The Basics of Dominoes

domino

Originally, a domino was a long, hooded cloak worn by a priest. In the early 18th century, it came to England and was used in games. Later, it became a popular form of entertainment. In France, the game appeared in the mid-18th century.

The word “domino” is first recorded in the French dictionary Dictionnaire de Trevoux in 1771. A similar pronunciation is found in the Chinese language. In the United States, the phrase “boneyard” is used to describe pieces left behind by players.

Traditionally, European-style dominoes are made of bone or ivory. In addition to those materials, dominoes are also made of dark hardwood such as ebony. These types of dominoes are often called “draw” dominoes.

The domino itself is a rectangular block of black and white pieces that have a line in the center. They are typically twice as long as they are wide. One side of the domino has an arrangement of pips. The other side is blank. When a player wants to play a domino, he or she must lay the piece onto a table and knock it down. The first domino in the line that is knocked down will fall and the following domino will tip over, starting a chain reaction that will eventually end with all of the dominoes falling down.

A domino is usually a set of 28 pieces. Each player draws a certain number of tiles for the game, but they may take less of them at first. As the set grows, it becomes more difficult to determine the pips. Some large sets use Arabic numerals instead of pips.

A double-18 set of dominoes has 190 tiles. A double-15 set has 136 tiles, a double-12 set has 55 tiles, and a double-six set has six tiles. Most Western dominoes are used in positional games.

The most basic of Western dominoes is the block-and-draw game, which is played by two to four players. Each player draws seven tiles, and each tile is played into a trick. A trick counts as one point. The winner is the player with the fewest spots on their dominoes.

Another variation is the concentration game. In this game, a player must have a total of twelve pips. The first player picks the lead piece, which has the highest total pip count. A second player must then pick the next piece, and so on. In this game, each player must play to win.

Many children like to play with dominoes as toys. They can make a fun course using other objects as dominoes. They can be placed in any direction, and can be lined up in long rows. They can also be knocked down in a row.

Other types of dominoes include “tickets” and “spinners.” In these games, the player must knock the first domino to fall down. After the first domino in the row is tipped over, the player must knock down the next domino in the row to stop the chain.