Domino is a small rectangular block of wood or plastic, each bearing an arrangement of spots (or pips) resembling those on dice. Twenty-eight such blocks form a complete set of dominoes. The name also refers to the games played with them.
In addition to being a fun and educational way to pass the time, dominoes can be used to make artistic designs on the floor or in other places. They can be arranged to make hearts, shapes, letters, numbers or words. They can even be used to make shapes out of clay or other materials.
There are many different kinds of domino games, but most fall into one of four categories: bidding games, blocking games, scoring games and drawing games. In all of these games, the goal is to score points by placing a domino edge to edge against another domino so that the adjacent faces are identical or form some specified total.
The most basic domino variant is for two players using a double-six set. The 28 tiles are shuffled and formed into a pile called the stock or boneyard. Each player draws seven tiles for their hand. If a player draws more than he or she is entitled to, it is called an overdraw. The player to his or her right must take the extra tiles without looking at them and place them back into the stock, where they are reshuffled before the next player draws.
Several types of domino sets exist, with the most common being double-nine and double-twelve. The larger the set, the more potential combinations of ends there are for playing with. Some players may agree to count only one end of a double when counting points.
A Domino effect is a series of events that build upon each other, like a chain reaction. This type of event can be either literal, as in a row of dominoes falling down, or metaphorical, as in an event that starts a series of events that lead to a certain outcome, such as an increase in world poverty.
The word domino is derived from the Italian diminutive of dominica, a Latin word for “flip.” An earlier sense of the word referred to a hooded robe worn with a mask during carnival season or at masquerades. It has been suggested that the combination of black and ivory dominoes evoked this garment, which was often worn by priests over white surplices. In the United States, Domino’s Pizza has been named Partner of the Year for supporting The Partners Foundation. This internal resource helps team members who are in financial need. The company has also been recognized as Corporate Regional Manager of the Year and Franchise Trainer of the Year. The former honors a regional manager who has demonstrated excellence in sales and operations, while the latter is awarded to a trainer who is able to positively impact team members’ performance through training and development. Both are based on the company’s core values of respect, integrity and excellence.