Domino is a game of chance played on a table with small oblong pieces that have a pattern of dots on one side and are blank on the other. The heaviest domino makes the first play and the players continue to place tiles until one player cannot make a play.
Rules
The rules for domino vary with the game being played. Each game will have its own rules but most games use the same basic format. The game begins with all the dominoes being shuffled and placed face down. The players then establish who will play first. Usually the player with the heaviest domino begins the game but some games will have different methods of determining who starts.
When a player plays a domino, the other players must match it to the pips on their tiles. This can be done by matching the pips on the side of the tile to those on other dominoes or by counting the number of dots in each opponents hand. The winner of the round then adds up the value of the dominoes still in their opponents hands.
Doubles are always played across the line of play but singles may be played either lengthwise or across a double depending on the game being played. If a player plays on a domino that isn’t the spinner they are disqualified.
Variations
There are many different domino variants. Some use the standard set of 28 tiles, while others require a special set with additional dominoes or an expansion pack. Some have special rules for forming the line of play or the scoring process. Others are more strategic and require a high level of skill. Some of these games can also be played with two or more players.
The simplest variant is Block, for two players. The basic set of 28 tiles are shuffled and formed into a stock or boneyard from which each player draws seven dominoes. The players then take turns placing domino halves edge to edge on the table. They score points when the exposed ends of the dominoes add up to a multiple of five.
When a player can no longer extend the line of play, the round ends. The winner is the player with the lowest remaining pips in his hand. Players may continue to play rounds until one player reaches 101 points, or until the game is blocked and no player can lay another domino.
Materials
Dominoes have been made from many different materials over the centuries, including bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory and a variety of woods. They are usually twice as long as they are wide and the faces are divided visually into two squares by a line. Each square is then marked with one to six spots or dots, called pips. Some dominoes have no pips at all and are blank.
A typical European domino set contains 28 pieces and represents all the possible outcomes of a pair of dice throws. Each domino has a unique combination of pips, and some have blank faces, while others have alternating black and white pips.
Able to influence the laws of probability to shift odds in her favor, Domino is an expert weapons user and a skilled martial artist. She joined X-Force after helping to liberate mutants sequestered by the Office of National Emergency, and later worked with the Wild Pack and Cable on various missions.
Scoring
A domino is a tile that features two square ends with a number of pips or spots, from six down to blank. Each end has a different value and the sum of a domino’s values is its “rank” or weight. A player or team scores points based on the number of pips they have in the opponents’ hands when they knock down a set of dominoes. Each set of dominoes has a different scoring system.
Domino began her career as a bodyguard for genius Milo Thurman but was drawn into the wider world of mutants when A.I.M. terrorists forced him under deeper cover. She joined the Wild Pack (later renamed the Six Pack) and was allied with time-traveler Cable, whom she helped oppose the ancient mutant-devouring Skornn entity.
Domino went undercover with Sunspot and Siryn to infiltrate a medical research facility controlled by Donald Pierce’s cyborg Reavers, unaware that Zero Tolerance forces had discerned their true identities. She also worked for X-Corporation’s Hong Kong branch and helped combat John Sublime’s Third Species mutant organ harvesting movement.
