Domino is a game of skill and strategy. The dominoes, or tiles, are normally double-sided, with an identity-bearing side and a blank side. The domino’s identity-bearing side is usually marked with an arrangement of spots, or pips, similar to those on a die. Dominoes are used for a variety of games, and the term is also applied to the individual pieces in a set. They are sometimes known by other names, such as bones, cards, tiles, or stones.
Dominoes are usually twice as long as they are wide, and each one has a line in the middle to divide it visually into two squares. Each square has an arrangement of dots, or pips, that indicates its value. The most common domino has a number of pips ranging from six down to zero, and is called a double-six.
A typical domino set contains 28 tiles. The game may be played with any number of players, but the more people in a group, the more fun the game will be. The game is most often played by laying the tiles across an empty table, but it can also be played on a board or on the computer screen. The goal is to be the first player to fill all the spaces in a row, either horizontally or vertically. Some games require a single piece to complete a row while others require many dominoes to be completed.
Some of the most popular domino games are Draw Dominoes, Muggins, and Domino. A physical set of dominoes is required for these games, and there are standalone sets that come with plastic trays to keep the tiles organized. A basic set of double-12 dominoes will work for these games, but some people prefer to use a physical set with more colors and larger tiles.
To play Draw Dominoes, the first player draws 7 dominoes each if there are 2 players or 5 dominoes each if there are 4 players. Each player then adds a tile to the open end of a domino layout on their turn. If the total of all the open ends on the layout is equal to or a multiple of 5, the player scores that value. If the player cannot lay a tile, they must draw from a spare pile until they can, or miss their turn.
Muggins is a scoring variation of Draw Dominoes in which the winner is the first to score 100 points. The scoring is based on the total of all the open ends of the dominoes that have not been scored yet. This is accomplished by counting the dots on each of the dominoes, dividing by five, and comparing the result to the number of dots on each of the players’ remaining unplayed dominoes. When a player lays a double that would result in a score, but the other players do not realize it, the defending player can call “Muggins” and receive the score for the dominoes.