A domino is a small rectangular object used in various games. It is also known as a tile, bone, card, ticket, man, or spinner. They are typically made from wood or ivory.
Traditionally, European dominoes were made from dark hardwood such as ebony and ivory. Some dominoes are made of plastic. There are several different types of dominoes, and each is played in a different way.
The most basic variant of the game is for two players. In this game, each player draws seven tiles from a stock. These tiles are placed edge to edge against each other, with the exception of the first one in line. When the first one in the line is tipped, the next domino in line falls. This leads to a chain reaction, which is called the Domino Effect.
Other variants include the Concentration variant, which is based on the same principles, but with the double-six set instead of the double-12. Typically, these sets have six pips, but some use Arabic numerals. As a result, identifying pips on large sets becomes more difficult.
Another popular type of domino game is the Solitaire game. Players take turns placing the pieces on the board and try to line up three sets of identical pieces. One player tries to win the game by making all of his or her tiles score. Usually, a single tile belongs to a suit. If a tile does not belong to a suit, it is considered a blank.
Other traditional Chinese dominoes are Tien Gow and Pai Gow. Unlike European dominoes, which are usually made from ivory, these are usually made from mother of pearl oyster shell or silver lip ocean pearl.
Western dominoes are also commonly played as positional games. Originally, each domino represented one of 21 results of throwing two six-sided dice. However, each player can draw a tile that does not fall within the set. Because of this, players can create more complex courses.
While most domino sets have a total of 28 tiles, some are not complete. Sometimes, there are blank faces on a domino, or even more than two pips. For example, a set of 253 tiles would be too large for most domino games.
Another popular domino game is Five-Up, which uses multicolored tiles. Each tile has a number on it, and its value is based on the number of spots on the other side of the tile. Once the number on the tile matches the number of spots on the other side, the game is over.
Several variations of the game exist, ranging from trick-taking domino games to scoring games. You can even play online against a computer. Regardless of the variation you choose, dominoes are a fun toy that has been around for centuries.
In the mid-18th century, the domino game began to spread in France. French prisoners of war brought the game to England. Later, the game reached America and was included in literature. By the 1860s, there were numerous variants of the game.