Often called bones, cards or pips, dominoes are small, rectangular pieces of wood, ivory, bone or metal that have a identifying line in the center. Dominoes are often used for card games or other games. They can be used for a variety of games, including trick taking, scoring games and layout games. Some domino games duplicate card games, while other games have a completely different character.
The game of dominos is one of the oldest tools of game play. It first appeared in China around the 12th or 13th century. It was probably introduced to France around the 18th century. It is also believed that French prisoners of war brought it to England.
In some versions of dominoes, the game begins with a set of three or four dominoes. The first player takes one tile and places it face up in the center of the table. The second player takes the next tile and places it so that one end of the domino is perpendicular to the first tile. The third tile is placed vertically, while the fourth tile produces the open ends of the four and five.
The game is played until one player reaches the target score. Typically, the player who has the least number of spots on his domino wins. The number of spots on a domino is known as the pips. The sum of all the pips on a domino is called the weight. In some versions of dominoes, all the tiles are played, with the doubles placed at the end of the chain. This can create a chain shape that is random. Some versions of dominoes have a special variant known as “Chicken Foot,” which requires players to occupy all sides of a spinner.
A domino is divided into two squares, or ends, called “pips.” The player who has the pips on both ends of a domino is said to have “stitched up” the ends. Other versions of dominoes have no pips, and players may only play a tile with a number on one end of the chain.
The number of tiles drawn depends on the size of the set and the number of players. The most common domino set is the double six set, which has 28 tiles. Other sets are the double twelve set, which has 55 tiles, the double twenty-one set, which has 253 tiles, and the double fifteen set, which has 136 tiles. The traditional Chinese domino set contains 32 pieces.
European style dominoes are traditionally made from dark hardwood, such as ebony. The silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell is also used in some of the more modern versions of dominoes. Chinese dominoes, on the other hand, use a variety of materials. Some are made from bone or ivory, while other are made from a combination of materials.
Most domino sets are available in a variety of sizes. There are also some sets that have no pips, and others that include seven extra dominoes. This makes for a variety of different games, and many different variations of the game.