Dominoes have an identity-bearing side and a blank or patterned opposite side. Counting the pips on both exposed ends of a domino at the end of a hand or game determines a winner and scores.
A game of domino develops spatial awareness, color recognition, and fine motor skills. Traditionally, European-style dominoes are made of bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl) or ivory with contrasting black ebony faces.
Rules
Dominoes are rectangular domino pieces that are marked with a variety of numbers on one side and blank or identically patterned on the other. They are used in games whose objective is to link dominoes together in chains that match the number of pips on both ends of a piece. There are many variations of these games. Almost all of them involve bidding, blocking, scoring and round games.
The player who makes the first play is called a setter, downer or lead. He may choose any of his seven tiles to begin the game, or draw lots for the starting tile. Then he places his tile in the center of the table.
If a player cannot make a play, the turn passes to the next player. The game continues until players run out of their own pieces. The winner of the round scores the sum of the pips on his opponent’s remaining dominoes. The game may continue until one player’s score is 101 points or higher.
Materials
Over the centuries, domino pieces have been made from a variety of materials including bone, wood, ivory and metal. A domino is a small flat rectangular game piece with a line across the center that divides it into two square halves. One half has a value (represented by dots called pips) while the other is blank or has no pips and represents zero.
A domino is usually twice as long as it is wide, making it easier to re-stack it after use. Most commercially available domino sets are double six, but larger sets exist for games with more than two players or to play long domino layout games.
Dominoes are a great way to develop your kids’ spatial awareness, colour recognition and fine motor skills. They also help develop their artistic expression and problem solving abilities. The core game is based around numeric patterns and therefore builds children’s mathematical skills. It is also a fun way to practice patience and focus.
Variations
Many different games use domino, and the rules vary depending on where a game is played and what type of set is used. For example, a 32-piece Chinese domino set has blank faces rather than the numbers shown on most Western sets. Also, the pips on each side of a domino represent the result of two thrown dice and are therefore not the same on both sides.
Some variants of the game require that the initial domino be a double, which serves as a spinner and allows the line of play to branch. Others require all exposed ends of the domino to be a multiple of five. Some, like Muggins, count both ends of a double for scoring purposes, while others, such as Chicken Foot, only count one end of the double.
The Draw Game is one of the two basic forms of domino and most characteristic domino games are elaborations of it. In the draw game, players each begin with seven tiles from a double-six set and then extend their lines of play with matching pairs of tiles.
Scoring
Dominoes are a great way to develop spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination. They also help kids learn the names of different colours. The game encourages a sense of imagination by letting children build their own structures with the dominoes.
The game of domino is a popular pastime for both children and adults. The game’s name derives from a Latin word meaning “little table”. The game’s history is closely linked to that of its predecessor, cribbage.
The scoring system is similar to the one used in cribbage. Each player counts the number of open ends on his dominoes. If the total is a multiple of five, the dominoing player scores points. The exposed ends of the first double, known as the spinner, are not counted. All other doubles are played at right angles to the line of play. When all sides of a double have been played on, the player’s score is determined by the total on the open ends.
