What is Domino?
Domino is a small, rectangular block used as a game piece or a building material. The word is also a verb meaning to “topple” or “fall.” People stack dominoes on end in long lines, then tip the first one, which causes others to fall over, and so on. These sequences can create elaborate designs or can be used to play a variety of games. The concept behind this chain reaction has led to the common phrase “domino effect,” which describes a series of events that start out small but eventually lead to larger-than-expected consequences.
Many games are played with dominoes, and the rules vary from place to place. Some of the most popular include solitary domino, double-blind domino and draw domino. The latter is similar to the Block game except that a player draws the number of tiles specified by the rules and places them in front of him, and then takes turns placing a domino in the line of play. When a player cannot play a tile, they “chip out” and pass the turn to their partner.
Domino is often referred to as a “tabletop” game, but it can be played on the floor with the use of a special tabletop. The tabletop is covered with a thin plastic or wood surface to reduce the risk of splinters or scratches, and it may be fitted with a grid for more precise positioning. This makes the domino surface smooth and even, which helps with gameplay.
The rules for domino vary widely across regions and cultures, but a few basic principles are shared: Typically, players score by counting the pips on all the tiles in their hands at the end of a hand or game. The winner is the player whose total is the highest. A variation is that the player holding the heaviest double begins play.
While dominoes can be made from a variety of materials, traditional European-style sets are typically made from bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl) or ivory with contrasting black or white pips. These are generally carved or inlaid and have a more sophisticated look than polymer sets. A few modern manufacturers produce domino sets from different natural materials, such as stone (e.g., marble or granite); other types of wood (e.g., ebony); metals (e.g., brass or pewter); ceramic clay; and other substances (e.g., frosted glass or crystal).
Lily Hevesh started collecting and playing with dominoes at age 9. She now runs her own YouTube channel featuring her creations. Her most elaborate installations feature several thousand dominoes, and it can take several nail-biting minutes for them to complete their physics-defying tumble. But Hevesh is confident that her dominoes are safe because of a simple physical phenomenon: gravity. She has studied how the force of falling objects works, and she says that when she starts a new setup, she counts down to the last domino so she knows how fast to let it go.
Domino is a small, rectangular block used as a game piece or a building material. The word is also a verb meaning to “topple” or “fall.” People stack dominoes on end in long lines, then tip the first one, which causes others to fall over, and so on. These sequences can create elaborate designs or can be used to play a variety of games. The concept behind this chain reaction has led to the common phrase “domino effect,” which describes a series of events that start out small but eventually lead to larger-than-expected consequences. Many games are played with dominoes, and the rules vary from place to place. Some of the most popular include solitary domino, double-blind domino and draw domino. The latter is similar to the Block game except that a player draws the number of tiles specified by the rules and places them in front of him, and then takes turns placing a domino in the line of play. When a player cannot play a tile, they “chip out” and pass the turn to their partner. Domino is often referred to as a “tabletop” game, but it can be played on the floor with the use of a special tabletop. The tabletop is covered with a thin plastic or wood surface to reduce the risk of splinters or scratches, and it may be fitted with a grid for more precise positioning. This makes the domino surface smooth and even, which helps with gameplay. The rules for domino vary widely across regions and cultures, but a few basic principles are shared: Typically, players score by counting the pips on all the tiles in their hands at the end of a hand or game. The winner is the player whose total is the highest. A variation is that the player holding the heaviest double begins play. While dominoes can be made from a variety of materials, traditional European-style sets are typically made from bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl) or ivory with contrasting black or white pips. These are generally carved or inlaid and have a more sophisticated look than polymer sets. A few modern manufacturers produce domino sets from different natural materials, such as stone (e.g., marble or granite); other types of wood (e.g., ebony); metals (e.g., brass or pewter); ceramic clay; and other substances (e.g., frosted glass or crystal). Lily Hevesh started collecting and playing with dominoes at age 9. She now runs her own YouTube channel featuring her creations. Her most elaborate installations feature several thousand dominoes, and it can take several nail-biting minutes for them to complete their physics-defying tumble. But Hevesh is confident that her dominoes are safe because of a simple physical phenomenon: gravity. She has studied how the force of falling objects works, and she says that when she starts a new setup, she counts down to the last domino so she knows how fast to let it go.