Dominoes are rectangular tiles with an arrangement of dots, called pips, on one side. The other side is blank or identically patterned to the first.
Each player draws a number of tiles that correspond to the rules of the game being played. Any extras may be passed to another player or “bought” (See below).
Players join dominoes together on the table by numbers touching ie: 6 touching 4 or 6 touching 6. Some sets have different shapes and materials such as bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell, ivory or dark hardwood like ebony.
Rules
Like playing cards, dominoes are a set of plastic or clay tiles with identifying marks on one side and blank or identically patterned on the other. Dominoes have a variety of markings that are used for scoring and other purposes.
The game can be played between two or more players. Before the game begins each player shuffles the dominoes, turning them face down and mixing them. Then each player draws a number of dominoes from the stock and starts placing them in a line. The first person to complete a domino wins the round.
As you place your dominoes, they must be joined together end to end, except for doubles which may only be played across the line. When you place a double, look for the available neighboring spaces to see which ones match it, and mark them as split if necessary. If a player can’t play any more dominoes, their turn passes to the next player.
Materials
Dominos are usually made of either wood or plastic. Some sets are even carved from ivory. Historically, they were used to play a number of different games. A domino is a small rectangular block marked with two groups of spots on one side. It can be stacked on top of each other and the highest block wins. The game has been popular in Europe since the medieval period.
The most common type of domino set contains 28 pieces that are called dubble-six, dubble-nine or dubble-twelve. Each domino is twice as long as wide and has a pattern of dots or pips on one side, which indicate its value. Some of the pips are marked to represent numbers while others are blank.
Most domino players arrange their tiles in a stack on the table in front of them, so that they can easily keep track of their score. They also use a rack to hold the tiles upright, which makes them easier to handle and helps protect the tiles from damage.
Variations
There are many variations of domino, and each is played with a different set of rules. In some, the number of pips on the ends of a domino determines its value, as in the case of a double six.
Most domino games involve forming lines of play by matching the pips on open ends. In Muggins, for example, you score when the open ends of all the dominos you have placed total a multiple of five.
Some games require the use of a special domino set with different numbers of pips on each end. These are often called extended sets. The most common extended domino sets contain double-nine (55 tiles) and double-12 (91 tiles). They are commonly used with two or more players.
Scoring
In domino, scoring is determined by counting the number of open ends on the board. If the count is a multiple of five, then each side scores one point for each end that is not filled. The first player to score all of their points wins the game.
Maintaining the initiative is important for winning in domino. When possible, reducing the Board count limits your opponents opportunities to score and gives you the chance to make a +2 play.
There are many different types of domino games, and each game has its own rules. Often, the number of rounds is predetermined or the game is played until a point limit is reached. Regardless of the game type, players must count their points at the end of the round to determine the winner. When the game is won by a player, that player must also count their remaining dominoes to determine which ones to give to their opponent.
