Dominoes

Dominoes are small oblong pieces that can be stacked edge to edge in long lines. When one is tipped over, it causes the others to fall. They can be used for games or to create artistic designs.

Lily Hevesh has mastered the art of creating intricate domino structures. She tests each section of an installation before putting it all together. Her biggest 3-D creations can take several nail-biting minutes to fall!

Rules

Domino games can involve a variety of rules. For example, some games use matching systems where the ends of a domino touch and must add up to a certain total. Other games start stacked and require players to remove accessible tiles from the boneyard.

Before a game begins, the players should agree on a score goal – most variations of domino play until 100, 150, or 200 points. The player with the highest score at the end of a hand or round wins.

Players then draw their hands of dominoes, usually seven if there are two to four players. Then they place them face down on the table, shuffle, and draw again. Players may also be allowed to buy additional dominoes from the stock (see below). The player with the highest number of matching dominoes in his or her hand plays first. The first domino played in a hand or round is known as the set, lead, down, or pose.

Materials

Modern domino sets can be made in a variety of materials, including plastics, metals, and stone. Dominoes made from natural materials tend to be more durable and expensive than those made from polymers, but they also require a bit more skill to construct and finish.

Each domino is a rectangular block with a value marked on one side and blank or identically patterned on the other. The value side is identified by an arrangement of dots, commonly called pips, that range from six (indicating the number double-six) to none or blank.

Dominoes are typically twice as long as they are wide, which makes them more stable and easier to stack. Each face of a domino is divided visually into two squares, with the top square usually displaying the pips and the bottom one the value (either a number or blank). Each side may contain either black or white pips. If a domino is blank, it is considered to be worth zero points.

Variations

There are many different domino games. Some are complex and require skill, while others are more simple. Some games are based on counting the number of pips at each open end, while others are more mathematical. The most basic domino game uses a double-six set, and is played by two players. Each player draws seven tiles from the stock and places them on-edge in front of them. They then turn the tiles over to look at them without revealing them to their opponents. The first player places a domino that starts the line of play, and then both players alternately extend it by playing a matching tile at one or both ends.

Depending on the rules, the winner of a game may begin the next hand. In most cases, the highest double starts play. Alternatively, a player can choose to draw new hands randomly. This can affect the score. In this case, the player with the highest double scores.

Scoring

Domino scoring depends on the game-type and whether players are competing or working together. Generally, one player scores by advancing his or her own dominoes and blocking opponents’ attempts to do so. The winner is awarded points equal to the number of dots in the opponent’s hand.

Depending on the game, it may be possible to score multiple times by attaching one of your own tiles to an end of another domino in a line. For example, a double zero domino can be scored as 7 points when it touches an adjacent two-zero or three-zero domino.

The classic set of domino contains 28 tiles, and each player draws seven from the boneyard to form his or her hand. This is a number chosen to accommodate layout games, where a large percentage of the board is used for defensive plays. It also makes it easier for players to understand available scoring counts. For instance, the 3.8 counting groupings offer the most defensive results, while the +/- 2 and 3-groups are less useful defensively.

By admin1989