Domino is a skill game of matching and placing domino tiles to form lines or layouts. Although various forms exist, most games fall under one of four broad categories: bidding games, blocking games, scoring games or round games. Variants exist that use slightly different rules but still fit into these broad categories. Domino has become an internationally popular pastime that’s played regularly between family members or with close friends.
Dominoes are rectangular pieces of wood or other material with a line running down their center to divide into two squares, each side featuring spots known as pips ranked according to value; with six being the highest value domino and none being blank (also stackable for easy storage and play). They typically measure twice as long as wide for easy storage and play.
At the outset of any game of domino, each player begins by drawing the number of tiles stipulated by the rules of the game and placing them face down so no other players can see their pips. These tiles form what’s referred to as “the stock”, while each player then takes turns playing their domino according to its pattern; any misplayed dominoes must be recalled before proceeding with his turn.
Once a domino is placed, it sets off a chain reaction which causes all other dominoes in its line to come tumbling down. This happens because dominoes have inertia, or resistance to motion without external forces pushing on them; when one reaches its tipping point however, releasing an energy surge that cascades down its entire chain.
Therefore, the odds of dominoes falling depend on their distance from each other – similar to how nerve impulses travel along an axon – with each successive domino having only a very low chance of triggering by its predecessor.
In most domino games, scoring is calculated by tallying up how many pips remain in losing players’ hands at the conclusion of a hand or game. There may be variations to this method; for instance some may prefer counting only one end of doubles or none at all.
Hevesh, a domino artist with over 2 million subscribers on YouTube, takes care to carefully test each element of her installations before assembling. This allows for precise corrections if necessary and guarantees that every part will work as it should – some installations take several minutes for complete collapse; when they do however, Hevesh says watching them fall down is like witnessing a symphony taking shape!