How to Play Domino
Domino is a small, rectangular, rigid game piece used in a variety of games. They are typically made of wood or plastic. Each is a half-inch wide and twice as long as it is tall. Some versions have pips on the ends, but most don’t. The name is derived from a type of crude woodcuts on paper that were popular among French peasants.
To play domino, a player must lay a tile on the table. It is generally marked with a number or a combination of numbers, and is usually double-sized. Depending on the style of domino, the number on one end may be listed first. For example, the 0-0 tile belongs to the suit of zero, the 1-6 tile to the suit of six, and the 2-4 to the suit of four.
After the first player has picked up a domino, he or she takes turns adding more dominoes to the platform. This is often referred to as “smacking down the bone”. When a player reaches the end of the line, the game is called finished. Alternatively, if the player catches the other players in the process, the game is referred to as a trick-taking game.
Typically, the number of pips on each of the ends is used to determine if a tile is worth a point or not. If the number is divisible by five or three, the player scores a point. On the other hand, if it is not, the player does not.
The player may also draw a tile from the stock. However, the unused tiles remain face down for the next player to use. Before each player draws from the stock, the tiles are mixed up. Afterward, the last player draws the hand.
Once the last player has drawn the hand, the player picks up the dominoes and places them in a place known as a bone yard. Depending on the game, the player will take turns playing one or two dominoes, or the entire set. Usually, a player will play a double or a single, but it is up to the person to decide. A double is played perpendicular to the line, while a single is played horizontally.
Most games of domino are adapted from card games, but there are some variants that use a different character. These include the Mexican train and matador. Another version of the game, a double-nine set, requires nine tiles at the beginning of the game. In addition, a concentration version is played with a double-six set.
Most dominoes have a line in the middle that defines the layout of the tiles. Pips on the ends are used for matching purposes. Counting the number of pips on an opponent’s tile is a common method of scoring in a domino game. Alternatively, a player may choose to add a domino to any line.
A player who has the lowest hand wins. In a two-player game, the first player to hit a domino wins, while the second player who has the highest double wins. Unlike other games, a player does not have to match the pips on another player’s tile. As long as all the players are blocked, the winning team has the least spots on their dominoes.