Dominoes are small rectangular blocks used in various games. They are divided into two squares, called ends, and are marked with a line in the middle. The object of the game is to place them in a way that one or both ends of the domino chain are connected to the other.
There are many different types of dominoes, with different characters. Traditional European style dominoes are made from dark hardwood, such as ebony, and usually have ivory faces. Chinese dominoes are similar to European dominoes, but they are not marked with suit distinctions. They are also more often used in positional games. Some traditional Chinese domino games include Pai Gow, Tien Gow, and Che Deng.
Although there are several different kinds of dominoes, the basic rules of each remain the same. Players take turns adding tiles to a platform, aiming to make it stable and precarious enough for the next player to fall onto it. If the tower falls, the game is over. Normally, the winner is the one with the fewest spots on their own dominoes.
The first tile played is normally a double-six. After this, the next tile is a five-five. A double-five is a tile with two pips on each side of the domino, while a six is a tile with two pips in each direction. The third tile is a vertically-played six, and the fourth is a four-and-five.
Dominoes are generally twice as wide and long as they are tall. This gives the pieces a distinctive shape. Traditionally, they were made of ivory, ebony, and silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell. However, more modern domino sets are made from aluminum or plastic. These types of dominoes can be purchased in many different sizes. For example, a double-nine set has 55 tiles, a double-eighteen has 190, a double-twelve has 91, and a double-fifteen has 136.
Most of these dominoes are blank on the other side, allowing players to draw and add tiles from any line. They may also be joined to all four sides of a domino in some variations.
A variety of domino games exist, from trick-taking to solitaire to chicken foot. A number of these games are adaptations of card games. In some cases, they are played with a single partner, while others require both players to chip out.
When playing a game of dominoes, the heaviest hand of each player determines which tile they will lay down first. Before the game starts, each player must agree on a target score. It is important to keep this in mind because the winner is the player who gets to the end of the target number.
Other variations of the game involve a variant called Concentration. Unlike the other versions of the game, Concentration requires a total of 12 pips to count as a win. Also, a “chicken foot” is allowed, if you are playing with a double-six set.
To play, each player draws a domino. One player plays the first tile, and then the other players take turns drawing and adding tiles to the platform. As each player takes a turn, they should try to avoid placing tiles that have the same number on both ends of the domino chain.