Domino is a game of skill, strategy, and chance. The most popular types of domino games are bidding games, blocking games, scoring games and round games. There are many variations of the game and rules differ from place to place. Despite these differences, most of the games have similar, and sometimes identical, rules.
Most domino games are played by two or more players. The game starts with a set of 28 tiles, which are shuffled and then arranged face down to form a stock or boneyard. Each player then draws seven tiles for their hand from the stock. Each tile has one or more pips, like the number on a die. When a domino is drawn, it must be exposed to all of the other players before it can be played. If a player accidentally draws more for his hand than he is entitled to, he must take the extra tiles and return them to the stock before the next player draws.
When a player plays his first domino, it must be placed adjacent to the left of the last tile played. After the first domino is placed, play continues clockwise around the table. The winner of the previous game makes the first play of the current game. If the winner of the previous game is unable to make another play, the game ends.
The word “domino” comes from the Latin word for “flipper.” A domino has a rectangular shape and is marked with an arrangement of numbers, or pips, on its face. The other side of the domino is blank or identically patterned. The pips on the domino are arranged in a particular way that gives each domino an identity. Most dominoes are ebony black and have ivory faces, which resemble a priest’s cape over his surplice.
While the word domino is a relatively recent invention, the game itself has long been in existence. The first mention of the game was in Italy and France in the mid-18th century, but it did not reach England until after 1750. In English, the name was originally spelled “dominoes,” which came from the earlier French sense of the word, denoting a hooded cloak worn together with a mask during carnival season or at a masquerade.
Dominoes are often used to demonstrate mathematical principles, such as counting the number of dominoes left in an opponent’s hands at the end of a hand or the game and then adding that number to the winner’s score. Another scoring method, used in Muggins, is to count all the open ends of a double and then subtract that number from 5. Then divide the remainder by five to get the winner’s score. This method also works well in other games that require the counting of all the open ends of a double.