Domino is a family of games using tiles with matching ends. It can be played as a blocking game or a scoring game.
A wise domino player analyzes the board count and creates a strategy for his or her hand. The winner of the last game plays first. Typically, this is the player holding the heaviest tile.
Origin
Dominoes are the cousins of playing cards, and the game’s history stretches back to the 1300s. They are one of the oldest tools for game play, and the markings on them originally represented all possible throws of two dice. European immigrants took the game to Latin America, where it became an integral part of local culture.
Domino uses her mutant power to calculate the odds of an event’s occurrence, allowing her to instantly determine what will happen next. She’s a master of martial arts and covert operations, and is proficient in several languages. She wears body armor and contacts that enhance her vision and sight.
Domino was a member of the Six Pack, a mercenary group that included G. W. Bridge, Hammer, and Anaconda. She later joined X-Force to fight for mutant rights and against supervillains like Stryfe, Mister Sinister, and Corben.
Rules
Many different domino games exist, but most have similar basic rules. Generally, they fall into four categories: bidding games, blocking games, and scoring games. In most cases, players play in teams and score according to the number of pips left in their opponents’ hands.
Players begin by drawing dominoes from the stock, which is usually a pile of shuffled tiles. They then stand them on-edge before them. This way each player can see the value of his dominoes at all times during the game.
Depending on the game, the first player (determined by drawing lots or by who holds the heaviest tile) begins the play. The players then draw additional dominoes for their hand. These dominoes are returned to the stock and reshuffled before each player draws again.
Materials
Over the centuries domino has been made from a variety of materials. Some of the most common are plastics, metals and wood. Traditionally, domino pieces were made from bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl) or ivory. These were usually carved or painted. They were made to be twice as long as they are wide so that they could stand on their edges.
Some modern domino sets are even made from a combination of materials, such as natural stone and woods, or even ceramic clay. They are often heavier than other types of dominoes and tend to be more expensive as well. Most wood domino sets are a true work of art and will carry hefty price tags to reflect the level of skill and artistry that went into their creation.
Variations
There are a number of variations on domino, some of which involve using a special tile called a matador. This tile acts as a wild card and can be played on any end of the line of play. In addition, some games allow players to bye tiles from the stock if they are unable to make a play. These extra tiles are then reshuffled into the stock and redrawn by the player.
The simplest variation is the block game for two players that requires a double-six set. The 28 tiles are shuffled and formed into a stock or boneyard and each player draws seven tiles.
The players take turns extending the line of play by adding a domino with matching values at one of its open ends. The game ends when a player plays their last domino or when the line of play becomes blocked.
Scoring
In most games of domino, the end tiles on each side of a chain are scored. These end tiles are known as spinners and count for two points each. For example, a double six placed on the end of a chain will score eight points (four + two) while a blank is worth zero.
The player who holds the highest-valued single tile begins play in each game. Depending on the rules of the particular game, players may also be allowed to buy tiles from the stock. In some cases, the total number of pips on the purchased tiles is added to the winner’s score. In addition, the winner may also start the next game by drawing a new hand.
