Domino is a game played with small rectangular blocks of wood or plastic, each with a face divided into two halves that are either blank or marked with dots resembling those on dice. The pips (or dots) on the domino are designed to be aligned with those on adjacent dominoes, so that when one is laid down, it will trigger the fall of other dominoes in sequence. The first to complete a chain of dominoes wins the game. In Western domino games, a double-six set of 28 tiles is the smallest required to play most games. These are typically shuffled together and then drawn at random from the stock, also called the boneyard or the bone pile. The player who draws the highest-value piece plays first. The remaining dominoes remain in the stock until the end of the hand when they are turned face up and counted. The winner receives a score equal to the total number of dots on his opponents’ unplayed dominoes.
The most basic domino variant is called “fives and threes” in Britain, or “9s.” The objective of the game is to place a domino from your hand on one end of the ends of those already played, so that the sum of the two dominoes is divisible by five or by three. The players then score points for each time five or three can be divided into the sum of the dominoes on the ends, i.e., a single domino makes four, while two dominoes make nine. The first player to do this scores the most points.
Hevesh is a professional domino artist who creates spectacular sets for movies and events, as well as creating a YouTube channel of her own creations. Her most intricate arrangements involve hundreds of thousands of dominoes that can take several nail-biting minutes to fall when completed.
In Europe, domino sets have been made from many different natural materials, including bone (usually silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell), ivory and dark hardwoods such as ebony; the upper half thickness of these materials is typically in MOP or ivory with a contrasting lower layer in ebony. These sets often have a more distinctive look than those with polymer material, and they are heavier as well.
Some sets have a unique look and feel, with dominoes of different shapes, sizes and colors. Some even have gold or silver pips. These can be very expensive, however. Historically, some European-style sets were also made from stone; other materials such as marble, granite and soapstone are used in the construction of modern dominoes for their durability. There are even some sets that have a novel appearance, such as frosted glass or crystal. These are generally much cheaper than other types of dominoes, and their novelty can add to the fun of playing with them. They may also have a more colorful, modern-looking design that appeals to some people. As a result, there are numerous variations of the classic domino game.
