Understanding the domino effect allows teams to harness its power and build more efficient, cohesive, and motivated teams. This can be done through effective communication, structured beginnings, accountability, and task prioritization.
A domino has two ends that are either identical or patterned with an arrangement of spots (called pips) from one to six. These pips represent a value or count.
Origin
Dominos, cousins to playing cards and dice, were first used in China as early as the 1300s. Today, domino is a generic gaming tool that can be used to play a wide variety of games and tests of skill and patience.
The word domino is believed to have been derived from Latin’s dominus, or master of the house, or possibly from a French-style hooded cape with black and white lining worn by priests. The name evolved as the game grew in popularity in Italy and France in the early 1700s.
The European dominoes that we recognize today differ from the Chinese versions, in that they include seven additional tiles—six representing different combinations of the faces on two dice and one representing the blank-blank (0-0) combination.
Rules
The dominoes are shuffled and then each player draws a hand of tiles. The player who draws the heaviest double (or, in partnership play, the highest single) begins play. This player is also known as the setter, the downer, or the lead.
As the players play their tiles, a line is formed that is called the layout, string, or line of play. Depending on the game, one or both ends of each tile must touch an end of another domino. If the open ends are a matching pair, the tile is called a spinner.
The number of points scored depends on the total number of exposed pips in the line of play. A running total score is kept on a cribbage board or similar surface.
Variations
Dominoes can be used to play many different games, with a wide range of rules and scoring. Most games are positional, in which players place tiles edge to edge to form a line of play. The players then score points for each connected terrain. The game ends when a player has no more tiles left in their hand. The highest scorer is the winner. Some popular variations include 5s-and-3s, matador, and muggins.
In Draw domino, each player draws seven tiles from a double-six set and then begins extending the line of play by playing matching tiles on one of its two exposed ends. When a player cannot play, they must draw tiles until they can or the stock runs out. The first player to reach 100 points is the winner.
Materials
Over the years dominoes have been made from a variety of materials. They are usually twice as long as they are wide and have to be a certain thickness in order to stand upright. Some of the older domino sets were made from bone and ivory while others are a combination of different materials.
Modern dominoes are usually made of cheap shiny black plastic. They can also be made from other natural materials such as stone (e.g., marble or granite); other woods; metals; ceramic clay; and even frosted glass and crystal.
In the past, dominoes were often made from slim narrow pieces of animal bone with an ebony layer on the back. By the mid-19th century, European-style dominoes were frequently manufactured from this material with a brass pin (also known as a spinner) inserted through the center.
Scoring
Dominoes are typically twice as long as they are wide, and have a line down the middle to divide them visually into two squares bearing one to six pips or dots. They may be blank or bear a number; a domino containing all six pips is called a “heavy” or “full” domino.
Domino scoring is generally done in a series of ends, with points scored in each end accumulating towards a total score. For example, in British public houses and clubs, a scoring version of 5s-and-3s is popular, with one point awarded each time five or three can be divided into the sum of two end tiles.
Count dominoes, which have exposed ends that add up to multiples of five, are worth an extra 10 points.
