by When people think of domino, they might picture the little black and white rectangles that children like to line up in long rows, then knock over. But that’s just one of many uses for these small, versatile pieces of flat wood or plastic. The word “domino” also refers to the individual pieces in a set, which usually includes 28. You may also hear them called bones, cards, tiles, stones, spinners, or tickets.
In general, a domino is a flat, thumbsized rectangular block with a single side bearing from one to six numbered dots or pips resembling those on a die. The other side is blank or patterned with an identical arrangement of spots, or pips. The number of pips on either side of a domino gives it a value, which determines the type of game in which it can be used. A domino that has fewer than six pips is considered light. A domino with six or more pips is called heavy.
Each domino is typically twice as long as it is wide, which makes it easy to re-stack them after use. The pips are typically raised slightly above the surface, which gives them a tactile feel and helps differentiate them from similar-looking tiles. Some sets are made with the pips inlaid in the surface of the piece or on its edge. Historically, dominoes were often made from materials such as bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, and dark hardwoods such as ebony. In more recent times, they have been produced from polymer and other synthetic materials.
Dominoes are commonly used to play games of chance or skill, where a player scores points by arranging the ends of a row of dominoes so that they connect or “fall” in a specified pattern. Depending on the game, dominoes may be played so that each end of a line of play is connected to a double or a single. In addition, the ends of a line of play may be scored by counting the number of open or unconnected dominoes in the chain and scoring according to that count.
In more complex games, players may try to achieve specific goals, such as forming certain combinations of numbers or achieving a particular sequence. In the simplest game, each player in turn lays down a domino by placing it end to end on top of another, so that its open or marked sides are either identical or form a total of a specified number. Each time a player achieves his or her goal, that domino becomes the target of the next player’s score. The process continues until one player reaches his or her goal or there are no more dominoes that can be laid.
