, if the player has only a single tile in his hand, he or she must play it and then draw another hand.