Dominoes are a popular game that involves the use of black and white rectangular tiles. The pieces of a domino are commonly called “bones,” “cards,” “tiles,” or “men.”
In the game of dominoes, players compete with one another to build sets of seven tiles. The player with the most points at the end of a game is the winner. Traditionally, each piece of a domino was unique to the set that it came in. But larger sets have become available, including some with more pips on each end and other variations.
The most common domino set is a double-six set (28 pieces) that has one tile for every possible combination of numbers from six pips down to none or blank. Other sets have more pips and can be as large as double-18 (190 pieces) or even double-21 (253 pieces).
A domino’s value depends on its number of pips, or spots. A pips value of six is considered the highest, and a pips value of 0 is the lowest.
Each tile in a domino set is marked with a number of pips, usually two on each side. This number varies depending on the type of domino and its position in the set. It also varies according to the suit that it belongs to.
In most games, the ends of a domino are not open for play until they are connected to other tiles by the player. However, in some games, a domino’s long side is open when it is placed across another piece of a layout, allowing additional tiles to be placed there.
This is especially important in games where a double is the first tile played. It is then the only tile with a single long side that can be connected to other tiles in the layout.
Occasionally, in order to create a more interesting or novel arrangement of tiles in a domino layout, the long sides of a double may be connected at a right-angle. This can produce a zigzag effect or a line in the layout, or it can simply be used to connect the long sides of other tiles.
Dominoes can also be made to look different by adding colored pips. These pips can have a color that matches the background of the tile, or they can have a different color. The color can be changed by painting the pips or by using dyes.
These colors can also be combined to create a variety of different patterns, such as a diamond shape or a circle. Adding these patterns to a tile can also help it stand out in a layout.
The simplest way to play dominoes is to lay down tiles with matching numbers on the corresponding sides of them. This can be done by placing tiles with the same number of pips on each side, or by laying down tiles with identical pips in opposite directions.
Once a player has laid down all the tiles that he or she can, play passes to the next player. Normally, the player who laid down the last tile is the first player to “chip out,” or play his last domino.