The Basics of Dominoes

domino

Dominoes are small rectangular tiles used in a variety of games. Most dominoes are made of hard materials like wood, but there are also plastic and rigid material versions. They have identifying marks on one side. Some are blank and others are marked with a pattern of pips or spots.

The origin of the name domino is not well understood. There is evidence that it may have come from a Latin word, dominus. The word first appeared in the Dictionnaire de Trevoux in 1771. But it could be derived from a monastic hood, a cloak worn by a priest, or a hooded masquerade costume. In fact, the word was probably a combination of two earlier meanings.

It has been suggested that the word domino was coined in the mid-18th century, when dominoes arrived in Europe from Italy and France. They were allegedly brought to Britain by French prisoners of war. In fact, a popular version of the game in England was created during this time.

In order to play the game, a player must choose a tile from a stock of available ones and position it in the middle of the table. The next player must then lay his or her tile in such a way as to match one end of the domino to a part of the tile selected by the previous player. Then, the other players take turns adding more tiles to the line of play.

The player who plays the domino with the most pips on both ends wins. As the set size increases, it becomes harder to determine the correct pips. Some large sets use Arabic numerals instead of pips. Some use an “L” shaped layout, with tiles at right angles forming the “L”.

There are many variations of the game. One is the Domino Cross, where the same rules are applied. Another is the Draw game, where players take turns picking tiles from stock and placing them on the line of play. It is possible to play the game in pairs, with both players chipping out.

Most domino games are played with a double six set. The heaviest double in the set leads the pack with the next heaviest in the same suit. The game is then played clockwise and a player is awarded a point for each trick. There are three types of pips: those on the long side of the domino, those on the long side of the chain, and those on the open end.

The first rule of thumb is that all pips on the long side of a domino are counted as points. The same holds true for pips on the ends of the chain. A player who plays a domino with the same number at both ends is said to have a “stitched up” end. The simplest variant of the game is the Block game.

To win a Domino Cross, a team of four players must have the fewest spots on their dominoes. A team that wins will play the first domino in their hand. The winner’s score is calculated by subtracting the pips on the losing team’s dominoes from the total pips on the winning hand. The target score for the game is usually 61 points.