Domino is a game played with a set of small wooden or plastic blocks, each end of which is either blank or marked by dots resembling those on dice. When a domino is struck, it falls over and triggers the next one, and so on, creating a chain reaction. The first person to get his or her entire set of dominoes to fall in a certain pattern wins the game. Domino is a great family game and can be enjoyed by children and adults alike.
In some domino games, a player who cannot play the next tile passes or byes (see “Passing and Byeing” below). Each time a player draws a domino from the stock that he can play, he places it face up on the table in the middle of the line of play. A player may then match it with a domino that already has an open end or is touching a double, and then play it.
Each domino has a number of spots on its face and is referred to as a “tile.” The numbers are usually written in Arabic numerals, although some sets have the numbers printed in a color that is easy for players to see, such as red or yellow. The number of spots on a domino is important because it determines how a player scores in the game, as well as how many points are needed to win.
The most popular and familiar type of domino is a standard set of 28 tiles, each with the same number of pips. There are also large sets with more digits, which can be used to play different games.
Most people who play domino do so in pairs. Each player draws the number of tiles specified in the rules for the particular game being played. Then each player places his or her tile on the table, ensuring that it touches only one other domino with matching ends and that the number is visible to the opponents. When a player plays a tile that results in a chain of dominoes developing that shows the number on both ends, that player is said to have “stitched up” the end of the chain.
As the domino chain develops, it can become very long, and a player must ensure that he or she can reach the end of the chain before the opponents are able to do so. Sometimes this is impossible because the number on the ends of a chain are not easily visible to the opponents. In such cases, the players are said to be “chipping out.”
While domino is primarily a strategy game, it can be fun to make art with it. Some players create lines of dominoes that form pictures when they fall, while others make 3-D structures such as towers and pyramids. Another way to use domino is to plan out a track for a race car.