How Domino Is Played
Domino (also known as bones, cards, men, or tiles) are flat rectangular blocks of varying colors and designs that may be used in games of chance or skill. Each domino has two ends that are marked with numbers ranging from six to blank, and the value of each end is called its rank or weight. A domino is normally twice as long as it is wide, and its shape makes it easy to stack when not in use.
When a domino is played, it is typically placed on the edge of a matching tile already on the table. Each player then plays a tile onto that double, creating a chain that builds out from the starting point. This process of playing tiles onto each other is called a line of play and instructions for many different lines of play are listed in this article under Line of Play.
As the domino chains grow, players take turns adding tiles to the line of play in accordance with the rules for each game. The order in which a player adds a tile is determined by the rank or weight of the existing domino, with higher rank or weight dominoes being placed first. In addition to forming the line of play, the way in which a domino is played can also be used to block an opponent’s plays or create combinations that lead to certain scores.
The word “domino” itself has an ambiguous history, and the name may refer to either the game or the restaurant chain that uses it. The modern sense of the word dates back only to 1750, though it had earlier denoted a long hooded cloak worn together with a mask at a carnival or masquerade.
Unlike the traditional eat-in dining establishments that were forced to close during the pandemic, pizza delivery businesses actually benefited from the COVID-19 crisis. Many consumers shifted their food buying habits from eating out to ordering takeout or delivery, and Domino’s recognized this shift as an opportunity for growth.
When the first domino falls, it converts its potential energy into kinetic energy, or energy of motion, and some of that kinetic energy is transmitted to each subsequent domino as it is knocked over. This process continues until all the dominoes are down.
Dominos are often used for artistic and decorative purposes, and they can be arranged in curved lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, or 3D structures like towers and pyramids. When creating a domino art piece, it is important to consider a theme and the desired outcome of the design. This can help guide the selection of the dominoes to be used in the design.
As the name suggests, the most basic domino game involves a set of 28 dominoes that are shuffled face down and become the stock or boneyard. Each player draws a hand of seven tiles and begins the game. Some variants of the game require additional dominoes, but the number of extras should be limited to avoid overdraws. If a player draws more tiles for his hand than is allowed, the excess tiles are returned to the stock and must be reshuffled before the next player draws.