Domino is a popular game that can be played in many ways. The basic rules of the game are the same in all games, although there are some variations in the scoring methods used by different players. The most common games are layout games, in which the players add tiles to a domino tableau or board; blocking games, in which the object is to prevent an opponent from playing a tile; and scoring games such as bergen and muggins, in which the winning player counts the pips left in his opponents hands at the end of a hand or game.
A domino is a rectangular, double-sided tile with one side marked with an arrangement of spots, called pips, and the other blank or identically patterned. A domino is normally twice as long as it is wide, making it easier to stack and re-stack the tiles after play. The domino’s value is based on the number of pips on both sides, which can range from six to none or blank. A domino with more pips is normally “heavier” than a domino with fewer pips, although there are some games that use the weight of the tiles as an additional scoring factor.
Most dominoes have a line in the middle to divide them visually into two squares, or ends. The value of either end may be indicated by the number of pips or by a symbol such as a heart or diamond. When a player draws more dominoes for his hand than he is entitled to, the excess dominoes are taken from the stock and returned to the shuffled deck before another player takes his turn. This practice is known as “overdrawing”.
The player with the highest double begins the game. The next player must lay a tile joining one side of the double to the open end of the previous tile, or with a value that matches the open end of the previous tile. This continues in a clockwise direction, with each player taking their turn to play a domino onto the open ends of the previously laid dominoes.
If a player cannot lay a tile, they must draw from the boneyard until they can, or they miss their turn. Some players may agree to allow them to take extra dominoes from the stock if they cannot lay the ones they already have in their hands.
The game ends when any player has played all of their tiles or when no player can play another tile. The winners are the players whose combined total of all the dots on their remaining tiles is lowest. This total is normally rounded down to the nearest five and divided by five, with the result being added to any points won during the game. This method of scoring has the advantage that it does not depend on the order in which the players have laid their tiles.